Lights! Camera! Action! Selling your home is like making a blockbuster movie since both endeavors are designed to rake in big bucks and bring about a happy ending for all. To attract the biggest pool of pre-approved purchasers to your open houses and showings, style your home so it’s easy for potential buyers to picture themselves living in it. Although you can hire a specialist in staging to do the work for you, here are some DIY tips for shining the spotlight on your home’s universal appeal.
Enhance Curb Appeal
The outside of your home may seem like a strange place to begin; after all, buyers won’t be living on your lawn. Yet improving your curb appeal has the potential to increase your home’s value and create a positive first impression that drives more prospective purchasers through the front door.
You don’t need to spend much money to spruce up your exterior. Keep your lawn and shrubbery trimmed, power wash your driveway, and add fresh paint to your front door and trim. Other small investments that make your frontage look sharp include replacing worn house numbers, setting flower boxes on your porch, and cleaning your windows and screens.
Cut the Clutter
Whether they’re viewing online photos or touring your house in person, buyers are scrutinizing how much space your home offers. If your house appears cluttered and disorganized, it sends up a red flag that it’s too cramped and doesn’t have enough storage.
To streamline, start with eliminating large pieces that aren’t necessary to daily life. Store space-wasters like chair ottomans in the garage, and remove side and entryway tables that tend to attract clutter.
After paring down the big stuff, focus on tidying and organizing. Clear surfaces, file or shred paperwork, and toss out unused kitchen and bath products. Using storage bins is a great way to corral the bibs and bobs you need close at hand. To stay organized throughout the moving process, make attractive, customizable labels with this label maker that’s easy to use. That way your bins enhance your décor while still being functional.
Create a Blank Slate
It’s also important to depersonalize as you declutter. Buyers want to see themselves living in your house, so when you take down family photos, trophies, and collectibles it’s easier for them to visualize being surrounded by their own things. Put away political ephemera or anything that could be viewed as socially incorrect, as you don’t want to inadvertently turn off a potential big bidder.
Don’t Overlook Details
After all this hard work, there are still a few more staging tricks to deploy right before a showing. Filling a bowl on your kitchen counter with fresh fruit, featuring a floral bouquet near your entry, and fluffing up your cushions and pillows all enhance hominess and warmth without being too personal. Train a discerning eye around each room, checking for hidden dust on surfaces, crooked picture frames, or unfolded laundry. To some potential buyers, little details like these make a big difference.
When your house is on the market, following even just a few of these easy tips lets you show off your home’s star power. From boosting your curb appeal to primping your throw pillows, staging your house is key to attracting the largest possible pool of buyers and quickly closing your sale!
