Make Your Home the Best it can be by Staging
With the housing market groaning under its own weight these days, potential home sellers need every advantage they can get. One way that a family can help move their home faster is with a practice called home staging. The logic behind home staging is simple: try to make your home look as special as possible when people view it and you will have an increased chance of selling it.
Some tips on how to stage your home properly include simple things like picking up after yourself and taking out the garbage. But there are hundreds of other things that you can do to make your house more memorable.
Try baking a batch of cookies about 30 minutes before you show your home. The inviting and pleasant smell can make people remember your home over others they might have seen.
If you have pets, try to either board them at a shelter or groomer, or at the very least, have a neighbour watch them for an hour to have the home pet-free. You never know when you’ll show the house to someone who might be allergic or someone who simply doesn’t like pets.
The same can be said for a baby or kids. While you can’t board your children (unfortunately), see if a friend can watch them while you’re showing your house. You don’t need little Johnny creating a mess or baby Sue crying at the top of her lungs when you’re trying to show your place.
Vacuum everywhere. There probably isn’t a bigger turn off when viewing a home than dirt. Although logic would suggest that the first thing you do when you move into a new home is clean every last inch, the sight of a dirty floor or carpet can lower people’s opinions of your home.
If you have rooms that are barren, spend a few dollars on basic decorations or plants to give a room a warm, inviting look. The same goes for other rooms in your house. Stay away from clutter and dark, cool colours. Try to focus on warmth. You don’t want the people viewing your property to ever want to leave.
As you can see, the idea of staging your home for viewing makes perfect sense. Take away these added touches and the home becomes just a lifeless house. But integrate these basic steps into your house-showing routine, and you can expect to sell sooner rather than later.
