When potential buyers view your home, you want them to be able to imagine themselves living there. A crisp, clean atmosphere that is not too sterile, yet not too filled with unique or quirky decor, is the goal. Here are our tips for preparing your home for listing and staging it to create an inviting ambience that will help your home sell faster and for the best price.
- Consider removing clearly personal items such as photographs and framed certificates from walls and surfaces, and clear the exterior of your refrigerator or any other magnetic surface of receipts, menus or drawings. Throughout the home, consider “editing” the number of trinkets and collectibles. Encouraging your buyers to envision the home as theirs is easier to accomplish when they are not distracted by evidence of the current owners. Keep in mind that this is the key objective of staging your home.
- Faux plants or flowers should be removed and replaced, if possible, with live versions. Healthy, real plants help to create a fresh, welcoming scene for visitors. No home staging is complete without live plants! Fresh, not overly fragrant flowers are a great addition, too.
- Stained or damaged area rugs should be rolled up and stored. If your flooring is in good condition, leave them bare to showcase that feature of your home. You may also wish to minimize the number of area rugs throughout the space and remove rugs with bold, busy patterns and colors. Emphasize a warm, homey mood with cozy, neutral rugs in sitting and dining areas.
- Prescriptions and over-the-counter health items should be cleared from bathroom countertops. You may wish to stash them in areas other than an accessible medicine cabinet or cabinet. Buyers often explore the interiors, in part to determine storage space. While you’re at it, make sure that any towels hung in the bathroom are freshly laundered and are stain-free. Any dampness odor may be a turn-off to your buyers and could even raise a red flag concerning water intrusion or mold. Clean and organize linen closets and remove any musty smelling items when preparing your home for listing.
- Invest in a professional deep cleaning to help your home shine before putting it on the market! This should include carpet cleaning, window cleaning, blind cleaning, and wiping down the interior of cabinets and drawers. Don’t forget baseboards, window sills/tracks and light fixtures. Clean out and wipe down all applicances, as well. Musty smells from the refrigerator, dishwasher or washing machine can be a turn-off to potential buyers. Finally, don’t forget to wipe down electrical plate covers, light switches and walls. It is easy to underestimate the positive impact on home value of a sparkling clean interior.
- As with area rugs, remove and store any clearly stained or damaged furniture when preparing to list your home. We often find that bringing in replacement furniture is not necessary for staging, unless the house is entirely empty. Minimal furniture throughout makes the space look larger. Staging a home is often as simple as re-arranging furniture in a manner that opens up a room and draws the buyers’ eyes to interesting architectural details, like fireplaces.
- To the extent possible, minimize competing interior shades and consider toning down bold decor colors. While beiges and grays may be boring, chartruse yellow and hot pink can be jarring to potential home buyers. Consider staging your home with nature-inspired colors such as soft greens and blues, which are popular trends in 2024. Similarly, we suggest swapping out shiny chrome or brass accents with natural wood tones.
- For a small investment of time with a big return, preparing your home for listing is not complete without touching-up paint and repairing minor damage to walls (including nail holes), doors and trim. When you list your home with Marshall and Wood, Frank will walk through your home with you and make these repairs at no cost. While we do this, Stephanie can suggest moving or removing wall decor in a manner that enlarges and brightens the appearance of your home interior.
- In the bedrooms, freshen up your bedding and keep the room tidy, attractively organized and spare. This includes the closets, as well. Many home buyers will investigate storage space and will peer into closets and drawers. Storing seasonal clothes and shoes in a different location while your home is on the market will give the appearance of spacious closets, which is a key factor for most potential homebuyers.
- Finally, organize and sweep out the garage. This includes tools, project parts, seasonal decorations, boxes and other cluttered items. Inspect for any signs of insects or other pests and, if present, call in a professional exterminator for treatment as soon as possible. Keep in mind that musty smells or other odors could be a turn-off for buyers. To the extent possible, clean and deodorize oil or gas spills and remove stored items that just smell “old.”
Preparing and staging a home for listing is one of our favorite aspects of working with our clients. Potential home sellers can be overwhelmed by the prospect of getting their property ready to sell. But we have the skills (and a contractor’s license) to help by rolling up our sleeves. Give us a call at 541-390-7590 and we will walk you through the pre-listing preparation and staging process. Soon, you’ll be ready to sail right into listing your home without further delay!
