Staging your home effectively can earn you as much as 20 percent more on the price of your home sale. You don’t have to hire a professional home stager in order to get professional and effective results. There are some basic home staging rules that anyone can follow.
Replace the Hardware
Small tweaks can make a big difference on the overall impression your home makes on potential buyers. Kitchens and bathrooms should be your focus when you go to replace knobs and handles. If you have old-fashioned gold hardware in the kitchen, you can simply remove it, spray-paint it chrome or bronze and put it back on. For the cost of a can of spray-paint, your kitchen could look completely new.
Focus on Lighting
If you have irritating fluorescent lights or lack lights, your home will be unwelcoming and harsh on the eyes. According to HomeGain.com, fixing the lighting situation in your home will usually cost less than $400 and will add triple that much in the sale price of the house. If curtains are blocking light from coming in, remove them before showing the house.
Paint
The general rule of thumb for selling a home is to paint the walls a neutral color. Avoid bright paint and avoid a home with rooms full of variously painted rooms. Even if your walls are neutral in color already, consider repainting. A fresh coat of paint will cover up stains and dirt build up even if you choose the same color you had before.
Curb Appeal
For a little sweat equity, you can add to the sale of your house. If you can put a little money into it, lay down mulch around the trees and shrubs in your yard. Clean out the gutters, doorways, and decks. Not only will the property appeal more to the buyer, but also you will avoid scaring them away from a property that seems to be getting little care from its owner. Buy a few potted plants and flowers for the porch.
Declutter
Pack up the toys and the books squeezing themselves out of the bookshelf. Clutter will turn buyers away in a heartbeat. You don’t need to remove all of your personal belongings. In fact, some experts argue that a little personal touch is appealing to buyers; however, unmade beds, dirty molding and streaked windows are personal touches that need to be taken out of the equation.
Repurpose Confusing Rooms
If you have one of those rooms that has become the catch-all room for all things in the home that have no place of their own. The room that has become the city of lost toys needs to become something else. Turn it into a sitting room, hang paintings, set up a desk or sewing station. Make it something that makes sense. Confusing spaces turn buyers away.
Your house is probably the most valuable thing you own. If you’re looking to sell it, make sure that you capitalize on the possibility of profit. Spending a little time and a little money to stage your home could be one of the best investments you make.
About the Author: Sheila Madison blogs for agentharvest.com, a real estate agent finder site. Locate the right agent for your real estate adventure.
