Home Staging Guide for Sellers
by: Jaclyn Isaac
As the in-house Staging Consultant I have the privilege of examining a homeowner’s space before it hits the market. My role is to provide a report to the homeowners which outlines what to do in order to best present the home for sale. Your realtor’s goal is always to sell the listing as quickly as possible for the highest price, and proper preparation of the home on your end is key to achieving that goal!
Here are our Top 5 recommendations for preparing your home to show it’s best for sale:
- De-personalize. We recommend all sellers remove family photographs and personal items from their home when getting ready to sell. It’s important that potential buyers not get distracted by the way someone else lives in the space so that they can envision themselves there instead. A pretty landscape or art on the walls is fine, but store everything else that contains someone you know. For added measure, put away religious and political items, or anything that may be considered inappropriate.
- De-clutter. Cluttered homes look and feel smaller and make the buyer feel as though you have outgrown the space and that is why you’re moving! We want to give the potential buyer the feeling that this space has served the sellers well, and it’s now time for them to take advantage of this! Remove all items from the floors of closets and organize your shelves; throwing away all expired food items and pack away seasonal pieces. All countertops and dressers should only have the items on top that are currently in use. Store children’s toys in bins and donate ones they outgrew or no longer play with. If it’s in the way, store it!
- Consider a Handyman. If you have a small leak, a faulty outlet or a wall that needs repainting, make sure this is done prior to any photos or open houses. You do not want a buyer requesting unnecessary credits or believing that the home was not taken care of.
- Put away all unused electronics. With the new wave of wireless and Bluetooth enabled smart home technology, it’s a major eyesore to see wires and cords everywhere. For showings and photos, unplug all items, hide the cords and store away unnecessary electronics – consider donating them to a local IT store!
- Hire a professional cleaning service! A clean home is a sold home! After decluttering, hire a cleaning service to give your space that final touch. The most frequent recommendations: wipe down all moldings/baseboards, clean interior and exterior glass on windows, clean grout, dust above cabinets/fans and behind electronics and in corners, vacuum carpets, replace shower liners and de-sanitize and clean tubs.
*Jaclyn is a licensed real estate agent with PRIME Real Estate Group.
Jaclyn can be reached at 201-691-7546 or jaclyn@downtowndecorators.com