In my last post I gave you my tips and tricks for making all those little repairs and touch-ups to prepare your home for listing. Today I'm going to give you specific ways you can make your home looks its best when taking photos, preparing for an open house, or welcoming potential buyers for a private showing.
When we listed our previous home, I offered to take the photos myself, after consulting with my realtors. The reason for this was twofold: First, it gave me the opportunity to choose the best time of day to capture the light. Second, I could take my time staging each room. For example, when I staged the kitchen I put extra dishes in the oven, mail went to the living room coffee table, and kids' shoes got stashed in the hallway. I worked this way around the house, cleaning, staging, and photographing a room at a time.
These days, of course, we have the option of using editing software to enhance photos. A word of caution: don't over edit. Folks expect to see the same house in person that they viewed online.
There are three words you should focus on when staging your home:
Clean, Light, Charm.
Clean. Your home should look, feel, and smell like it's just been freshly cleaned. If you have pets (or teenage boys) and you're worried about odors, have a friend walk in the door to get a fresh odor perspective. Use the Glade Clean Linen candles, sprays, and plug-ins that I mentioned. Don't just mask odors, remove odors and then add a light, fresh scent.
Light. I've watched many episodes of House Hunters and have yet to hear someone utter the phrase, "There's way too much light in this house." Light is your friend. Unless you have horrible views, open the curtains and raise the shades. Day or night have plenty of ambient lights on. Lamps should be turned on in every room. Lights on in the kitchen and bathroom. At night, make sure outside lights are all on. On a dark evening buyers will pull up to a well light, safe-looking home. They won't have to fumble for light switches,
Charm. Many sellers get the decluttering part right, but they end up removing so many things that the home looks un-lived-in. Remember, buyers lack imagination. You need to show them how lovely your home really is by decorating it in such a way that they will want to live there.
Now, here are some of my favorite tips, room by room:
Entrance
Clean yard, clean driveway, clean walkway. Put a new Welcome mat at your entrance, with a simple seasonal vignette.
On sunny, warm days, hose down the walk and driveway and front yard. This will make the grass greener, the mulch darker, and just give a lush appearance to the entrance.
Foyer/Entry
Once inside, the first sense to be assaulted will be scent. Use candles, the plug-ins, the spray-whatever. You want your home to smell clean and fresh. When I was preparing for a showing I would lightly spray every room just before leaving the house. Also, if the weather permits, leaving a few windows open will help with air freshness. One last thing I do (clearly scent is a big deal for me) is pour a few dribbles of bleach in the toilets. Most people equate the scent of bleach with cleanliness.
If you have an entry table, place a potted plant or vase of fresh flowers on it, an unlit pillar candle, and a few listing brochures. Place a pair of wellies or a large basket under the table. Remember the Rule of Threes: When possible, group objects in threes.
Living Room
Once the clutter has been removed, you need to bring a little life to the room. Place a stack of glossy magazines on the coffee table or ottoman, with a plant or candle, and drape a blanket over the sofa. In the wintertime you could even build a crackling fire in the fireplace (just don't leave the house unattended with a fire blazing!)
Keep the furniture arrangement simple, with plenty of space for walking through.
Dining Room
Stage the dining room to look like you're expecting company. Nothing fancy, or too perfect looking. Just a few place settings and table linens, flowers. Some candles. Think warm, natural, welcoming.
Bedrooms
Bedrooms should feel clean and restful. You might love your jungle themed nursery, but chances are buyers won't. Neutralize and tone down bright themes with paint and linens. Leave doors ajar to show off those organized closets. Keep dressers clear, with only a photo or a couple books. In kids' rooms you can place one stuffed animal on the bed or a chair, but not twenty. Be sure to put all valuables in a safe place before strangers walk through your home.
Bedrooms should look like bedrooms. If you've been using a guest room as an office with a bed in it you'll confuse buyers. Decide what room it will be-office or bedroom-and decorate accordingly.
In the Master, create a space that is light, bright and simple. Be sure your furniture doesn't overwhelm or crowd the space. If you do have large furniture, consider removing and packing a few pieces you can temporarily live without. Clear off all surfaces and stage side tables with a candle and book. Neutralize your linens and paint colors. Neaten your closet and empty it out a little. Make it appear as though you have storage space to spare.
