3 things sell homes: Price, Marketing, and Staging.  Marketing and Staging drive people through your home, and price ultimately sells the property.  It is a price war and beauty contest and in today’s market, with high inventory, you need both. 

The first step of staging is to de-clutter the home. If you need to, rent a storage area, but it is important to have the home clutter free.  That includes the closets being relatively empty and the garage used for a few items, but not packed 9 ft tall with boxes and your possessions.  Think model home.  Besides, the good news is that you need to pack anyway, this just gets the ball rolling and makes it easier when your home does sell.

 

Secondly, take down all of those family photos, ribbons and trophies, finger paintings, and any taxidermy items (especially the taxidermy items).  Selling a home and living in a home are two very different things.  It is important that when potential buyers walk through your home, they aren’t looking at little Johnny’s 2nd grade project, but rather envisioning their own possessions in the home, and where they want to put their couch and that prized 63 inch flat screen TV.  I am guilty as the rest, I get caught up looking at people’s wedding photos, etc, and I realize when I leave the home, I only remember the lovely photos they had through the home.  You want to create the feeling of a model home, not the feeling that it is YOUR home. 

 

Do a thorough cleaning of the home.  Wash the windows, professionally clean the carpets, and store excess furniture.  Make the home shine!  Walk through the home and make sure it is easy to walk the house.  Position the furniture so that you can walk the rooms easily, not bumping into the furniture.  Try to have at least 4 ft walkways between furniture so that it feels spacious.  If you have a beautiful fireplace, position the furniture in a way that makes the fireplace the focal point.  Another tip, add a couple of plants around the home, fake plants if the property is vacant.  The added green gives the property life and makes it feel homey.