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Experts tell us how to stage a home to sell fast

Dannielle Beardsley
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Selling your home is a huge process. There are so many things that need to be done, rooms to be cleaned, weeds to be pulled, and details to finalize. But what do you need to do? Are there things that people do when staging a home that really won’t affect the home’s overall price?

There are a few basic things that, no matter if you need to sell your home in a hurry (or not), you should pay attention to. There’s no time to waste, so let’s get right into the staging steps to get your home sold.

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A clean and decluttered living space.
Max Vakhtbovych/Pexels

Colors, be gone

You may have loved your colorful accent walls all over the house. Or maybe you wanted every room to be a reflection of your favorite bright colors. Buyers don’t want that. Would you want to repaint an entire house when you moved in? Seasoned Real Estate Advisor, Angela Deniston, knows a thing or two about making sure a home is ready to sell, and the wall color is a big one. She says, “bright, bold wall colors could be an immediate turn-off,” and we agree.

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Go for a basic white or off-white color throughout. It’s an extremely inexpensive fix, and you could probably do it yourself if you don’t have high walls. It makes the whole room look cleaner and bigger. Potential buyers can also start to think about what color they would want to paint that room. That’s a good thing. Once they start envisioning themselves in there, you’ve got them hooked.

Let the light shine

Even if your home doesn’t get the best light, fake it. Open up all of the blinds. Clean those windows until they sparkle. Twenty years of experience has taught Angela that “this will help the home to feel bright, fresh, and open.” We agree.

If your home doesn’t have light fixtures that provide the best light and you can’t or don’t have the money to have some installed, look for some cute lamps. You can take them with you when you move.

Kill the clutter

This is one of the biggest things to do. Have some yard sales. Anything you can pack away ahead of time, do it. Donate as much as you can to places in need. Ask all of your neighbors if there’s anything they’d like to have. It serves a few purposes.

  • Less to pack
  • It makes the rooms look bigger
  • Let’s buyers imagine their stuff in the home

Sharon Schaffer, a Real Estate Advisor, says

“Declutter and begin packing away all collectibles, heirlooms, personal photos, seasonal items, items not used on a weekly/daily basis.”

A clean and well staged bedroom.

Pass the nose test

We all have that one friend who is nose blind to their house. Maybe they have a pet or kids, and their nose is immune to the smells. You do not want that to be your home when you have buyers coming in. Have friends come in and do a smell test.

If they find things are a little funky, hire someone to “make sure you check the vents, drains, furnace/air conditioner, refrigerator, etc. These are places you would not think of for hidden odors.” Sharon Schaffer agrees that the initial smell when you walk into a home can turn potential buyers off.

Leave your emotions at home

Or not at home. Take your emotions out of it. This might be the hardest one for you as the seller. When a realtor tells you things the potential buyer didn’t like, and if any of them has to do with your personal style or decor, don’t worry.

Real Estate Advisor Mattie Sheppard wants sellers to make a note of that. She states that

“when you are selling your home you are emotionally attached to it by default. You have created so many memories in that house. But if you start looking at it as selling a house, you will be able to sell it without remorse.”

Spot on. If you can’t take your feelings out of the house selling process, it’s going to be long and miserable for you. It’s another possession. Think of it only that way.

If you listen to us and our expert panel of Real Estate Advisors, you’ll be able to get your house on the market quickly and with as little pain as possible. Follow our DIY home staging checklist to make sure you tick all of the big boxes that can cause your house to stall on the market. We can’t wait to see how quickly your house sells!

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