If you’re like most people selling a home in Brentwood, Franklin, Spring Hill or any of the other communities south of Nashville, your REALTOR® will do a walk-through with you to find areas that need a little TLC. Your agent will also talk to you about home staging – the act of making your home as appealing as possible to prospective buyers – and he or she might suggest that you hire a professional. However, whether you choose to hire a professional or take a DIY approach, there are seven things you can do right now that will instantly make your home more marketable (and easier to sell).
7 Home Staging Tips That Make an INSTANT Difference
When you’re staging your home, these are the seven things you can do right now to make it more appealing to potential buyers:
- Focus on curb appeal
- Declutter
- Clean
- Brighten every room
- Freshen the paint
- Group furnishings properly
- Neutralize the decor
Here’s a closer look at each.
Home Staging Tip #1: Focus on Curb Appeal
The first thing prospective buyers will see in-person is your home’s exterior, so you need to make a great first impression. Cut the grass, clear the walkways, put away bicycles and outdoor toys, and make sure the porch is clean and well-lit. You might also want to:
- Add potted plants wherever appropriate
- Invest in a new mailbox and house numbers
- Update your porch light fixture
- Add a welcome mat and front door decor, such as a wreath
Home Staging Tip #2: Declutter
Go through your home and remove everything you haven’t used in the past 6 months. You might choose to donate, throw away or store items – but whatever you do, don’t keep extra items in your home. You want to show buyers how spacious and roomy your entire space is, and that’s a lot easier if you don’t have any excess baggage.
Decluttering goes for furniture, too. If you have furnishings that make your spaces look cluttered or poorly designed – like a loveseat that’s just a little too big for your living room or a comfy-but-tired recliner – it’s time to put them in storage until you buy your next home.
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Home Staging Tip #3: Clean
Your real estate agent will talk to you about how important it is to clean your entire home from top to bottom. You want buyers to see that your space is neat and easy to maintain, and the only way to do that is to make sure it’s spotless. In many cases, it makes sense to hire a professional cleaning company for a one-time deep-clean; that way, you can simply maintain what they’ve done until your house sells. Hiring pros might save you time, too – they know how to tackle big jobs and can typically send out a team who will be in and out before you would’ve been done with one room.
Home Staging Tip #4: Brighten Every Room
When prospective buyers are coming to see your home, your agent will tell you to pull back the drapes and open the blinds to let in as much natural light as possible. However, before you even get to that phase in the home-selling process, you need to ensure your artificial light is adequate. Turn on the lights in every room and look for dark spots. If you see any, consider adding lamps or mirrors that reflect light. The brighter and more open a room looks, the more favorably prospective buyers will view it.
Home Staging Tip #5: Freshen the Paint
Most homes could benefit from a fresh coat of paint – but you don’t have to redo the whole house. Talk to your REALTOR about which rooms you should focus on; he or she will use an objective eye to let you know where a little bit of paint can go a long way. Don’t make bold color choices, though, because you could alienate some buyers.
Home Staging Tip #6: Group Furnishings Properly
After you remove excess furnishings that make your space look cluttered, you have to rearrange what’s left. Aim for conversational groupings in gathering rooms like the living room, and make sure there are always clear walking paths between furnishings. Your primary goal is to make every room in your home look more open and easily navigable.
Home Staging Tip #7: Neutralize Your Decor
Take down any quirky or risqué art, remove personalized decor and put away collections before you list your home. You can take them back out when you move into your next house – but for now, you want your home to be as appealing as possible to all prospective buyers. That means taking down:
- Sports memorabilia (unless it’s in a rec room or home office)
- Family photos
- Religious art or sculptures
- Political art or sculptures
- Holiday decor (although small, seasonally appropriate touches are always nice)
- Anything with nudity or that could be construed as offensive, even if it’s not
Are You Selling a Home in Middle Tennessee?
If you’re selling a home in Brentwood, Franklin, Spring Hill or any of the surrounding communities, we can help you do so quickly – and at the right price. Call us at 615-973-0020 or 615-973-0010 to learn about our aggressive marketing techniques that put our clients’ homes in front of all the right buyers. If it’s easier, fill out the form below and we’ll get back to you right away.
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