Every seller wants to set their home up for a quick and easy sale by matching their property with the ideal buyer in as little time as possible. In today’s competitive market, your listing needs to pop out to buyers. With hundreds of homes hitting the market every week, homeowners must do everything possible to set their properties apart. For many sellers, it often feels like all you can do is list and wait for the right person to come along and see potential in your property. However, there are a number of easy steps any homeowner can take to increase the desirability of their property.
Before listing, a property should be staged. Staging involves cleaning, furnishing, and decorating a home so that its strengths are highlighted for potential buyers. The process “sets the stage” for a home, making the property look bright, spacious, beautiful, and functional. Some sellers opt to hire a professional stager to handle everything for them. However, with a price tag between $782 and $2,829, not all homeowners have the budget to dedicate to staging. Luckily, there are several simple things any homeowner can do to spruce up their home before listing. If you are getting ready to sell your home, follow these easy DIY home staging tips to get your home looking its best.
Focus on the exterior
The outside of your home will be the first thing potential buyers see when they pull up for a tour and will give a lasting impression of the house. A well-maintained exterior with clean siding, a freshly painted front door, and beautiful landscaping can help give buyers the impression that the home is livable and in good condition. The majority of buyers are not looking for a fixer-upper and want to see a home that they can move into with minimal work.
A home that looks drab from the outside, with flaking paint and a poorly maintained lawn, makes the property look like it will need a lot of work put into it before moving day. Before listing your property, plant some flowers, mow the lawn, and ensure the home’s facade is in good condition. This will go a long way to giving buyers a great first impression of the property.
Highlight the functionality of each room
When staging, you want to put the best features of each room on display. The house should look comfortable, inviting, and easy to live in. Special care should be taken to stage each room individually, so the best features can be highlighted for potential buyers to see. The kitchen and bathroom should look clean, spacious, and functional. Keep countertops clear in the kitchen to show off how much space there is. Remove any bottles or products that make the bathroom look cluttered. In bedrooms, highlight the storage spaces by putting a few clothes in the closets without overfilling them. If you have a spare bedroom, consider staging it as a home office. Try to think of ways to make the home seem as versatile as possible so visitors can see just how much they can get out of the space.
Make minor repairs
Most buyers are looking to buy a move-in ready home, and even if they are willing to overlook a few minor repairs for the perfect property, they may not be willing to pay full price for it. Sellers looking to get top dollar for their home should fix anything that could cause some buyers to hesitate. Leaky faucets, chipped paint, small holes in the walls, creaky doors, and drafty windows are all things that could turn buyers away. These minor repairs often do not take much time, money, or expertise to complete and can help make your home more appealing.
De-personalize the space
When touring a home, buyers want to be able to envision their life there. Family pictures, equipment for hobbies, and niche artwork give the home character for the people living there but can turn away those looking to buy the home for themselves. No one wants to feel like they are moving into someone else’s house. A substantial 81% of buyer’s agents note that staging helps buyers see themselves living in a home. When staging a home, be sure to remove any personalized touches to the home, like pictures and mementos, and add neutral decor to fill in any gaps.
Deep clean everything
A thorough, deep cleaning is one of the most important aspects of a DIY home staging. No one wants to move into a home that looks or smells like it was lived in by someone else before. Like de-personalizing gives a buyer a blank slate to tour, a deep cleaning ensures the home looks its best and is move-in ready. Before listing, take the time to clean every surface, nook, and cranny in a property, paying particular attention to the kitchen and bathroom. Be sure to look over every inch of the home from floor to ceiling, ensuring each room sparkles and shines. A thorough cleaning is the perfect time to make note of any small repairs that should be made.
Add some finishing touches
On the day of a showing or open house, there are a few last-minute fixes that can elevate your home above and beyond others on the market. When buyers come to visit your home, you want to make sure everything looks perfect so they see your listing at its very best. These last-minute DIY home staging tips should be done before every showing to put the finishing touches on the property, creating a warm and inviting feel for visitors. Leaving out a vase of flowers or burning a subtly-scented candle will put a pleasant aroma in the air.
Opening windows for a few minutes on nice days before guests arrive can help air out any stuffiness in the home. Add a few clean towels to the bathroom. Flip on all the lights and open curtains to bring as much light into the home as possible. This will help make the interior look bright and spacious. Give the home one last look over to make sure everything looks perfect, and then let your realtor work their magic.
Ready to sell?
If you are ready to sell your Atlanta real estate, get in touch with Will Letton. As one of Atlanta’s top real estate agents, Will can help successfully walk you through the entire selling process from staging to closing. Do not hesitate to reach out today to get started on your home-selling journey.