Stage your House for Sale

Let’s talk about getting your place ready for sale.  In addition to helping people decorate their homes, I prepare homes prior to listing utilizing what you already have. Recently I taught a workshop on how to stage your own home in order to appeal to the widest number of buyers in your market. A student took the principles I taught, and she staged and successfully sold not one but TWO homes!  These principles really work. 

​Before you go on the  MLS, here are a few pointers:

• CURB APPEAL: You have only 30 seconds to catch someone’s attention. When the potential buyers drive up to your home, they have a choice to get out of the car or not.  Be sure the weeds are pulled, the yard is trimmed, and the front walk is in good repair.  You want your front door to be freshly refinished or repainted. Make sure the door handles are in top shape – replace them if needed. Clean off the cobwebs from the porch.  If your front porch light is tired, then get some Rustoleum and repaint it, or replace it!  Put a pot or two of beautiful annual flowers by the front door. Remember, while the real estate agent is fiddling with the lock box, the buyers are going to be standing at your front door, making critical judgement. You want everything to be in top notch shape. For inspiration, see my Pinterest board on first impressions.  
• SPEND VS SAVE: When it comes to selling your house, it’s not your taste that matters, it’s what is appealing to buyers today that really matters. Spend your $$ where it really matters, where you will get the most bang for your buck when it’s time to sell.  On that point, The national association of the remodeling industry states that the best remodeling things you can do that cost <$1000 are:  re-grout bathroom tile & replace all the caulking,  get new faucets for the kitchen and master bathroom, remove dated wallpaper, replace dated lighting (and it’s easy to do so economically if you go thru Lamps Plus or Wayfair.com), update your flooring, and attend to the garage door / garage floor.  Bottom line? Spend your $$ where you will get the most return when it’s time to sell.
• The 3 F’s FINALLY FIX THE FORGOTTEN:  When the potential buyer sees a broken door handle, hears a running toilet or a dripping faucet, they think, “Hmm, if the homeowner didn’t fix this, I wonder what else the homeowner did not fix?”  They’re quickly subtracting $$ from your asking price, expecting the home repairs and deferred maintenance to be astronomical. Save yourself stress and tension during the home inspection, fix what needs attention. Besides, you would not want to purchase a home with lots of hidden problems.  Do unto others as you would have others do to you. If you’re getting ready to sell, remember the 3 F’s: Finally Fix the Forgotten. 

BEFORE: a worn finish and old door handle

AFTER: a little paint and a new door handle. Ready for sale!

• IT’S JUST PAINT:  Listeners of my show "Make Your House a HOME" have heard me say it before and I’ll say it again. Paint is the least expensive way to dramatically transform a room.  There’s something about a fresh coat of neutral paint. It creates a blank canvas for the buyer to envision their own furnishings in the space, and it feels like this home was loved and cared for.  My favorite painter shared the tip on how to get those perfect lines, between the baseboard and the wall color. Use regular masking tape and a tiny bit of caulk along the line between the masking tape and the wall – you’ll get perfect lines every time. 
• EDIT the EXTRAS: If you open a closet and everything is jammed inside, or if things always fall on top of you, you need this tip.  When you're on the market, the potential buyers are going to open the cupboards and closets. They’re not nosy – they want to see if there’s enough room for their stuff!  You are moving anyway. Get a head start and pack up at least 50% of the clothing and tchotchkes. Your property will show better.
• DE-PERSONALIZE.  The way we live is very different from the way we present the house when it’s time to sell. You have to take YOU out of the property in order for the buyer to picture themselves there.  No, the family portraits do not make the home look more homey. They are an impediment to the buyers picturing themselves in the space.  Pack up those photos and trophies, 
• USE DESIGNER SECRETS when presenting the property in the best possible light. Get rid of excess furniture. Make sure every room is inviting.   Hire a professional to look at your property with an objective eye.  Use design principles when styling each room.   Alana Light is available for in-person or e-consultations to help you. Email Alana Light here.

BEFORE: Tired wallpaper dated the space

Hire a pro to remove or skim coat over the wallpaper

AFTER: Sold!

• GOT PURPOSE?  Give each room a definite purpose. Buyers do not want to see a junk room.  Maybe you remember what it looks like de-cluttered, but buyers have no imagination. Remove dated elements (such as the wallpaper above). Give each room a purpose. Convert that junk room to a meditation room or a kids' creative crafting space.  Show potential buyers what can be done with that space. Show the buyers what they can do with each and every space.
• FINISHING TOUCHES:  This is the fun part. Tell a story about who can live in the property. Maybe you don’t have children, or they’re grown & gone, but your neighborhood has lots of families. In that instance the likely buyer will be a family, so stage your home accordingly.  When we sold our home in California, that was exactly the situation for us. Our school district was well known, and the elementary school was nearby. We staged the secondary bedrooms as kids rooms, and we made sure to put up the local school newsletter on the bulletin board in one room. The local high school had a successful tennis team, so in the other bedroom we staged it as a teenager’s room, complete with a tennis racket and the local tennis team’s picture on that bulletin board. Be creative. Have fun  telling the story of who will live there next.
• REMEMBER SPIRIT: You’ve done all these tips, and chosen the right real estate professional.  (See my previous blog on how to choose the right one for you.) You’ve de-cluttered, depersonalized and staged the home. Now I suggest that you offer up a prayer of thanks for what you’ve experienced in that property. Ask that Divine Spirit brings the God-chosen buyer to make their own memories in the space.   

​Happy selling.....  and best wishes to you in your next chapter of  life.  I always love hearing from you. Leave your comment below.

~Alana Light