Simple strategies to make your home appealing to potential buyers
Staging a home involves preparing a property for sale by highlighting its best features and helping buyers picture themselves living there. It gives sellers a competitive edge, especially in lower price ranges, because staged homes often stand out and sell faster. It’s important to understand that staging isn’t the same as decorating. Rather, it’s about creating a clean, inviting look that appeals to as many buyers as possible. You can stage a home with very little time and money. It can help spark emotional connections and show the true potential of every room.
Make Simple Repairs and Improvements
You don’t need to do expensive renovation projects to freshen up your home and make it more appealing. In fact, potential buyers will appreciate that there aren’t immediate issues to fix. Grab your toolbox and take a little time to fix or replace:
- Loose door knobs or broken light switches
- Leaky faucets and running toilets
- Cracks or holes in the walls
- Ripped window screens
- Mismatched cabinet door knobs
Clean the Main Surfaces and Flooring
Potential buyers notice things you might overlook on a daily basis. With that in mind, make a point of deep cleaning the floors, carpets, countertops, and cabinets. People pay special attention to a listed home’s bathrooms and kitchens, so it’s important that the cabinets, countertops, and hardware in these rooms are spotless.
If you’re strapped for time, consider hiring a house cleaner who can efficiently clean each room, paying particular attention to hard-to-reach spots in the bathrooms. Displaying a clean house shows prospective buyers that you’ve cared for the home.
Remove Personal Items and Declutter
If your home is packed with personal treasures you’ve picked up over the years, it can make your home feel smaller than it actually is. All of your things can also hide wonderful features of your home that you want to highlight, and lots of clutter can make it difficult for people to envision living in the space.
Since you’re planning on moving, now is a good time to clear out items you don’t want to move. Once you’ve donated, sold, or trashed the things you no longer want, walk through the home and pack away the family keepsakes and photos. Your goal is to depersonalize the space so it looks move-in ready for the buyer.
Define a Clear Purpose for Each Room
You’re trying to show a buyer that the house is full of usable space, so each room should be instantly recognizable for what it is. For instance, if you have a storage or junk room, place a bed and a side table in the room so it looks like a guest bedroom. A small, awkward space off the kitchen can be turned into a pantry instead of a place where you toss your laundry.
Don’t worry that the buyer won’t use each room the same way. Defining each room simply shows people that the home is full of space and opportunities for using it.
Utilize Furniture Effectively
Clean, comfortable furniture plays a huge role in making it look as though the home is ready to live in. You certainly can use the furniture you already have in the house, but feel free to move it so it highlights the purpose of each room. You don’t want to stuff a room with furniture that’s too large for the space, and you don’t want the lack of furniture to make a room feel unwelcoming.
For example, if your living room looks a little empty after you’ve decluttered and packed personal items, you might move a spare armchair or bookcase into the room. Now is also a good time to donate or sell furniture you don’t want to move.
Use Paint Strategically
Prioritize rooms that need a fresh coat of paint or rooms that are too bold. For instance, if you have a bright orange bedroom, you could attract more buyers by painting the room a neutral color like gray or taupe. Avoid painting the rooms white, which can appear stark or cold.
Don’t forget to check the condition of the walls and baseboards. If there are scratches or areas where paint has flaked off, it’s time for a fresh coat.
If your home has old wallpaper, it’s also a good idea to remove it and apply a fresh coat of neutral paint. Wallpaper is generally seen as dated and a matter of personal preference, so you’ll attract more potential buyers by removing it.
Place Plants Around Your Home
Few things spruce up a home like beautiful flowers and potted plants. They also provide a welcome pop of color that can brighten your home. If you’re not much of a green thumb, don’t worry. Even artificial plants can make your house look more appealing.
If you have live plants, quickly check for dead leaves and remove them before showing the house.
Deodorize Smelly Areas
If you’re having an open house or showing, you don’t want potential buyers to be turned off by strong smells like last night’s fish dinner, dirty laundry, or your kids’ sports equipment. To remove strong smells, take out the trash, clean the spaces, and run some laundry.
You can remove lingering odors by opening windows, burning candles (although you should avoid strong scents that people may be sensitive to), and wiping down surfaces with a deodorizing cleanser.
Showcase Natural Light and Update Light Fixtures
Dark rooms can feel smaller and cramped, so open all the curtains and blinds. Don’t forget to clean the interior and exterior of the windows to maximize the light entering your home.
If it’s been a while since light fixtures were updated, invest in new ones. Newer fixtures can make the home look more modern and appealing. You also should take a moment to check the house for burned-out lightbulbs and replace them with lightbulbs of the same wattage.
Focus on Your Lawn Care
If people see a yard that needs to be weeded, mowed, or trimmed, they might think twice about how well you maintain your home. Spending some time in the yard can show potential buyers that you’ve cared for your property.
Go above and beyond when it comes to mowing and landscaping. In addition to weed-eating, take time to prune hedges and trees, pull weeds, put down fresh mulch, and do garden maintenance if you have one. Remember to store all of your garden tools and supplies in a shed where they’re out of sight.
Improve the Home’s Curb Appeal
The exterior and entryway are the first things people see when showing up for an open house or viewing. To make a good first impression, spruce things up. You might place planter boxes with colorful flowers in the driveway or on the patio.
Keep the walkways swept and free from clutter. You also may want to put out a new doormat or replace the cushions on patio chairs. If you have a deck or backyard, arrange outdoor furniture in a way that naturally invites people to sit and relax. These are little things, but they can greatly enhance a home’s curb appeal.
Do a Few Last Minute Touches Before a Showing
Once you’ve done all the work of staging your home, you’re almost done. There are just a few last-minute things you can do right before an open house or showing to display your house at its best.
Put a few vases of fresh flowers on tables, open windows to get some fresh air (especially if your home has been closed up for a while), and hide everyday items like remotes, charging cords, and laundry.
Then, turn on the lights in each room so every space appears bright and well-lit. You might switch on some soft music, which can put people at ease when they’re walking through the house.
The Bottom Line
Successful home staging involves keeping it smart, affordable, and focused on broad appeal. You don’t need to spend a lot because even small, cost-effective updates, such as decluttering, improving lighting, or using neutral décor, can showcase your home’s best features. The goal isn’t to personalize the space but to help as many buyers as possible imagine themselves living there. More buyers who can see the home’s potential often translate to more competitive offers, which can lead to a stronger overall return on staging.
