Own It! Staging Your Home Yourself
Staging is one of the best ways to add value to your home for very little money. So what should you focus on first? Decluttering, everywhere. You want potential buyers to see the house not your knick knacks. Buyers should be able to picture themselves living there and your personal photos, mementos and clutter can be distracting. Scrub and clean everything. Every square inch should sparkle. Don’t forget to tidy inside your kitchen cabinets and drawers and in your closets too. Perception is that if everything is tidy and clean, the house has been cared for. Rearranging furniture can have a huge impact. The key is to highlight the maximum space available while evoking a light and airy feel to each room. If you have bulky oversized furniture, consider putting those in storage and getting smaller pieces when showing your home. Lighting is just as key. Open up the curtains and light the sunshine in. Make sure your windows are nice and clean. If you have dark rooms, add lamps and replace any burnt out lightbulbs. Beware of smells and scents too. If you have a pet, make sure the house doesn’t smell like one. Other odors you should get rid of include pipe and cigarette smoke, food smells, moisture / ‘damp basement’ smell and powerful knock your socks off air freshener. You want people to take their time viewing your home so make it as comfortable as you can for them. And don’t forget curb appeal. You want the WOW factor when someone drives up to see your home. Power wash the exterior if need be, cut the grass and spruce up the garden in the front and back. If you don’t have time, hire a pro.
For more ideas on how to showcase your home in the best light, please contact local Real Estate Advisor, Elaine Kay at 778-990-2493 or elaine@vancouvercanadahomes.com / elaine@realeastvan.com.
