I’m totally serious! Many people think that staging costs too much money, but honey, there are so many free and low-cost solutions that will make your house look super fabulous for your photo shoot and have buyers swoon when they see your house in person. .
And honestly, getting your house ready for your online listing is just as important as hiring a great realtor and getting the price right these days.
Based on all the staging evaluations I’ve done over the years, I’m going to share some of my favorite cleaning specifics and give you a few more (almost) free ideas you might not have thought of.
1. Clean your walls
Small photos, family photos, dried flower arrangements (especially on top of kitchen cabinets!), shelves with little knick-knacks… no more! pack them up. They will make your photos look entertaining and your house outdated.
2. Eliminate any religious symbols in sight
3. Clear the shelves:
Your shelves should be 1/3 open space, 1/3 accessories (must be football size or larger), and 1/3 books (nice hardcover books only).
4. Show buyers the way:
One of the biggest mistakes people make is how they arrange furniture in a room. There’s science behind how we feel in a space called Proxemics–crazy, right?!? Not really, you’ve probably been somewhere where you didn’t feel comfortable but couldn’t figure out exactly why you didn’t feel right. More often than not, it is the arrangement of furniture in a house, and if this is a problem in your house, buyers will notice it too.
5. Let your generosity pay off:
Donate or sell your clutter to save money on moving cost and to earn a little money to treat yourself to something nice once it’s sold super fast; ). ‘Nothing said!
6. Take advantage of a free product… sunlight!:
Remove old and dusty blinds and open the blinds or shutters all the way. Remember that sheers don’t let in all the light, so pull them down too if you have them. If you’re worried about losing privacy, remember that if you follow my advice, you won’t be living in your home much longer. It’s a short term inconvenience for a HUGE long term gain.
7. Replace your bulb failures:
Please, not with those twisted fluorescents, he thought! I’m on a personal crusade to banish them from people’s homes! The light they give off is too harsh and unflattering. Honestly though, this is an area that people overlook and seem minor. A buyer is thinking, if they didn’t even take the time to change the light bulbs, how well did they maintain everything else in the house? You wouldn’t go out on a date knowing you have lettuce stuck in your teeth, so don’t show off your house with burnt-out light bulbs over the bathroom sink!
8. Clean, clean and oh, did I mention clean?:
Scrub every inch of your house, especially your bathtubs and showers. Whatever it takes to clean those areas, you should do it. In a buyer’s mind, cleanliness is a reflection of how well he has maintained his property in general. If he wants to get the highest possible listing price when he sells, he should do a thorough cleaning before meeting with realtors. Here’s a real life example of how an obscene amount of cleaning helped add $80,000 to a home’s value.
9. Air the place:
Now this is more for your in-person presentation, as scents don’t communicate on your online listing, but can be a complete turnoff in real life. In my own house hunt years ago, I wouldn’t even make it past the front entrance in what seemed like a lovely house because I couldn’t stand the smell of pets. Studies have shown that people respond better to citrus scents, so save the cinnamon or fresh flax and treat yourself to a fresh lemony scent! Here’s a great resource with helpful tips if you smoke or have pet odors.
10. Don’t let them find out your beauty secrets:
Store all toiletries and toiletries in the bathroom, on countertops, and on the edge of the tub. But please, keep them organized, with baskets or neatly lined up. It’s acceptable to leave shampoo and shower gel for your in-person display, but take them out for your online listing photos. It goes back to the whole idea of visual clutter. You know what I mean?
Bonus tip! Let shoppers think they are so organized!:
Every nook and cranny really counts when you’re selling your home. Yes, even your cabinets and closets. I once had a client who had her house on the market 3 times with no offers and she didn’t want to spend energy cleaning out her closets because she didn’t think she would sell and she didn’t want to put all her sweaters away because she I would need when winter came. Guess what, I lovingly nudged her into doing the job and her house had a bidding war in its first two weeks on the market.
I hope these tips help you organize your home!
