
Houses are flying off the shelves. Americans bought more than 700,000 single-family homes in July 2021 alone.
Yet it can be very difficult to sell your house. You may be competing with your neighbors to draw visitors into your property. The best way to stand out in your neighborhood is to stage a house.
How does cleaning impact staging a house? What should you remove and add to each room? How can you improve the outside of your property?
Answer these questions and you can sell a home fast and for a great profit. Here is your quick guide.
Clean Your House
Cleaning your house should be your first and most important step when staging a house. No one wants to buy a dirty home. You need to clean every part of your property, including walkways leading up to your doors.
Start with the areas that most visitors will spend time in. Vacuum the floors of your living room and kitchen. Take a disinfectant spray and wipe up countertops, targeting stains and hardened food.
Clean the toilets, sinks, and mirrors in your bathroom. Use dry rags to remove any streaks on your surfaces.
Do spend some time tidying up less-visited areas like closets. Put everything on shelves and organize them from top to bottom so all objects are easily accessible.
Depersonalize Each Room
Buyers need to imagine their lives in your home. Help their imagination by removing your personal objects.
Take down your family photos and personal keepsakes, especially if they are valuable. Put your clothes into shelves and drawers. Place your coats, shoes, and other accessories into a closet or your attic.
Remove personal items from your bathrooms, including toothbrushes. If you need your medications, put them in your pocket while your visitors are over.
Toys, electronics, and other personal objects should also go away. If you don’t have room for these materials, put them in your car or garage. You can also ask a friend or relative to keep them while you stage a property.
Bring In Some Plants
Adding some plants to each room can make your home seem more lively. If you already own many plants, put one in each room of your house. Put them in the corner so you don’t block sitting areas.
Try to put a different plant in each room. You can use flowers, shrubs, and other plants throughout your house.
Find plants that smell good. A 2021 study found that the hippocampus is linked to smell more than any other sense. Putting pleasing scents in your house will evoke positive memories in your visitors, helping you sell a home fast.
If you don’t have plants, target the common areas of your house. Put a sweet-smelling bouquet in your kitchen and a green plant in your living room.
Do not put dying or unsightly plants anywhere in your house. If you have dead plants outside, try to remove them as soon as possible.
Give Each Room a Purpose
Most rooms in your house have an apparent purpose to them. Your kitchen is for preparing and eating meals. Your dining room is for engaging with family members and friends.
Other rooms are more difficult to discern. If you have an attic with multiple rooms, try to make something out of each room. One room can be an office space, while another is for exercising.
The idea is that your visitors believe that they can make use out of each space in your house. Make sure you have proper lighting and electricity in each room.
Highlight the Best Features
You may have a feature in each room that you want to draw attention to. Obvious ones include paintings, television sets, and serving islands.
Arrange the room so you can target the feature. Position the furniture so that each piece faces your feature.
Employ symmetry in the room. Have an equal number of elements on either side of your feature and put your feature in the middle of them. This is a natural cue to your visitor that your feature is worth noticing.
If you have a room that does not have a feature, you can put one inside of it. But don’t force one if there is not a natural fit. Your visitors may have features of their own that they want to bring in.
Maximize Curb Appeal
First impressions make or break your house. Make your home as appealing as possible to the visitors standing on your sidewalk.
Trim your lawn, trees, and hedges. Wash your windows and hang white curtains over them.
Power wash your walls so they seem freshly painted and moist. Replace your old doormats with new ones, and give them a clean so they don’t have lint on them.
If you have the time, try to make an outdoor living space in your backyard. Putting outdoor furniture on your deck may be enough. If you have a pool, clean it up so the water is refreshing and clear.
Make yourself seem as appealing as possible. Dress professionally, but try to maintain. casual vibe. Be prepared to answer your visitors’ questions, especially about what they should know about the Tampa Bay area.
How to Stage a House
You must stage a house in order to sell a house. Start with a deep clean of your entire property.
Strip each room of personal objects, especially photographs. Add life to your house with plants, including fragrant flowers. Give each room a purpose so your visitors can make use out of your spaces.
Highlight your best features such as artwork and dining tools. Freshen up the outside and turn your lawn into a living space.
Don’t sell your home on your own. Alex Plotkin Real Estate serves the St. Pete and Tampa Bay areas. Contact us today.