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Top Five Surefire Staging Tips To Guarantee A Great Open House

Written by Posted On Friday, 13 October 2017 06:47
Top Five Surefire Staging Tips To Guarantee A Great Open House https://pixabay.com/en/open-house-sign-for-sale-2328984/

Whether you’re flipping a house for your own profit or selling a family home on behalf of a couple ready to move on to the next phase of their life, there are tons of ways to going about making the sale. With things like asking costs, neighborhood evaluation, curb appeal, and home features, buyers have a lot to consider when purchasing a house.

 

And if there’s one critical part of the sales process in modern home buying, it’s staging the home for an open house. Staging is simply the process of preparing a home for sale by improving the interior, decluttering, thorough cleaning, and bringing in modern design elements to help make the listing more enticing.

 

There are so many ways sellers can go about ensuring the sale of the home is successful, but it can be challenging to know where to start and feel confident buyers are willing to pay top-dollar. In this quick guide for just about anyone, here are five surefire staging tips to guarantee a successful open house.

 

1) Make Sure The House Is 100% Ready

 

The big question you have to ask yourself — and answer truthfully — is whether or not your home is absolutely ready for the world to see. This may seem overly obvious, but the truth is that many sellers are putting their listings out there for an open house, only to set themselves up for failure.

 

In this modern home buying market, buyers are almost always going to be looking for a move-in ready home. That means repairing any outstanding issues, and little to no renovating which can be issue if anything in the home looks somewhat dated or out of style.

 

So while an open house is a great way of getting your home noticed, buyers may walk out just as they step in if the house isn’t in great condition. Unless you want to turn away perfectly good buyers, take care of any looming issues that need addressed.

 

2) Decluttering & Expanding Spaces

 

It’s amazing how decluttering an area can give the feeling of a much bigger space. Clutter, even if not in our direct line of sight, can make us anxious and feel as if the walls are closing in. Overly cluttered rooms in an open house will often make buyers focus on the wrong things and negatively impact their feelings towards a listing.

 

Having too much furniture in one room or throughout the house is one of the major culprits when a space looks too cluttered. Consider that when professional stagers are brought in to work their magic and prepare a home for selling, they almost always cart away at least half of the furniture in the house. In the end, the house almost always looks bigger when furnishings are removed.

 

But don’t stop there, because there’s still work to be done in the kitchen, closets, or any other storage spaces. Buyers who examine these spaces get a feel for how much storage comes with the house while clutter will distract them from the more important things. This is also a good time to go through the house to round up and pack away highly personal effects to neutralize.

 

3) The Holy Trinity of Upgrades

 

It’s easy to rack up a huge bill when you think about all the different projects you can take on to improve the appeal of a home before staging for an open house. To keep it simple and under control, if the home needs upgrading, here are the three things you want to focus on:

 

Flooring -

 

Replacing old carpet and getting in some beautiful hardwood flooring can do amazing things to attract potential buyers. Modern buyers want hardwood flooring and making the investment will be worth it in the end. If there’s one upgrade cost you should really consider, it’s getting hardwood floors.

 

Updating Kitchen & Bathroom Fixtures -

 

One of the first places buyers will feel if a home is dated or not is in the kitchen or bathrooms. Faucets, sinks, and lighting fixtures are typically rooted in popular design styles when first manufactured, so these things will need updated. Bathrooms and kitchens can make or break a home sale, so this is another worthy area to upgrade.

 

Paint -

 

This should be somewhat obvious, but fresh paint is a go-to upgrade for any house that’s about to come up for sale. Colors have trends and some become more or less favorable over time, so it may be time to consider a modern color palette to appeal to younger or trendy buyers. Then again, you can seldom go wrong with classic white or grey paint.

 

Bonus Tip: One painting hack to make a room appear larger than it actually is — the trick here is to paint it the same color as the adjacent room.

 

4) Address the Lighting Situation

 

Lighting is a crucial consideration for home buyers since natural light is never a bad thing. When prepping a room for staging, go ahead and remove any curtains or heavy drapes. Light and bright is what sells, so you want to let in as much light as possible. Shades are alright so long as you’re aware that they can still reduce natural light as the day goes on.

 

Another trick for getting more natural light is thoroughly cleaning windows. Even a small amount of dirt and grime can prevent light getting in, so putting in the effort will help a lot.

 

In addition to natural lighting, an important lighting consideration for staging is revisitingthe current light fixtures throughout the house. If you have lamps, replace darker lampshades with lighter ones to make sure they really brighten up the room.

 

This is also the time to check every single light switch in the house. Turn every single one on and off, mark which ones don’t work, and try to get them fixed. Although rare, your personal inspection may uncover an electrical issue, which means you’ll need to call in a professional to address it and delay your open house. And if you don’t think buyers won’t check every single switch, you’d be wrong.

 

5) Open House Day Final Touches

 

Once you’re assured the house is in tip-top condition, you’ve made some moderate upgrades, and you’ve successfully brightened up the place, it’s time to put on your open house.

 

  1. Stop by the florist - It’s amazing how a few fresh cut flowers can make a home that much more inviting. This probably isn’t the only way to spruce up the home prior to the open house, but it certainly conveys freshness.

Prepare food & drinks - Perhaps you’ve heard the old wive’s tale about how realtors make a house smell like fresh baked cookies. While not a bad idea, having actual food and drinks for potential buyers will contribute towards them having a positive buying experience.

Bring in some top-notch furniture - One of the best tips for staging is to furnish every room like it just came out of a trendy magazine. Furnishings are the easiest way to do this since most mid-century modern furniture styles have a classic or timeless look to them. Modern and stylish, these pieces will almost always be made from the finest materials and high-design standards.

Create an inviting atmosphere - From candles, to pleasant background music, staging is also about creating a certain vibe. Make sure fresh air is being circulated and don’t forget to have a comfortable temperature.

 

Staging To Sell Your House

 

The open house is an important part of selling a home in today’s market. But with enough preparation and willingness to give your house the best chance of being sold at the price you want, staging is one of the most vital ways to get there.

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Stephen Hoops

After receiving his Bachelor's in Journalism from West Virginia University in 2013, Stephen has been hooked on writing professionally ever since. Stephen is a content creator from Wheeling, WV, who specializes in blogs and loves connecting with folks via social media.

https://www.directom.com

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