Home Staging Tips: Prepare Your Home for Sale
Why bother with home staging? Doing so will help you sell your home faster and for the best possible price! Strapped for money? The good news is you don't need a big budget to stage your home effectively. Below are inexpensive and no-cost home staging tips to effectively stage your home, which will result in a great first impression and quick sale.
At Integrity Residential Brokerage located in Pepperell, MA, we are here to assist you with all aspects of marketing and selling your home in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. So, if you'd like our help in preparing your house for sale, let us know.
Living Room
Home buyers want to see a living room area that is open, inviting and conducive to spending time with the family as well as entertaining guests.
If the furniture size and/or the way it's arranged make it difficult to walk through the space, remove items and put them in storage.
If your furniture has seen better days, consider renting quality pieces.
It's important to remove family photos and other personal items from the room and the mantel. Your goal is to make them want to sit down and spend time in the room.
Baths
Your plan-of-attack for the bathrooms can be summed up in two words - cleaning and updating. It is imperative that the bathroom is spotless. Update items as needed so that the space is clean, bright and modern. Here are some ideas that will greatly enhance the space without breaking the bank.
Replace outdated fixtures (faucets, tub fixtures, mirrors, etc). This will do wonders for helping you sell your home. Only a small percentage of buyers like brass fixtures so do not choose this style as a replacement.
An easy way to update a bath is to use high quality towels coordinated with an area rug, and bath accessories. Make sure to choose subtle colors.
Nothing turns off a buyer faster than a dirty glass shower door. Scrub, Scrub, Scrub! If the shower door is dated, replace it with a new one or install a curtain rod and coordinating shower curtain.
Kitchen
Of all the rooms in your home to put money into when selling the home, the kitchen should be at the top of the list. Investments in kitchen design and improvement typically contribute more toward resale value than improvements in the rest of the home.
Clean your kitchen like the sale of your home depends on it, because it does. Pay extra attention to the sink, counters and stove. Your kitchen design is important but cleanliness is a must.
Kitchens tend to attract clutter and it's important to keep countertop appliances, coffee pots, utensil holders, knick knacks, and mail out of sight.
If your cabinets and counters are outdated or ugly, upgrading them could make a big difference in resale value. If you don't have extra money available for the expenditure, consider painting or staining the cabinets and adding new hardware. If your cabinets are in great shape, consider replacing the countertop with granite or similar product for an updated look!
Replace the sink faucet. This can make a big improvement at a fraction of the cost.
Bedrooms
When staging the bedrooms, keep them neutral, spacious and comfortable.

Make the bedrooms seem larger by reducing the amount of furniture. Limit yourself to a bed, dresser and a couple of small items. Are you guilty of having a treadmill or other similar item in your bedroom? Remove it!
Soft, neutral colors such are beige, cream or soft brown works well. The space should convey a feeling of tranquility.
Clean and organize the closets. Make them seem larger by removing 80% of the clothing items. You have to pack anyway so start now!
Has your bedding seen better days? Consider buying new luxurious neutral bedding with coordinating accent pillows and window treatments.
Remove personal items such as family photos and keep surfaces free of clutter.
If your home is being listed as a 4-bedroom house, show it as one. If you are using one of the bedrooms as an office, craft room or junk room, clear it out and set it up as a guest room. If you don't have an extra mattress set, ask neighbors, friends and family to see if you can borrow one while your home is on the market.
Curb Appeal
Potential home buyers will see the exterior of your home before they see the interior. If the outside of the home (the yard, paint, entryway) makes a bad first impression, buyers will often choose not to view the interior of the home. So, it's vital to make the exterior as appealing as possible.
Keep the lawn mowed and neatly edged. A healthy, weed free, nicely mowed lawn does wonders for curb appeal.
Evaluate your entryway and gardens - Are your shrubs overgrown? Is the walkway cracked or heaved? These are critical items that should be remedied. Trim back or remove overgrown shrubs and make sure your walkway is safe and esthetically pleasing. Freshen up garden beds with dark colored mulch. Have your windows professionally cleaned.
Paint schemes are a big part of curb appeal. So if your home's exterior paint is faded, chipped or otherwise in bad shape, if possible, give it a fresh coat. Give special attention to doors, shutters and trim. Be sure to choose a neutral color. Shutters and doors should be painted the same color.
Remove toys, bikes or extraneous items from the front and back yards. Make sure any walkways, patios and/or decks are clean and swept up.
Put a new doormat at the entryway and, if possible, a colorful pot of flowers.
Low Cost Staging Ideas
A coat of neutral paint in all the rooms will go a long way in presenting your space in a fresh updated fashion. Choose a nice warm color in the tan/beige, taupe family as that appeals to most people. White is too stark and cold. Stay away from bold/strong paint colors which are too taste-specific.
Replace any old, outdated light fixtures. Newer designs in brushed nickel or oil-rubbed bronze appeal to almost all buyers. The same can be said for the faucets in the kitchen and bathroom, and hardware such as pulls and knobs on the cabinets.
Replace or remove old, outdated window treatments. Sometimes less is better. Consider installing faux wood blinds. Your goal is to make the room look fresh and current.
So, in conclusion, the way your home is furnished and decorated may make perfect sense to you and work with your lifestyle but your goal is to view your space through the eyes of a buyer. Make changes that will help your home appeal to the widest range of tastes. This will help you attract more showings and increase your chances of making the sale.
Consult with a real estate professional before undertaking any large home improvement expenditure. It's important to make sure that any large renovation and/or improvement directly correlates with the added value and buyer appeal for your home and does not exceed your neighborhood price range.
If you, or anyone you know, is considering buying or selling a property, Integrity Residential Brokerage located in Pepperell, MA, would love to hear from you! We are licensed real estate brokers in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. We strive to offer you the highest level of professional assistance possible making your desires and goals a reality.
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