As part of the staging process, you also need to ensure the home will appeal to the most number of buyers. While your bright walls and extravagant art may reflect your personal style, it might not appeal to others. Give your walls a fresh coat of paint in neutral tones that highlight the space, rather than your style. I highly recommend that you pay an interior designer to create a colour palette for your home. Designers spend considerable time keeping up-to-date on trends, which includes new colours. A paint tone may be trendy but it may not work in your home for various reasons. This step will save you time and money and you will be very pleased with the end result. It is a relatively inexpensive consultation fee – I provide this service to my clients as part of the staging consultation that is included in our program.
Remove all personal items including family photos so that potential buyers can imagine themselves in the space, rather than seeing it as your home.
After the staging is done and you are ready to list your home, you will then have to be prepared for showings. While it can be a bother, it is an important part of selling your home and one that should not be taken lightly.
In order to prepare for showings, I recommend my clients complete a number of tasks to ensure the home is ready to show.
First and foremost the home must be clean. Pay attention to all the nooks and crannies including baseboards and crown moulding – this is where dust and cobwebs tend to collect, especially after the long, cold winter we have had. It can be helpful and conducive to your busy life to hire a cleaning crew to come in and do an initial clean of the house. Then all you will need to do is maintain it until the home sells.
While pets are beloved members of our families, they can be a deterrent for potential buyers. Make arrangements to have your pets away from the house when your home is being shown. Don’t forget to remove all traces of pets including beds, dishes and toys as well.
Clean out your cupboards and closets and keep them tidy. Messy, cluttered storage space can give the appearance of insufficient storage in a home – something that can be a complete turnoff to buyers in this day and age. Oh, and yes, buyers will open your closets!
Finally, ensure any valuables are stored safely and securely. While I do escort all potential buyers during a showing, it is always best to make sure nothing of value is left out. I would hate for an item of value to go missing during what should be a positive part of your home selling experience.
