Home Staging Tips for a Profitable Sell

Knowing how to sell your house for top dollar isn’t always intuitive. Thankfully, there are tips and tricks along the way that can alleviate some of the stress and help you learn how to sell your house for the most money. One of these tips is staging a house.
Staging a house simply means decorating and arranging your home decor to help to highlight your home’s impressive assets. A National Association of REALTORS® survey found 49% of buyers’ agents believe staging affects most buyers’ view of a home, and 77% say it’s easier for people to visualize the staged property as their future home.
Not sure where to start? At The Ridge, we’ve pulled together a list of tips on how to sell your house and how to stage your house for a move.
10 Home Staging Tips for a Profitable Sell
1. Boost your curb appeal. Typically, a potential buyer’s first impression of your house is the outside, whether driving by or walking to the front door for a tour. Real estate agents will tell you the first step in how to sell your house is ensuring the exterior looks good. A few things you can do to boost curb appeal include mowing the lawn, planting flowers, installing easy-to-read house numbers, and adding front door decor like a wreath.
2. Clear your clutter. Most people are interested in seeing a tidy living space. Remove clutter from your house and either store your extra belongings in on-site storage or rent a storage space. While organizing can take time and effort, it will be well worth it to clear up your space. Seniors who might have a harder time decluttering should consider hiring senior move managers and downsizing services. Hiring a downsizing expert has two distinct advantages: First, getting help decluttering your space is invaluable. Second, downsizing experts can help you prepare for moving into a smaller home or apartment — avoiding the headache of where to store belongings that don’t fit into your new space.
3. Depersonalize. If you’re the sentimental type and have picture frames and personal knick-knacks throughout your home, it may be worth considering storing them while potential buyers tour. Buyers want to be able to imagine themselves living there, so depersonalizing your living space helps give them a more accurate feel of what their home may look like.
4. Rearrange your rooms if necessary. A certain arrangement may work for you, but it may not be as attractive to potential buyers. Rearrange your furniture so that it is symmetrical and visually appealing. Also, it is commonly thought that effective staging means pushing furniture against the walls, but that may not always be the case. Try instead to float furniture away from walls and in a way that makes the flow of the room more obvious.
5. Stage important rooms first. Staging can take time, money and energy. To limit burnout when staging your home, focus on the rooms that have the highest amount of traffic. Buyers typically put a high priority on the kitchen, living room and master bedroom. If interior design isn’t your strong suite, you may want to consider hiring a professional home stager. They’re experts at knowing how to prepare to sell your house. According to the National Association of REALTORS®, professional staging tends to shorten a home’s time on the market and increase the selling price. More than 20% of agents found the dollar value of professionally staged homes increases anywhere from 5% to 10%. It might seem like an unnecessary expense, but when selling for top dollar, you’re sure to see significant return on your investment.
6. Aim for a light look. A brighter home is generally more appealing. A few ways you can brighten your living space include updating light fixtures, especially in rooms that may not get as much natural light, and opening windows when your house is being shown.
7. Go for neutrals. While yellow may be your color, this may not be the opinion of others and seen as an additional update they would need to make to the house. You want potential buyers to be able to picture themselves living in the space — a personally disliked accent wall might throw off the illusion. A sophisticated, soft color palette makes a home look ready for new buyers. This could require painting, especially in those high-priority rooms, but it will be well worth it.
8. Add fresh flowers. It’s all about the little details when it comes to staging your home. Adding fresh flowers throughout your home not only gives a nice floral scent, but flowers are seen to be homier and more welcoming. Try to stage flowers so they complement a room’s accent color for an extra pop of vibrancy. And remember to avoid overly pungent arrangements that might overpower potential buyers’ senses.
9. Finish minor repairs. Those little projects on your list of to-dos can make all the difference for first impressions. Discerning buyers with a high-range budget will likely notice corner cracks, chipped paint or broken showerheads. You don’t want a potential buyer to question their decision based on something insignificant. Tending to the little things goes a long way in how to sell your house fast and avoid tedious negotiations.
10. Clean. You want your house to shine for potential buyers, from the ceiling to the baseboards. Seeing a clean home suggests to buyers that you care about and take good care of the property, something that is seen as a significant positive.
At The Ridge, our mission for seniors ready for a retirement lifestyle in a luxury senior living community is to make the transition from your old house to your new home as smooth as possible. As soon as you start looking for your home here, we’ll be there to help you every step of the way. From studios to two-bedrooms, you’ll find a variety of floor plans to accommodate your caliber of living and ensure you can experience all the beauty our communities in Utah and Colorado have to offer.