Curb Appeal
- Power wash exterior walls, walkways, driveway, steps and porch
- Easy-to-read house number sign, legible from the road, attractive and modern
- Seasonal (blooming) flowers and fresh greenery in front yard, and on porch in attractive pots and planter beds
- Mow lawn
- Reseed or new sod, if needed
- Weed
- Add new mulch to bare, unattractive spots
- Wash front windows
- Paint or stain porch floor
- New welcome mat
- Some nice porch furniture, depending on size of porch
- Keep porch lights on at night
- Solar lights on walkway
- Stain/Seal walkway pavers
- Paint or stain front door, preferably red, black, blue, or wood stain
- Make sure locks and doorbells work
- Make sure porch lights work and are free of cobwebs and insects
- Clean mailbox or get a new one
- Trim trees and shrubs from the sidewalk, walkways and approach to front door
Declutter
- Storage can be expensive, especially if you have to rent a truck for delivery and return. Check PODs, Makespace.com, Clutter.com, and the like, which pickup and deliver, may charge less for storage, and may accept short-term rentals
- Get rid of old magazines and newspapers
- Neat boxes and some shelving OK in garage, so long as garage still appears to have lots of space
- Leave only necessities, and store them in cabinets
- All cabinets, drawers, closets and refrigerators no more than half full, with nice things, neatly arranged
Cleaning
- Deep,deep house cleaning
- Steam clean carpets, or buy new
- Get rid of pet evidence and odors, including by steam cleaning or replacing carpets and rugs, hiding pet bowls and toys, and removing litter boxes; no pets on show days
- Wash all windows, inside and out
Home Improvements & Repairs
- Refinish wood floors
- If laying laminate or vinyl tile, switch direction and placement of tiles for a more natural look
- Granite and/or Corian countertops can be resurfaced to look new (can be done professionally or check with manufacturer for DIY directions)
- Repair everything
- Swap dim lights for high-wattage bulbs, but with warm hues
- Make sure every door, drawer, and cabinet opens and closes easily; replace faulty or old hardware
- Repair or replace window screens
Decorating
- Put a little greenery in every room
- Stick with just one decor theme throughout the house, e.g., modern or country, but not both.
- In the main living areas, avoid themes: neutralize and depersonalize (no family photos, mementos, personal anything)
- Replace family and personal pictures with new artwork and photography throughout the house; avoid large blank spaces on walls
- Repair or remove any furniture that’s been scratched or gnawed on by pets
- Area rugs
- Paint neutral colors
- Get free advice from realtor
- Consider most likely potential buyers -- modern or family-oriented
- Thrift stores and yard sales for furniture pieces, or borrow from friends
- If replacing carpets, a thick pad will help make a lower priced carpet feel more luxurious
- Make sure all window treatments are fashionable and work properly
- Virtual staging vacant property, for online shoppers. A virtual stager will take your pictures of the empty rooms and add images of furniture and artwork for online use and marketing materials
- Consider paying a stager just for the plan. They tour the property for a couple of hours, and provide a 30-50 page report. Average fee around $350
- Also, some companies will provide just the artwork and accessories -- e.g., No Vacancy, Center Stage Home (cost about $250/month, but with 3-month minimums, and higher costs for furniture), https://www.bfr.com/furniture-rental/showroom-locations/california/sherman-oaks https://www.cort.com/locator&l=91364
- If you are using a stager, consider focusing on the most important rooms, living room, kitchen, and master bedroom. Incorporate what you learn from the stager's work into the other rooms.
- Replace worn or outdated furnishings and decor
- Replace old or dated light fixtures, door hardware, light switches and outlets -- make sure switch plates and outlet covers match and look new
- Remove pet doors
- Each room should have something to make it appealing: cut flowers, bowl of fruit, etc.
Living Room
- Symmetrical furniture arrangements
- Use pairs (of sofas, chairs, lamps) to create conversation areas
- Light, neutral colors for sofas, chairs
- Accent colors with pillows and decorations, also symmetrical arrangements
- Create stories in appropriate locations: e.g., a tray with a coffee cup and newspaper, a bottle of wine and a couple of wine glasses, board game set up, tea tray
- Coordinated pillow and chair sets
- Slipcovers over dated or worn furniture, surefit.net
- Lamps, lots of lamps
- Add vertical lines to rooms with low, 8-foot, ceilings, such as long lamps, tall floral arrangements
- Update or replace old fireplace screens
- Clean the fireplace, inside and out; polish or paint fireplace bricks
- Open window shades for natural light
- Use bright, coordinated accessories like accent pillows and throw blankets for a splash of color.
- Play a slideshow of images on your TV
- Remove all items from shelving and surface areas. Leave only a small number of the best pieces
- Paint neutral colors, fill holes from missing art
- Fix or replace light switches, curtain rods, etc.
