How to Stage Your Home for Real Estate Showings

Taking the time and effort to optimally stage your home can be the difference between selling your house for the price you want or having to make significant price reductions to attract interested buyers. For example, you need to focus on making the living room, kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, and exterior of your house look as attractive and inviting to buyers as possible, so that when they see your home, they will be willing to offer (at least) something in the neighborhood of your asking price.

Here are some helpful tips on how to stage your home for real estate showings.

Most prospective buyers don't want to buy (and move into) a dirty house. Therefore, you should make sure that your house looks clean before real estate showings. For example, empty out all of your trash cans, make sure there are no dirty dishes in the sink, put away any laundry, and vacuum and mop your floors. Also, don't forget to dust your woodwork and window seals. Furthermore, if there are any carpet stains, consider hiring a professional carpet cleaner to remove them. 

In addition to a clean home, you want it to be free of any clutter as well - as buyers won't likely get as good of an impression touring a messy home. That means you might need to spend some time decluttering each room and closet. Consider selling or donating things that you no longer use any more - like gently used clothing, furniture, books, and toys. Oftentimes, homeowners have yard/garage sales before listing their house on the market as a way to pare down their belongings. 

Another way to stage your home for real estate showings is to help buyers imagine themselves living in your house. That means you need to depersonalize it as much as possible. For instance, put away family photos, keepsakes, and any other personal mementos. It might also be a good idea to remove any artwork or decorations from the walls. 

If any of the rooms in your house have wallpaper, you should probably paint over them. That's because when it comes to wallpaper, everyone has their own preferences. What you might consider appealing - others might find it unappealing. You might be surprised by the number of buyers who get turned off by what they consider bad wallpaper. 

A big part of staging your house for real estate showings comes down to staging the furniture in a way to show off each room. Most professional home stagers and realtors will tell you that when it comes to furniture, "less is more." That's because you want buyers to feel like rooms are - well, roomy - at least as roomy as possible. If you have too much furniture crammed into a small space, it can make buyers feel crowded. Therefore, if you own a lot of furniture and you are still living in your house, you might want to consider putting some of your furnishings in storage to make your rooms look bigger. 

Lastly, make sure that your home's exterior, especially the front, looks its best to give buyers the best first impression of your home. That means keeping your lawn mowed and looking nice. Trim any shrubs and trees that look overgrown. If the exterior of your home looks dirty, give it a good power-wash or even a fresh coat of paint. 

In short, staging your home for real estate showings can significantly increase the likelihood that you will not only find a buyer, but you will find a buyer who is willing to pay more. That means you need to make sure that your home is clean and free of any clutter. You should also depersonalize to help buyers imagine themselves living in it. Paint over any wallpaper. Also, take the time to carefully stage your furniture in each room. Furthermore, don't forget to ensure that the outside of your home looks attractive as well.