Preparing To Sell – Staging Your Home

One of the most important parts in selling your house is getting the house ready to host potential buyers day in and day out. In order to get them in the door, you need to have a good marketing plan and also a fair price to entice them.

Once they enter the house, this is where you have to get them hook, line and sinker. When they enter the door, you want them to feel at home and you want them to think this is the last house they will need to look at. Many things can be done in little to no time to make this happen, but it is definitely important to take the time in order to have the potential buyer signing on the dotted line in no time.

Here are a few tips on staging your home in order to sell it quickly:

Clean, Clean, Clean

No potential buyer wants to walk into a house that they are going to invest in and see a mess. When in doubt, take the extra couple hours and clean more than you can even imagine. I’m talking about baseboards in the bathroom to the sealing around the windows. The last thing you want any potential buyer to see is dust or dirt that you could have very easily gotten rid of. Make sure that your cupboards are clean as well and in order, and even make sure the laundry room doesn’t have any dirty clothes in the washer or dryer. You never know where the potential buyer is going to sneak a peek!

Set The Mood Of The Home

Make sure that your house has a welcoming and inviting mood to it so that any potential buyer that walks through the front door instantly feels right at home. This may sound like minute details, but make sure that all of the towels hanging in the bathrooms are clean and neat, and make sure that you have sprayed fresh aromas throughout the house (or light scented candles prior to the potential buyer’s arrival). Even feel free to bake some cookies if you are going to entertain an open house. The smell of the fresh baked cookies will make the buyer feel like it is their home and will put visions of how it will be once they put the bid on the house, you accept offer, and the house is theirs!

Make Pets A Non-Factor

Even though you may be a huge pet lover, that doesn’t mean that the next owner of your home is. It can be a huge turn-off for a potential buyer to see dog hair on the couches or in the carpets, or if they see the litter box of your cats sitting in the corner of the kitchen. Make sure to hide any dog food dishes or bags of dog food, and if you have anything more than just a fish tank, make sure that all of the leashes and cages are kept out of sight during any visits from potential buyers.

Depersonalize The Home

Potential buyers do not want to see your family pictures hung throughout the house or on the fridge, believe me. Take down all of the pictures of the kids, and if need be go and buy generic pictures to hang in their place. You want to have the potential buyers feel like it is their home, not yours. Put away all of the personal items that you may have gotten from your grandmother and make sure to clean up and stow away all of the kids toys.

 

Author:  Doug Chapman is a staff writer for HomeDaddys, a stay at home dad blog.  He specializes in diapers and sippy cups, but is a successful real estate investor on the side. 

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