You’ve made the decision to sell your home. That’s exciting news! Before you begin the process of attracting potential buyers to your home, you may want to stop and first ask yourself if your home is ready to be seen by the masses. Many homebuyers in today’s market are searching for a house that’s ready for you to live in right away. They don’t want to go through the hassle of making a lot of changes before moving in their furniture. Simply put, they want a house that feels like their home as soon as they walk in the door.*This post contains affiliate links.

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So how do you create that feeling for potential buyers? Obviously, your home must be in good condition for you to hold a successful open house. If it isn’t, potential buyers will be very quick to make a hasty exit.  For example if you live in Florida with the excellent weather and beautiful beaches, selling your home in Miami may seem like a walk in the park. Don’t be fooled. If you don’t properly prepare and stage your property for an open house, you may be waiting a long time to get that moving van ready. Keep scrolling to read some top tips for preparing your home for a successful open house.

Renovated Faith

Declutter and Deep Clean

The first step in preparing for an open house is making some simple yet effective changes like decluttering your kitchen cabinets or bedroom closets. Declutter and deep clean should be your mantra. Messy rooms cause buyers to focus on things that aren’t important and make a home seem small (since it has too many items in a room). Donate or throw away any old or unwanted item. If you’re not sure where to begin, there are loads of decluttering tips online that can help you start the simplification process.

Nourishing Minimalism

If your property is not in a good condition, this should be the first port of call. There is a guide on www.sellersadvantage.com that can show you how to sell a home when it is in bad shape, and when you clean it up, this can be a fantastic way to elevate the look of the place without spending through the nose.

Gathering together the packing materials that you will need as soon as possible is a great place to start and means you can begin whenever you are ready. 

Depersonalize Your Property

This may seem a bit harsh, but the more personal items your can remove from your home the better. Use quality packing materials to safely pack personal photos and family knickknacks away. For buyers to imagine themselves in your home, it must be free of personal belongings. Remove refrigerator art and family photos to neutralize your home. Lastly, clean every nook and cranny and make everything sparkle. Don’t ignore places you think are hidden from view as people will be inspecting every area in your home. You can even hire on of your  local moving companies to haul some of your belongings to a temporary storage unit until you are able to take possession of your new property.

Professional Staging

 By depersonalizing your home you will turn it into a blank canvas. Removing the personality consists of a few simple approaches, and there is a guide on www.homelight.com that shows you how to depersonalize your home properly. If you aren’t ready to move right away,  portable storage units are an excellent way to store your belongings  as you move at your own pace.

Update Your Lighting

Just like jewelry can make an outfit, chic lighting can add some pizzazz to your home. Lighting can change the perception of what buyers see and how they feel. Good lighting can make your home look new and bad lighting can make a home look older or dirtier than it actually is. You may want to replace any old lighting fixtures with new ones or at least DIY and update your old fixtures. While new lights can be expensive your can often find bargains online or at factory outlets. By shopping around and carrying out DIY projects you can  make considerable savings.

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Your lighting fixtures will look brand new if you give them a good scrub and remove any dirt or bugs. Be sure to maximize on any natural light that enters your house by opening up any window treatments. Doing these things will fill your interior with light and make everything look more open and new.

Protect Your Valuables

Of course, it’s also important to keep your valuables safe while people are looking around your home, because while you trust visitors to behave themselves, you never truly know who might take advantage. No matter if you have a collection of loose wholesale diamonds to put into jewelry, you have a valuable collection, or you have irreplaceable artwork, using protective safes of a self-storage locker for the weekend can grant you peace of mind.

Update Your Interior

Your furniture should fit the space it’s in. Furniture that is too big for the room will make it appear smaller and cramped, while furniture that’s too small could make the room feel cold and uninviting. If you have the budget for it, consider renting furniture to maximize the space in your home. If you do rent furniture, make sure it’s new and in good condition. Your goal should be to make your home feel spacious and homey. For example, you can arrange seats around a fireplace in the living room. Also, neutrals are often the best choice when it comes to home staging.

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Curb Appeal

The first thing a potential buyer sees is the outside of your home. First impressions are especially important when selling a home and will remain long after the potential buyer leaves your home. When buyers see a well-kept lawn, a thriving garden, and a cozy porch, they know a property owner has taken care of his or her home over the years. Enhance your home’s curb appeal by removing any weeds or debris from the garden, mow the lawn, and trim hedges and other plants. Wash windows and power wash the exterior to make it seem like brand new again.

Nest of Posies

You may also add some color to the outside of your home with planter boxes or flowers. Make sure any pathways are clean and tidy and you have new welcome mats on the front and back doors. If you own a swimming pool, be sure it’s clean and remove any fallen leaves or debris to help it look pristine and extra refreshing. Change the outdoor seats and expand your living space. Potential buyers love outdoor living spaces that show how they too can enjoy the warm weather.

When it comes to big changes that are to be made to your home, such as a new landscaping or getting a driveway interlocking system installed, just remember that the money you invest is going to add to the resale value.

Make Arrangement for your Pets

Selling a home where pets live is difficult enough without advertising the fact that pets live there. Some potential buyers may be allergic to animals or just don’t care for them.

Painted Goodness

It’s best to line up a family member or friend and make arrangements for them to take care of your pets for a few hours during your open house. Pets can also be a distraction during an open house, and you want buyers to admire your home – not Fido.

Appeal to Modern Buyers

What type of home are you selling? What type of buyers are you trying to attract? Is it a smaller property perfect for first-time buyers or a larger family home? For example, most modern buyers don’t want outdated fireplaces or busy wallpapers. If you live in a nicer neighborhood, buyers may also be expecting some upgraded features. Buyers will often make an offer on what the see, so don’t expect your top asking price if you’ve never renovated your property. Investing in an updated  bathroom and an updated kitchen or at least updated appliances often will get you the best return. If you need more tips on how to get your house sold fast, you may want to check out a service such as Frank Buys Houses.

My Domaine

If you bathroom is outdated you will definitely want to seriously consider all your options for proper bathroom remodeling, Even if you have an older home and want to keep the original character and charm, you can add some modern amenities such as a luxurious rainfall showerhead to impress potential buyers.

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Are you ready for your open house? To really impress potential buyers and make sure your home moves quickly, having your house staged in the appropriate manner is crucial.  It’s also great to have some flyers or brochures ready for potential buyers as it can be easy for people to forget particular information about a home, especially if they are looking at multiple properties. Make sure to include great photographs, specs, and pertinent information such as the price in a clear and concise format so that people can easily reference it.

 Lots of homeowners will go to great lengths to prepare to sell their home, but then do little to no staging at the end of all that hard work. By following the tips above, you’ll have that ‘sold’ sign in front of your property in no time! 

Have you had luck with staging your own home to sell? I love hearing from you, dear readers! If you are getting ready to sell your home, I hope you have found these tips to be helpful. My husband and I have flipped several houses and have sold our homes in very short amounts of time (one time it only took one day!) using simple home staging strategies. It can work for you too!

Thanks for visiting today!
Amber