Dining Room
- Style the dining room table and buffet with flowers, a runner, attractive place settings, or a few wine glasses and a decanter
- Small table to make the room look larger
Kitchen
- An orchid, a basket of fruit, or a bow of lemons or oranges on the kitchen counter or beside the sink
- Stain or paint old kitchen cabinets, add new hardware
- New stainless steel kitchen appliances (alternative: apply stainless-steel stick-on coverings)
- Pour hot salt water or white vinegar down the drain, and grind lemon rinds in the disposal, to get rid of kitchen odors. Do this periodically -- e.g., every week -- throughout the sale phase
- No visible small appliances; clear everything from the counters except one or two items -- flowers, bowl of fruit, plate of cookies
- Remove all dishes, glassware, flatware, cookware, except one good matching set each. Leave only a bare minimum amount of upscale grocery, cleaning and other items in the cabinets, drawers, and refrigerator (e.g., fancy condiments)
- Store some of items in decorative baskets, arrange other items neatly
- Leave some empty spaces in cabinets to make them seem bigger
- Remove refrigerator magnets, clean the door and handles
- Thoroughly clean walls, cabinets, backsplashes and moldings, including inside cabinets
- Set the table with plates, napkins and a seasonal centerpiece
Bedrooms
- Gender-neutral master bedroom
- Clean or new carpets and area rugs
- Closets only half full, only the current season’s clothes
- Organize closets and shelving to show space
- Matching hangers, so clothes align neatly
- If needed, buy new matching linens for the bed. Bed-in-a-bag ensembles can be found at discount stores or on clearance racks. You can even use one of the sheets as a window treatment (since it wouldn’t show anyway under the bedspread)
- Extra rooms to have purpose themes (kid’s room, guest room, sewing room, office, gym)
- Remove TVs and video game consoles
- Brighten dark corners and hallways with decorative mirrors
- Neutral paint colors, and paint adjacent rooms the same color to make the whole space feel larger
- Fill holes in walls; touch up with paint
- Paint over wood paneling
- Clear all dresser tops and nightstands; there should be no personal items; leave one or two decorative items on the dressers
Bathroom
- If you have to replace a sink, pedestal sinks make the room look larger
- Clean new soap bars, clean towels
- Create a spa look with an attractive jar of bath salts, vase of flowers, candles, fluffy towels, etc.
- New shower curtains
- To clean glass shower doors, two choices: (1) Clean with a mixture of 1 part muriatic acid to 10 parts water; scrub with steel wool; or (2) Mix 1 cup original (blue) Dawn plus 1 cup white vinegar, microwave for 1 minute, pour (w/funnel) into spray bottle, spray on doors, wait 30 minutes, use soft scrub to wipe off, using circular motions, rinse with water (the mixture also works on bathtub soap scum)
- Remove hard water stains on faucets and shower heads, too (vinegar spray)
- To get rid of surface mold: In a spray bottle, mix one part water to one part bleach; spray on surface
- Alternative to replacing dated bathroom tiles: use paint. (1) coat the tiles with a high-adhesion primer, (2) brush on a ceramic epoxy coating or latex paint
- Clean grout, recaulk, as needed (Grout Renew seals and stains grout to a uniform color)
- Paint, as needed
- Remove and hide all personal products -- toothbrushes, razors, deodorant, medicine (use a travel bag while house is on sale); nothing but a few nice things in drawers and medicine cabinets; nothing but a nice, new bar of soap in a pretty soapdish in bathtub shower; and nothing but one or two decorative items on countertops
- Fix leaky or running toilets, dripping faucets
- Replace toilet seats
- New fixtures
- Clean and deodorize drains with baking soda, boiling salt water, or vinegar
- Paint or stain old cabinets
- Replace rollers on sliding glass shower doors if they stick.
- Fluffy new towels, just for show
Backyard
- Clean up debris and pull dead plants.
- Trim shrubbery, especially anything blocking a window.
- Remove old barbecue grills and items from decks and patios
- Remove or hide yard equipment, trash bins, children’s toys and other personal or unattractive items
- Repaint or restain the fence
- Create a cafe/breakfast nook setting
- Clean and stage patio and deck areas -- outdoor rug, furniture, accent pillows; set an outdoor table or arrange wine glasses
- Refinish outdoor decks and patios (stain, seal)
- To freshen red brick patios, (1) roll a light coat of paint onto the bricks, (2) lightly spray with water, and (3) dab the bricks with a cloth while still wet to give them an outdoor, weathered look
- Add a hammock (or croquet game or fire pit)
- Use mulch to hide imperfect planting areas with mulch
Day Of Showing (or right before)
- Bake cookies right before tour, put a plate on counter or table with a note saying, “Please help yourself”; add a few bakery items (other cookies, minicupcakes) and some bottled water
- Open blinds and draperies, for natural light
- Empty all trash cans and move them out of sight
- Put jewelry, medicine, and other valuables in a safe spot
- Do a deep, deep clean. Hire a professional cleaning service before viewings
- Use air fresheners that eliminate odors (not add to them)
- Pick up any doggy business from the yard.
- When you leave the house for a viewing, take all the fur babies with you (consider leaving them with friends or at ake nnel for some periods)
- Vacuum for pet hairs before you leave the house
- Add seasonal smells: simmer cinnamon sticks in the fall, or add a vase of fresh cut lilacs in the spring
- Avoid cooking any food for your own meals
- Place fresh flowers or seasonal décor in the living room.
- Put cheese and crackers out in the living room, or popcorn in the TV room
- If most buyers will be young families, have flyers with information about the local schools
- You could also offer a list of all the restaurants, coffee shops, parks and other attractions within walking distance from the home
Sources
https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/2661221/list/sell-your-home-fast-21-staging-tips http://www.kiplinger.com/article/real-estate/T029-C000-S001-6-ways-to-stage-your-home-for-less-than-1-000.htmlhttp://www.hgtv.com/design/decorating/design-101/30-cant-miss-home-staging-tips
https://www.houselogic.com/sell/preparing-your-home-to-sell/home-staging-checklist/ https://www.realtor.com/advice/sell/budget-friendly-staging-tips/
https://www.easyagentpro.com/blog/home-staging-ideas/
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/laura-mcholm/get-your-house-sold-five-_b_3861099.html
Also, you might want to check https://www.pinterest.com/explore/home-staging/ (but you may need to sign in or register to access Pinterest’s links)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete