How to Stage Your Home for a Sale Moraga CA

Steps

1. De-Clutter, Clean, and/or Organize all rooms in the house - This should be your very 1st step.
2. Address any and all repairs that need attention. Inspect your house inside and out to search for cracks, etc. The small investment of time and money will mean a bigger return when it comes to the sale price.
3. De-Clutter, clean and organize kitchen countertops and cupboards. Countertops and shelves should not be filled with food and appliances. You want your kitchen space to appear large, clean and functional.
4. Keep the bathroom as bare as possible, never leave your personals in view when showing your home. In fact, depersonalising your whole property is a powerful selling tip. Buyers will be more attracted to your house when they can imagine themselves living there. To make your house look lived-in without looking like anyone actually lives there, pack away into storage:
   • All family photos
   • Holiday souvenirs
   • Trophies & certificates
   • Collectible items
   • Children?s artwork
   • Home Gyms that haven't been used in months
5. Whether selling professionally or by yourself, make sure you have some fliers made up with details and photos of your house for prospective buyers to take away with them.
6. Know that an open house should appeal to all five of the senses:
   • Sight: Open the blinds and drapes to let in natural light. Keep clutter away and consider keeping your pet out of the home for that day.
   • Smell: Put out flowers and candles in the main rooms of the home and a colorful bowl of fruit on the dining table.
   • Taste: A hot pot of coffee helps with taste and smell also.
   • Hearing. Turn off the sound on all television sets and computers, and have some easy listening or jazz music playing in the background softly.
   • Touch. Have your guests sit on the softest couch, and make sure everything is clean and dust-free.
   • Space. When showing guests around your property, let them enter the room first. In smaller rooms e.g bathrooms, stay at the door. Too many bodies in too small a space causes a problem.

Video

Tips

• You are putting your home on display, so present it well! If you don't think you have an eye for presentation, ask one of your friends or family to prepare your house for you. If you can't see a problem with clothes lying around and sticky floors, get someone else to present your house for you! Pay them if necessary - as presentation is so important in presenting your house.
• Remember: you are decorating your home for someone else so keeping that in mind will help you to make purchases that will appeal to the masses.
• De-clutter your home as well as deep cleaning will work wonders, and will show to potential buyers that the house is in stellar condition.

Warnings

• Every room in the home, including the garage and decks, should be absolutely clean. Empty waste baskets and garbage pails daily. Try to keep pets out doors along with their litter boxes and food bowls during showings. Try to relax during this stressful process.

Things You'll Need

• You may need to make a few purchases - maybe new bed covers, sofa pillows, flowers, etc. Make the purchase needed to update the home so that it will show well. You will certainly see a return on your investment.

Sources and Citations

• Home Stages
• http://www.thestagingsource.com has free staging "how to" information
• http://www.TheAdvisory.co.uk - has a room-by-room guide to staging a house for sale (UK bias)
• http://www.buy-my-house-ez.co.uk - Looking for a fast house sale in the UK? I buy regardless of condition or location. I also offer sell and rent back.

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