Hint: If you're looking for a last-minute hiding place for clutter, use the space under beds. That's the one area buyers won't bother looking.
Bathrooms
Bathrooms are a key feature that can make or break a sale. Start by cleaning the heck out of yours. Neutralize colors, buy a new, simple shower curtain and bath rugs. Keep your colors light and airy: light blues, greys, and beiges work well. Hopefully you have white fixtures. If not, you need to work with what you have. Pink toilet and tub? Go with a vintage look.
Buy several sets of white towels to stage each bath in your home. Set a folded stack on the toilet or counter; place white hand towels on rails; roll them and stick in a basket on the vanity.
White towels make a bathroom feel luxurious and hotelish. Keep yours clean and only put them out for showings. You can learn how to hotel fold here.
Store less attractive items like gucky toothpaste tubes, dandruff shampoo, hair dryers, etc. Use a plastic storage container that you can quickly toss everything into and then store in a linen closet. Once you've cleaned your bathroom, set out a new bar of white soap and a bottle of fancy shampoo in the shower and a nice jar of hand soap on the sink. When we were selling I used a Rubbermaid bin to store my staging towels, bath rugs, and soaps. For a showing I would take out the good stuff and store all the daily-use stuff in the bin.
Kitchen
If there is one room that can make or break a sale, it's the kitchen. While you can't remodel your entire kitchen just to sell, you can make it look as toothsome as possible for potential buyers. Clean it well, inside and out, every nook and cranny. Clean out the refrigerator and make it sparkle inside. Run the dishwasher before showings, even if it's half full. Buyers will look inside. Take all the magnets and photos off the fridge and bulletin board. De-clutter cabinets to make them look organized and roomy. Keep a few large, plastic bins handy so that on a showing day you can toss all your plastic cups, stacks of mail, and even (in a pinch) unwashed dishes in the bins. Take those with you in your car while the house is being shown. Clean out that pantry by throwing away outdated foods or donating foodstuff you're never going to use anyway. Make the cupboards look spacious. Clear off windowsills and counters. Place a small lamp on the counter and a pot of herbs on the windowsill. Buy a few elegant dish towels to put on the oven rail. On the kitchen table or bar, put a bowl of lemons or apples beside an open gourmet cookbook.
If you have time to bake or buy, place a place of fresh cookies or scones on the counter.
Family Room/Den/Office/Rec Room
These spaces are often the most challenging to stage because we live in them from day to day. Clean and de-clutter as much as possible. Consider buying a couple pieces of storage furniture, like ottomans or side tables for storing those bits and pieces you can't live without. If that's not possible go with bins again, and before each showing toss games, books, magazines, toys, etc. into the bin to take with you. You should really pre-pack up as much as possible, like DVDs, photographs, CDs, games, and books. Stage these rooms much like the living room-simple and charming. A painting on the wall, a few arty magazines on the coffee table or desk, lamps turned on, a potted plant. In the office, clear off the desk but for a lamp, a clean pad of paper, laptop, and a jar of freshly sharpened pencils.
If you have a toy-filled playroom, pack up as much as you can. Keep large bins for toys that you can hastily throw everything into and stack. Clean crayon marks off walls and furniture, scrub spots in the carpets and consider throwing down a new area rug. Make it look as tidy as possible.
Garage/Attics/Basement
Don't overspend time or money on these spaces. Clean up and organize; take care of oil spots; organize tools on the wall; hang bikes; buy big bins for smaller toys like tennis rackets, baseballs, and helmets. You'll probably be placing packed boxes in theses spaces-just stack them neatly and safely.
Hint: Remove personal photos, cutesy signs and decor, and knick-knacks. Those types of items make a home feel too taste-specific. Again, the goal of any seller is to set the stage for the buyer to be able imagine him or herself living in the home.
Staging a home to sell is a big job, but it is effort that is totally worth it. In my experience staging has made all the difference in selling our homes quickly and for the right price. If you have any tips you'd like to share, or questions about staging, please leave a comment below. I'd love to hear your own home selling stories!
Missed Part 1 in my Home Staging Series? Click HERE to read it.
{alison}