5 Staging Must-Do’s Before Listing

5 Staging Must-Do’s Before Open Houses and Listing Photos

When you’re getting ready to list your home, details really count. The right staging can make the difference between getting multiple offers on your home or having your house sit on the market for months. So what steps should you take to get your home in top shape for listing photos and open houses? Well, you can start with these basic home staging tips and tricks:

Do Your Homework

Before you put any work into staging your home, it’s a good idea to check out the competition. Start by searching for local listings, to see what current prices are consider getting out and visiting some open houses to see what steps other local sellers have taken to make their homes appealing for potential buyers.

Start With Your Home’s Yard and Exterior

Once you have some ideas about how to compete with other available homes, you can start staging your own home to sell. Getting a home ready for photos and open houses can be a chore, so go step by step with the process, starting with your home’s curb appeal. After all, this is what shoppers will see first when looking at your listing or touring your home. Pay special attention to your mailbox, your landscaping, and your outdoor lighting to make sure your home’s curb appeal really wows potential buyers into making an offer.

Update Your Home’s Entryway

Now that you’ve taken care of the outside of your home, it’s time to step back inside. When buyers visit your home or open house, they’ll do so by walking through the entryway, so make sure that this area is primed to make a good first impression. Install bright lighting to give off a cheerful vibe, and bring in a mirror to make the area look more spacious. If there’s room, add a stylish entryway table to keep the area organized.

Declutter and Clean Your Home

When it comes to tidying up and organizing your home, you shouldn’t stop with the entryway. A clean and decluttered home is vital to attracting potential buyers and top-dollar offers, because it lets them see just how much space your home has. So work through each nook and cranny, getting rid of dirt and clutter in the process.

This is also a good time to invest in a professional cleaning for your home (which costs an average of $90 – $150), especially if you do not have the time or supplies to go room by room on your own. Otherwise, plan to spend at least a day or two on deep cleaning every room in your house. If any carpeting in your home is stained, you’ll also want to call on carpet cleaning services which typically cost between $120 and $230. Experts advise steam cleaning instead of shampooing to protect your carpet.

Consult With Your Listing Agent

Researching the competition and sprucing up your home are staging steps that every homeowner should take. To determine what other tasks you need to take care of, such as removing personal touches or rearranging furniture, you should really start by asking your real estate agent for advice.

The effort you put into preparing your home for open house and listing photos will really pay off in the end. The right staging can attract more potential offers on your home and even result in higher profits for you—all of which are big wins when you are selling your home.

Photo Credit: Pexels

Author: Jackie Waters of hyper-tidy.com