Do one quick Google search about staging and you’ll know that you should De-clutter and De-personalize when you want to stage you house for sale, but we have five unexpected ways you can stage your house to help get it sold. Hopefully they’ll save you a dime or two as well!
1. Borrow other people’s stuff
Almost any home buyer will tell you that they want a home that will be move in ready and look like it came out of a magazine, but the problem is these home buyers don’t want to pay the price for your house to look like it came from a magazine (with a personal designer and a very large budget). So, what’s the next best thing to having a personal designer and endless budget? Making it look like you do!
Head over to mom & dad’s or your sister’s or brother’s or even your bff’s house and see what they have lying around that will work as accent pieces to your newly De-cluttered home. I’m not saying move their bed over, but a flower vase or a rug may work perfectly and as soon as you go under contract, you can return it!
2. Add a pop of color
Neutral, neutral, neutral: that’s what everyone wants…so say the “professionals,” but color is not a bad thing when you stage your home to sell. Yes, I would highly recommend getting rid of the bright blue wall and going with something a little less bold like gray or tan, but that doesn’t mean your home should be completely void of color.
See #1…everyone has a different preferred color palette and you can really take advantage of those differences by placing a few of those colorful items in each room. There is also a color rule that many designers use. It’s the 60-30-10 rule. HGTV tells you how it works and 10 ways to you can add color to your home.
3. Move pictures lower on the wall
According to thespruce.com, the best picture placement is about 60″-65″ off the floor. When you stage your house, you know that hanging your curtain rods close to the ceiling makes your ceilings feel higher. The same tends to happen when you hang your pictures lower on the wall…and that is a great selling feature!
Now, don’t go hanging the family photo at the eyes of a child, but do consider what’s happening around the picture. If it’s being hung in an entryway where occupants are typically standing, the 65ish” range is a good one, but if it’s in a dining room, where people are typically seated, then a little bit lower may be in order. Keep Reading for more tips on the perfectly placed art.
4. Define your space
This way to stage your house may be the most expected on the list, but not one you hear about too often. If you’re currently using a room off the entrance of your house as a play room, it may be best to move those toys into the kid’s bedrooms and set this up as an office. Some buyers can envision a house in future use better that others, but why take that chance?
I know what you’re thinking…My family and I have to live in this house while it’s on the market. I know that and so do many buyers, but did you know you can do both. Assuming all the bedrooms are set up as such, consider staging only the main living areas such as the living room, dining room, office, and kitchen. Simply De-clutter and keep the rest of the rooms neat and clean!
We all know that kids are going to have toys, but once you’ve joined the Project Sell My House movement, make sure they are put away every day before you leave the house, so at the very least, the bedroom looks neat. Remember, this is short term! More on ways to handle the kids and pets in a future post.
5. Keep the smells out
If I had to guess, I would say this one is probably the most unexpected way on our list to stage your house. You always hear about you should bake something to make your house smell good, but I say DON’T bake anything. Well, we know you may still have to cook supper, but try to make it something that is smell neutral. Stay away from flavors with strong spices or onion flavors and do not fry or saute anything!
Since your home can be shown with just a few minutes notice, you always have to be ready and that means catering your daily menus to showings as well. A great alternative to baking or overpowering air fresheners are fresh flowers. Before you start yelling at me about how expensive that can get, think about the process to stage your house. You’ll want to add curb appeal so make sure to include some pretty and fragrant flowers (I would recommend that anyway). Every few days, pick a few and place them in different rooms of the house. You don’t have to do a large bouquet in an exquisite vase. Just grab a few blooms and put them in a small glass vase from The Dollar Store or even a glass out of your cabinet. Placing these in your living room, kitchen, and bedrooms add a nice touch and a great fresh smell to each room! With any luck, you’re home will be under contract in no time and you won’t have to worry about it for very long.
CLICK HERE for more tips and information about joining the Project Sell My House movement!
