How To Stage Your Home For A Quick (Lucrative!) Sale, Part Two
More tips & tricks to spark a bidding war on your home, according to the experts!
Last week we shared four quick tips for staging your home for sale. Turns out this is a super-popular subject. Thanks to everyone who emailed and commented on Facebook. So much that we decided to write a ‘part deux’.
We spoke with our favorite home stagers and came up with four more surefire tips to not only prepare your home for a sale, but perhaps spark off a bidding war!
Design For A Quick Sale Tip #1— Fix The Flooring
You want buyers to look up and around the house but if their eyes are glued to the flooring as they tour, all the other changes you make will be for nothing. If you can’t remove carpeting or broadloom, have it steam cleaned for maximum improvement. Same for linoleum, which looks tired when it’s not in top condition! Bathrooms are ideally tiled with ceramic or stone, but vinyl tiles are fine if they are high quality, and it’s a relatively easy fix for a high value space (more on that later!)
In the main living areas, buyers prefer an easy to clean elegant hardwood floor, so if you can afford it, a spend on high quality hardwood will be returned to you as a worthwhile investment. If you can’t afford to do the whole house, stick to the high traffic / high use spaces: living room, dining room and kitchen.
Design For A Quick Sale Tip #2— Focus On The High Value Rooms
Bathrooms and kitchens. These are two spaces that can make or break a sale and should be where you put your maximum investment.
Even if you can’t afford a major redo, you can add a lot to a kitchen by repainting cabinets and adding new hardware, replacing sink fixtures and window treatments or adding a neutral but elegant backsplash behind the stove. A couple of stools at the breakfast bar or island and you’ve got a great, refreshed space. Such as? !nspire’s Holt 26” Counter Stool in Grey. With a 360 degree swivel seat and comfortable cushioning on the back and seat, comfort is ensured in this natural curved design.
If you’re struggling with a small bathroom or powder room, think about dropping the cabinet sink in favor of a pedestal sink and give the space a spa treatment with candles, rolled up towels on a shelf, or a pretty cabinet.
Design For A Quick Sale Tip #3— Maximize ALL Spaces!
Storage is of major importance to many buyers so make sure your closets are cleaned out and arranged; consider investing in storage systems that can be installed into them, if they’re big enough but at the very least, get rid of the extra stuff. In fact, it’s a perfect time for a good clean out!
Do you have an extra room that you’ve been using as the junk storage area? Change that up so that it becomes a guest room or office; you’re looking to add value by showing potential buyers that there is a lot of usable space throughout the house. An !nspire Kensington Day Bed is the perfect addition. With a roll out trundle and space for twin mattresses, this convertible day bed is a perfect fit for any room that needs to serve more than one purpose. The tufting and silver nail head design is stylish and will complement any space.
Odd spaces, like a nook under the main set of stairs, can become a little study area with a desk, chair and lamp. It’s easy to turn an odd space into great one!
Design For A Quick Sale Tip #4— Let The Light In
Nothing says small and dingy than a lack of lights. Typically, a home will show better if it’s bright and airy so open all the blinds and up the wattage of bulbs in rooms where there is less natural light. Add floor lamps in dark corners, if necessary, to ensure that you’re creating expansive spaces. Not so bright that it’s blinding but just to create the sense that all the spaces, from the alcove by the window to the basement family games room, are open and usable.
Regardless of your personal style, a well-staged home will sell faster and for more money than one that has been left ‘as is’. Even small changes can make a big difference, so put a little elbow grease into the effort and reap the rewards!
Have you staged your home for selling? What tricks did you use to make the space appealing to others? Share them with us online!
