Some people will hire a professional home stager or interior designer when they are getting ready to sell their home. They understand that effective home staging often makes the difference between receiving an offer after an in-person showing or seeing a buyer walk away to shop for other homes. If you choose to stage your home on your own, there are several helpful DIY home staging tips that you can follow to make the process easier and increase your chances of success. Here are a few of the top DIY home staging tips that are easy to put into practice.
Deep clean
A clean home is more inviting and will help you make a strong first impression when a potential buyer enters your home. Many buyers judge how well a home is cared for based on the property’s cleanliness. If a buyer comes into your home and notices dust on the shelves or crumbs on the ground, they may question the home’s overall condition. Make sure you thoroughly clean all baseboards, windows, and light fixtures in your home. It may feel like a chore, but it will help your home make a more positive impression when buyers see it in person.
Declutter
Buyers don’t care about seeing your possessions out in the home, and you don’t want them distracted by things you’ll be taking with you when you leave. Instead of emphasizing your belongings, highlight the functionality of your home. The purpose of staging is to show the buyer how they could use each room if the home were theirs. If you have things in a room that doesn’t help you accomplish that purpose, feel free to remove them. If you have more than four chairs around your dining room table, take them out and store them somewhere else. Don’t leave anything on your kitchen countertops except for a potted plant or a bowl of fresh fruit. Leave enough space between your furniture and the walls to promote better traffic flow and movement through each room. Your living room won’t feel larger if the furniture is pushed all the way against the wall. It may actually feel smaller and more constrictive.
Replace your rugs
A new rug will add additional color and texture to your room while giving your home a better appearance of being well-maintained and cared for. Rugs receive a lot of foot traffic, especially in the main rooms and hallways of your home. You can wash them, but it won’t completely restore them to the point where they look new. Purchasing new rugs will give your home a more modern look while also reducing noise as people walk through your home.
Buy new towels
Older towels can easily discolor and fray after several uses and washes. Replacing your worn-down towels with crisp new ones can give your bathrooms an extra degree of luxury and cleanliness. Your bathroom will appear recently updated even if you haven’t done anything different with the cabinets, countertops, or faucet heads.
Organize cabinets
Don’t assume that it doesn't matter how your cabinets and closets look since the doors are usually closed. Buyers care about how much storage space a home can offer, and many will want to look inside these areas when they visit your home. A well-organized closet or cabinet appears larger and emphasizes the functionality of the space. If your cabinets are disorganized and overflowing, it can create a negative association in the buyer’s mind that clouds their perspective of the rest of your home.
Add mirrors
Using mirrors is a great way to reflect natural light while making rooms appear larger and deeper. They create the illusion of more space as they reflect the appearance of the surrounding room. They also add visual interest to a room and can help balance a room that may otherwise seem asymmetrical or out of balance.
Depersonalize
Taking down family pictures and other personal items is essential when staging a home. Nobody wants to feel like they are intruding on someone else’s space when they arrive for a private showing or an open house. This feels awkward, and these images can be hard for buyers to forget even after they purchase the home. Buyers may become distracted by wondering how old your children are or trying to determine if you look like someone they know. Go ahead and pack these items up and prepare to bring them with you to your next home. If you’re worried about the empty spaces you’ll have to fill if you take down personal items, consider replacing them with artwork or potted plants.
Improve curb appeal
It’s easy to get so distracted by setting up your home’s interior that you forget to touch up your home’s exterior. First impressions matter, and you’ll want to boost your home’s curb appeal to give your home the greatest chance of selling quickly. At a minimum, you should cut your grass and pull any weeds from your flower bed. You can also plant fresh flowers for an extra natural touch. Other options include painting your front door and replacing the porch light. Small touches can also make a huge difference, such as repainting faded street numbers.
Ready to sell your home?
Julia Wesselkamper has spent over 35 years as a Cincinnati real estate agent helping people buy and sell homes in Cincinnati. She’s also an expert home stager and takes great pride in helping each of her clients position their homes for a quick and profitable sale. Reach out to Julia if you have questions about staging your home, Cincinnati homes for sale, or if you’re ready to take the next step toward listing your home. She would love to tell you about some of the best DIY home staging tips she has discovered!
