When planning to put your house on the market, it goes without saying that you are hoping to sell your home as quickly as possible and get your asking price. Set the stage for success with these tips for styling and upgrading your home, and see results – fast.
- Boost your curb appeal – Enhance the attractiveness of your home from the street by boosting its curb appeal. This is an essential aspect to consider, as potential buyers often make quick judgments based on their first impression. By following a few key tips, you can significantly increase the chances of attracting more interested buyers.
â—‹ Power wash siding and walkways
â—‹ Hang easy-to-read house numbers
â—‹ Plant blooming flowers and fresh greenery
â—‹ Mow lawn, and reseed or add fresh sod as needed
â—‹ Wash front windows
â—‹ Repaint or stain the porch floor as needed
- Welcome visitors – Regardless of the size of your front porch or stoop, make it say ‘Welcome Home’. This can be achieved by using a clean doormat, some potted plants in bloom and, if you have room, one or two pieces of porch furniture. Keep your porch lights on in the evenings, in case potential buyers drive by. Illuminating the front walk with solar lights is a nice extra touch, especially if you will be showing the house during the evening.
- Make your house sparkle – From shining floors and gleaming windows to clean counters and scrubbed grout, every surface should sparkle. This is the easiest (well, maybe not easiest, but certainly the cheapest) way to help your home put its best foot forward. You may want to hire pros to do some of the really tough stuff, especially if you have a large house. Don’t skimp — this step is key!
- Clear the clutter – If you are serious about staging your home, all clutter must go, end of story. It’s not easy, and it may even require utilizing offsite storage temporarily, but it is well worth the trouble. Clean and clear all surfaces, floors and cabinets. Un-cluttered closets equal more space in the eyes of potential buyers, so purge anything unnecessary or unsightly.
If you’re thinking…“But it’s my style!” Guess what? It may not be the style of those seeking to buy a house in your neighborhood. So even if you have an awesome vintage or ultra-modern look in your home, tone it down in order to appeal to the broadest number of people possible. You will be able bring your personal style back in your new home.
- Clean, but lived-in – Yes , we said to get rid of all your clutter, but now it's time to very sparingly replace a few elements that will really make your home appealing. Think vases of cut flowers, a basket of fresh farmer's market produce on the kitchen counter or a bowl of lemons beside the sink.
- Table-scape the dining room table – The dining room is often a blind spot in decorating the home. In between those large gatherings a dining table can look bare and uninteresting. Now it’s time to think about all the ‘guests’ you are about to receive. Do not over-do it with a large formal arrangement, try using smaller items down the center of the table instead.
- Consider your floors – At the bare minimum, give all floors a thorough cleaning (and steam clean carpets), consider having wood floors refinished if they are in poor shape. If you don’t want to invest in refinishing floors, the strategic placement of area rugs can go a long way.
- Rearrange your furniture – In the living room, think about the traffic flow and arrangement furniture symmetrically. Don’t line your walls with furniture if you can help it…if it can’t be avoided you should consider storing some until after the house is sold. Small groupings of sofas, chairs & lamps can create an inviting conversation area.
- Choose neutral colors – Now is not the time to have ‘Clemson Orange’ walls in the basement, even if you are a fan. But that doesn't mean you need to go all cream or ivory, either. Rich midtone neutrals like "greige" create a soft sophisticated core for the home that makes everything look more pulled together. You can still add pops of color with accessories, or even one or two well chosen ‘Focal’ walls, but consult with an expert before doing that.
- Create a gender-neutral primary bedroom – Appeal to buyers with a clean, neat primary bedroom, free of personal items and clutter. You can't go wrong with clean, crisp linens, tasteful artwork and a blanket folded at the foot of the bed.
- Check your closets – Open-house visitors will always check your closets. Closet space can be a HUGE selling point for buyers, so show yours off by letting go of excess items or putting them in storage. Ideally, you should still have 20-30% of your closets with open space to give the look and feel of spaciousness.
- Clean up the toys – Even though families with children will be looking at your home. But seeing toys spread all over the house will not sell it. Buyers are thinking about making a fresh start in a new home. Show them how they can live their new life, including wonderfully organized children’s rooms.
- Utilize flex/extra rooms wisely – Junk rooms are not a selling feature. Each room/space needs to have a clearly defined purpose such as, an office, a guest room, a sitting room. You can buy inexpensive furniture, rent it, or borrow it to create small vignettes so buyers can ‘see’ how the space can be used.
- Use only ‘perfect’ accents & accessories – Anything left out for visitors to see shouldn’t be worn or dirty, especially in the bathroom. No soap in a dish is better than half used. No towels are better than used or threadbare.
- Control pet odors – This another HUGE one! If you have pets, all rugs must be steam cleaned and then you need to be extra vigilant about vacuuming and cleaning surfaces. Put way all toys and dishes and make sure litter boxes are well maintained if you have cats.
- Don’t forget outdoors – Play up what is a real positive about your home. Is your neighborhood a quite suburb? Does your house back to woods? Play those features up with some chairs or a hammock. Even a condo may have a balcony that could be nicely staged with a café table and chairs.
- Be seasonal – Outside, gardens should be tended and unused unseasonal items should be covered or properly stored. Anything left out needs to be clean and good repair. Inside, if it’s fall why not have subtle seasonal scents (not overpowering) of cinnamon and nutmeg to enhance the visit, or may warm cider on the stove?
Please contact the DC Metro Realty Team for more information, or assistance in buying or selling your next home in today’s market
