You’ve heard it again and again – first impressions matter. If you’re getting ready to take the plunge and sell your home, this lesson is more important than ever. When potential buyers walk through the doors of your home you want them to imagine themselves living there. What you don’t want is them focused on your clutter or feeling like your home is too small because it’s been overpacked with furniture.
Staging your home is a great way to get buyers intrigued when they are browsing online, and to keep them interested once they’ve come to see your house. While you might not be able to afford having your house professionally staged, there are some simple ways you can stage your home to make it more appealing during your next showing (and they’re either free or extremely cheap).
Tips for Staging your Home to Sell On a Budget
1. Clean everything
This is one of the simplest (but most important) ways you can make a good impression at showings. Give your house a good scrubbing inside and out. Mow the lawn, weed the flowerbeds, mop the floors, vacuum, put the dishes away and take out the trash. Clear off the counters in your kitchen. Pack all the personal items away that you can. Even toothbrushes and bathroom trash cans should be out of sight during a showing. The idea is to make it look like no one actually lives in your home (like that vacation rental you keep dreaming about booking).
2. Keep your house smelling fresh
You want your house to smell nice but not overpowering. If there are bad odors from pets, smoking or garbage they can be a big inhibitor for people to put in an offer. Strong air fresheners can also turn off buyers. If you’d like to go a step above just cleaning your home and letting it air out, try these ideas to make your house smell good instantly.
3. Keep the colors neutral
It’s harder for people to picture themselves living in a home when the current style clashes with their own. Potential buyers are less likely to make an offer if they have a huge list in their minds of things they’ll need to change when they move in. Your kids may love their neon painted walls but that could hinder the sale of your home. Painting the walls a neutral color makes them a blank slate for new owners to make their mark on the home. If you need some inspiration for paint colors, check out what HGTV had to say.
4. Take down your family photos
This step makes it easier for buyers to picture their own family pictures hanging on the wall. Need to keep the frames up because you have nail marks you don’t want to deal with? Replace your photos with art prints that match the room.
5. Remove unnecessary furniture and clear out those closets
When people come to your showing they are trying to see if your house is going to be a good fit for their family. While we mean that figuratively it’s also true in the literal sense. Potential buyers need to know if all of their stuff will actually fit in your home. It’s a good idea to remove any unnecessary furniture and personal items. Keep linen closets empty and your bedroom closets only up to half full.
That gives the appearance of more space and lets buyers get a good idea for if their own items will fit well. Try to pre-pack everything you can before showing your home. If you need to store items or furniture, keep them in the garage if you have one or ask friends and family if you can store items with them for a while. If you have a little extra money it might also be a good idea to use a storage unit.
6. Decorate with what you have (or add a little for cheap)
Once you’ve decluttered and packed away all that you can, pull out a few decorations and start making each room pop. Try to make sure that the furniture in each room matches or creates a cohesive picture. If something isn’t a fit for one room, try putting it in another room.
Some ideas for decorating include:
- Use an accent color to tie different rooms together
- Add a touch of greenery (it’s ok if it’s fake)
- Hang a wreath on the door
- Group small trinkets in sets of three and art prints on shelves or walls
- Add throw pillows to couches and beds
- Pack up most electronics and wires
- Add a jar to your kitchen counter and put wooden utensils in it
- Replace shower curtains and busy window curtains with white to let light in
- Organize your pantry and drawers
- Plant fresh flowers in the front yard or around the mailbox
- Add a new doormat or house numbers
Selling your home can be scary. You’re starting over somewhere new and saying goodbye to the place you’ve made memories in. While the process can be daunting, getting your house ready for showings doesn’t have to be (and it doesn’t have to break the bank either). Follow the tips listed above and you’ll have potential buyers flocking to your house in no time.
If you are still in need of a real estate team you can trust to sell or buy a house in Brandon, Florida or the surrounding areas, call us today at 813-695-3166 or visit our site at www.mysistersrealestate.com.
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