All the Home’s a Stage

For homeowners having trouble selling, staging is becoming a more attractive option.? Staging, the practice of making one’s home appealing to the highest number of potential buyers, helps a buyer imagine a space as their own.? Staging helps to spruce up lived-in homes by de-cluttering, cleaning, and sometimes even remodeling.? It is a way of getting the buyer to believe the space is clean shiny and new– even if it isn’t.? Do you have bright yellow walls?? Family portraits everywhere?? Cluttered shelves?? Staging experts say the best way to sell your home is to neutralize it, to take yourself out of it so that buyers can see the home as their own.? The following rules should be applied for any staging project:

De-clutter: Get rid of appliances on top of countertops, unnecessary or clunky furniture, trinkets, and the like so your home is clean and easy to move through.

De-personalize: Buyers can imagine themselves in a home when there aren’t any traces of someone else already living there.? While selling your home, take down family pictures or personal items that would make the buyer feel like they aren’t at home.

Clean/Remodel: Many buyers get scared away by seeing extra work they need to do right after moving in.? Update what you can.? You should always clean your home before a buyer sees it so that they can look at the home, not the mess.

Lighten Up: Getting rid of dark curtains or choosing a lighter paint color can help your home feel bigger, brighter, and happier.? Who doesn’t love that?