How to Stage Your Home

We know that selling your home isn’t easy. Getting your house into picture-perfect shape is no walk in the park, and the staging process can be especially difficult.

The goal of staging is to make your house as appealing as possible. The buyers should be able to view themselves as the owners of the home, so your house should look like it was merchandised from a store.

But getting your house to that level is difficult without a strategy, which is why we’ve written this blog post to guide you through it.

  1. Make a plan

Our first tip is to get your family on board with the staging process. Keeping your home clean and free of clutter is difficult enough when it’s just you, but it’s even harder with a family and any furry friends.

So, you need to sit everyone down (Fido included) and make a plan. The best option is to live outside your home while you’re trying to sell it.

Some good options for living out of your home include:

  • Staying in a building on the property (like a shop or a garage)
  • Staying a friend or family member’s home
  • Renting a vacation home or Airbnb
  • Getting a room at an extended-stay hotel

Worst case scenario, you live in your home while you’re selling it. It’s not impossible do it, but it is harder.

To make your job easier, it’s best to get a babysitter or a family member to take care of your kids or pets.

2. Clean everything

We’ve mentioned cleaning and de-cluttering in our other blog post about preparing your house to sell, so this is just a reminder.

Your house needs to be perfectly clean and tidy before you show your home, so start rolling up your sleeves and cleaning before doing anything else.

3. Hide any personal items

If you’re living in your home while it sells, this step is going to be tough. The goal is to keep everything that’s not show-worthy out of sight (ideally, out of the house entirely).

Your best bet is to hide things in the garage, a shed, a storage unit, or even a friend’s house (ask first, of course).

For essentials like toiletries and clothes, put them in a tub or a bag so you can easily take them with you when buyers show up.

But don’t be tempted to shove everything into a closet, since buyers will look through built-in storage:

  • Closets
  • Cabinets
  • Kitchen drawers
  • Bookshelves
  • Under the bed

So, you’ll need to remove all personal items from these spaces.

4. Hide any unessential items

As we’ve mentioned, you need to make sure every drawer, cabinet, and storage space is tidy.

Beyond just personal things, you need to hide anything that doesn’t look professional.

Mainly, you need to be meticulous about everything, including anything behind a closed door.

This includes things like:

  • Cleaning supplies
  • Snacks/food
  • Tools
  • Backup toiletries

Linens are generally okay, so long as they are neatly folded and organized.

One weird thing you’ll need to clean is your fridge. Buyers will look through it, so go through and get rid of everything you can.

Instead of eating what you have at home, eat out and keep a cooler filled with snacks.

5. Arrange your items

Now that your home is spotless, it’s time to arrange your home so it’s appealing to buyers.

Before you do anything, talk to your realtor. They have experience arranging interiors, and they know what helps a home sell, so they can give you advice during this step.

Develop a strategy with your realtor to get your home ready for buyers. Here are a couple of our top tips:

  • Remove damaged furniture
  • Remove any evidence of pets
  • Leave nothing on the floor
  • Organize everything (kitchen tools, linens, etc.)
  • Put everything in pretty bins/tubs
  • Keep your porch immaculate
  • Create a cohesive style throughout your home
    • Color-coordinate
    • No mismatched furniture
    • Use matching pillows and blankets

It’s likely you’ll have to move out a fair amount of furniture and décor to match your realtor’s vision. In that case, make sure you get a storage unit.

Don’t worry: most of your items in storage will be covered under your home owners’ policy, although you may need to up your coverage just in case.

6. Add special touches

Details make a difference. For example, anyone is bound to like a house better if there are freshly baked cookies on the counter and pretty vases in every room.

Small touches like fresh greenery, fancy candles, and a welcome sign make your home look more professional and make buyers feel welcome.

Small touches like fresh greenery, fancy candles, and a welcome sign make your home look more professional and make buyers feel welcome.

7. Maintain your home

If you’re living in your home, keeping your house tidy is going to be difficult but not impossible.

Firstly, clean everything after you use it, especially the bathroom. Wipe out sinks, disinfect light switches, and avoid disrupting anything too much.

Essentially, live like a minimalist. Keep only what you need.

When it comes to clothes and toiletries, keep everything in tubs and bags so you can take everything with you when buyers come knocking. (Don’t forget a snack tub!)

If you have a pet with you, have a box with all of their things so you can be ready to leave with them at a moment’s notice.

Hopefully with this information, you can have your house ready to show in no time. Furthermore, we hope this information will make your home more enticing to buyers, so your house can sell quickly.

Here at Trucordia, we’re here for you if you need help during the moving process, especially when it comes to home insurance. Contact us to help with your insurance needs!