Staging Your Home For An Open House

Since time immemorial, sellers have been preparing their homes for sale, but it’s only been within the past five years that the concept of staging has begun to take hold. Home staging is the process of preparing your home to make it appeal to as many buyers as possible. Simply put, it’s a redesign that will show off your home’s best features and minimize any flaws.

How do you know whether your home is a good candidate for staging? Put yourself in the place of the potential buyer. Walk through your front door as if you’ve never been in the house. Look hard. Be objective. What do you see and smell? How do you feel? If the feeling is chaos jumping out at you, your home is definitely a good candidate for staging.

Recent studies prove that staged homes sell for more money and in fewer days. As a seller, staging your home will allow you to keep more equity because staged homes look better and sell faster. It really can make a difference!

Kitchen
  Begin by taking everything off the counters, including all appliances. Put them in a cupboard and take them out only when you use them.
  Homebuyers will open your cabinets and drawers and will want to know there is enough room for their stuff. If your kitchen cabinets, pantries and drawers look “jam-packed” it will give your buyer a sense of cramped space.
  If you have a junk drawer, get rid of the junk.
  Since buyers look closely for leaky faucets and plumbing, the under-sink area is critical. Make sure this area is empty. Scrub the area and look for signs of water leaks. You might wish to cover the bottom shelf with a fresh layer of shelf paper to give it a “new” look.

Living Room
  Dust and vacuum. A clean house gives the impression it is well taken care of.
  Open up the window treatments and let in as much light as possible.
  Take a look at the furniture to make sure it is clean and free of pet hair.
  If you have too much furniture, it can tend to look small and cramped. Consider removing larger, cumbersome piece of furniture and placing them in storage until the home sells.
  Keep traffic flow in mind. Arrange furniture so that people can easily move through the room.

Bathrooms
  Clean, clean, clean! You cannot overdo this room.
  Make it sparkle by putting fresh or new towels on the racks.
  Always keep the trash bin empty – you never know when you’ll get a last minute showing request.
  Remove cleaning items from underneath the sink and check plumbing for leaks. If there are any leaks, make the necessary repairs and replace any damaged surfaces.
  Keep cabinets and storage areas organized and as clear as possible.
  Go over bath and shower area to remove mold or mildew and water spots.
  If you have a shower curtain, make sure it is in good shape and consider replacing it if necessary.

Master Bedroom
  Make the bed!
  Put away all clothes, clutter and personal items such as pictures and certificates.
  Clear off the dresser and nightstand.
  Keep jewelry and expensive items locked in a safe place.
  Remove any items under the bed, such as shoes or boxes. You don’t want to give the impression the house doesn’t have sufficient storage.
  Empty laundry hampers that do not have lids.

Closets
  In order to give the best idea of the size of your closets, you should remove all extra clothes and shoes. Box up anything you haven’t worn in over three months and off-season items.
  Get rid of any shoeboxes full of stuff and other accumulated personal items.
  If you have a walk-in closet, make sure the light is on to make it look its most spacious.

Laundry Room
  It’s best to make sure there are no piles or baskets of dirty laundry sitting around. Hide small loads in the washing machine.
  Put away all clean laundry that is either folded or hanging up to give the room a larger appearance.
  Keep detergents neatly placed on shelves or in a cabinet.
  Wipe down appliances to remove detergent, sediment and lint.

Kid's Bedrooms
  Put away all toys on a daily basis.
  Make sure floors are kept clear.
  Take down distasteful posters in teenager’s rooms. It could turn buyers off.
  Keep clutter to a minimum.

Garage
  Keep door closed during showings.
  Make sure all items are neatly placed and look organized.
  Place items on hooks or pegboard.
  Check the floor and remove grease spots.
  Sweep the floor and remove cobwebs from the walls and ceilings.
  Place an air freshener inconspicuously in the room to minimize any odour.
  Replace any burned out light bulbs.