If you need to stage your home no doubt that you know that it needs to look neutral to be appealing to the audience that sees it. What you may not know is how to do that, or you may think that you will need someone to come in and do it for you. If you follow a few simple steps, you may be able to avoid having to go that route.
Depersonalize it
When you are staging a home, it is for the person seeing it to see themselves in it. Seeing a room from the buyer point of view can be difficult to do if you have family photos, kid’s artwork, knick-knacks from places that you’ve been to, diplomas or other personal items around taking up mental space. These are the items that make a house a home but for this purpose that is not what you want.
Clear out the clutter
We all have our connection to items around us. The vase from your great-aunt, a trophy from winning a sports competition or dried bouquet from your first anniversary, but these sentiments mean nothing to an outsider looking in. Make sure that any shelves, counters, and even your refrigerator have a minimum of items on them. Try to go for one to three things in each location. Minimizing clutter allows for the space to be seen and again for the viewers to be able to envision themselves there.
Reduce the furniture
Having each room filled to the brim with furniture may be a necessity for you, but it is crucial that people get a picture of the space available. Also, if you have furniture that is set-up in such a way that reduces the appearance of roominess or in a way that is otherwise awkward it will be worth it to re-adjust or remove these pieces to your storage.
Clean and smelling good
No one wants to be in a place that is not clean. Do a deep clean on the house. Wash the windows. Wipe down the baseboards and window sills. Steam clean the carpet. Disinfect the light switches and door knobs, etc. If any areas of the house have odors, identify them so that you can deodorize the area.
Once it no longer feels like home- Success
Seriously though if you are bringing others into your house the purpose is to make it feel open to all who enter and allow them to think that they can turn it into their home. With that goal in focus, if you have any questions or need someone's opinion about if you have staged your house well contact your local real estate agent for help.
