That’s why real estate agents often recommend you stage your home to sell quicker or for a higher price. That means preparing your home so it appeals to the greatest number of potential buyers.
Here are some easy and inexpensive ways to help buyers see the potential when they view your home instead of the drawbacks:
1. Paint Changes Everything
You might love your bright blue walls, but a potential buyer will see them and think that their red couch will clash with them. To help people picture themselves in your home, paint your walls in neutral colours. It creates a crisp look that makes your home look bigger.
2. Spruce up Your Yard
A clean and well-landscaped yard creates a great first impression and can make a huge difference when it comes to selling a home. Plant some flowers, trim trees and hedges, cut the lawn, and uproot those weeds that have been growing so long they’re starting to provide shade.
3. Banish Pet Odours
You might swear your house doesn’t smell like your pets, but that’s because you’ve lived with Fido so long you don’t smell him anymore. People viewing your home will smell your pets and wonder about the home’s cleanliness. Be sure to clean everything thoroughly and deodorize fabrics. Consider baking or reheating an apple pie before a showing – it will overpower any pet scents.
4. Pack Up The Clutter
You love your knick knacks and family photos, but that’s because they have sentimental value to you. Home buyers react best to well-decorated rooms that look clean and uncluttered. Family photos keep them from imagining themselves in the place and stacks of papers destroy the polished look. Rent a storage unit if you need to but find a way to clear out your space.
5. It’s All In the Details
When buyers view your home, you want them to be thrilled by how impeccable your place looks. Buy flowers to put around the house. Steam clean your carpets and get brighter light bulbs to give your place more light. You can even set your table as you would when you’re hosting a dinner party.
6. Move Out Some of the Big Items
Many of us have rooms where the furniture isn’t optimally laid out. Perhaps we’ve crammed a desk into the family room so the kids have a place to do their homework. Or maybe the guest bedroom has a treadmill in it. Children may have over-sized toys or play areas that make a room look smaller. Pare furniture down to the essentials and organize it so that it makes the room look bigger. Group chairs and couches into conversational nooks and make beds look comfy and inviting. Keep fewer toys and accessories just for the duration of the staging. Then you can return to your previous style!
To sell your home successfully, it needs to appeal to the greatest number of potential buyers. And staging—though it may feel like additional work—is an important sales tool in helping buyers picture themselves in your home, and ultimately, make an offer.
This article is intended as general information only and is not to be relied upon as constituting legal, financial or other professional advice. A professional advisor should be consulted regarding your specific situation. Information presented is believed to be factual and up-to-date but we do not guarantee its accuracy and it should not be regarded as a complete analysis of the subjects discussed. All expressions of opinion reflect the judgment of the authors as of the date of publication and are subject to change. No endorsement of any third parties or their advice, opinions, information, products or services is expressly given or implied by Royal Bank of Canada or any of its affiliates.
