Staging a home for sale can be a time-consuming and daunting prospect, especially in a competitive market. Prospective home buyers, mainly those who are looking for a larger, luxurious home in a nice area, likely have a few different options lined up, and it’s important for you to make yours look as appealing as possible. If you’re listing your Lake Tahoe home for sale soon and are hoping to show it off to buyers, follow these 10 tips to have a successful staging and breathe new life into your abode.
Focus on the most important rooms
Focusing most of your time and energy on a few rooms can make a huge difference when it comes to Lake Tahoe home staging. Many buyers tend to focus on three rooms when looking for a new home: the kitchen, living room, and primary bedroom. These are where people are likely to spend most of their time, so giving the majority of your love and care to these particular rooms will save you lots of time and energy.
Clean each room as much as possible
Decluttering your rooms may be a hefty, tiring undertaking if you have a lot of stuff, but it is undoubtedly one of the most crucial ones. Buyers want to see a home with plenty of space. Start by picking up clothes, papers, trash, and anything else lying around each room, most importantly in the rooms mentioned above. Buyers will likely examine your closet space to determine whether or not their stuff would fit in there, so be sure to remove any unneeded items from your home or store them away to free up as much space as possible.
Patch and repair old spaces
Similarly, having holes in the walls or damaged rooms will certainly not appeal much to a potential buyer. They want the best, so it is up to you to make each room look the best. Don’t be afraid to shell out some cash to get paint and patch up run-down areas in your home. The buyers will notice and appreciate the effort.
Use neutral colors
When setting up your home for staging, look at the color of your walls and floors. Using neutral colors lets the buyers think about the future of the home and gives them a blank slate to imagine how they could make the house their own.
Light up the room
No one wants to come home to a dark, depressing space. Having dark rooms in your home may cause buyers to feel uncomfortable and less likely to want to be there, so open the windows and let as much natural light in as possible. Turn on all the lights in your home as well to create a feeling of warmth and welcomeness for anyone who may enter.
Depersonalize your home
When an individual is looking to buy a new home, they want to be able to fully imagine the space as theirs. Seeing old family photographs will be a turnoff to buyers, as it will make them see the house as yours, not theirs. Remove any personal items or pictures from the walls and store them somewhere secure when you’re staging a home for sale so that the buyers can envision your home as their own one day.
Add plants and flowers for extra charm
Everyone appreciates some natural scenery in their home. If your rooms feel a bit dry or lackluster, try getting some house plants or flowers for your living or dining room. Adding just a bit of extra charm and life to your home may go a long way in pushing the sale. Those who are looking for luxurious homes want to find a place that is beautiful and charming, and having a few flowers on the dining room table will add freshness and liveliness to your space.
Maximize square footage
Having space in a new home is essential, especially in more expensive neighborhoods with large houses. Potential buyers will likely not want to be in a clustered, disorganized room for too long. Make sure you take the time to diligently move obstructive furniture and rearrange any decor that may make a room feel cramped in any way. It is essential to ensure that each room in your home has a single, defined purpose, per Architectural Digest, as this demonstrates to buyers how they can maximize the space and value in their potential new home.
Make an excellent first impression
You want to grab the attention of potential buyers as soon as they pull up to your home's curb. First impressions are everything, so make the exterior and entryway to your house as clean and modern-looking as possible. This includes washing your windows and the exterior of your home, repainting or touching up the front door, cleaning and repairing your sidewalk and the driveway, and cleaning and decluttering outdoor areas like a patio, deck, or pool. Mowing the lawn, adding potted flowers and light fixtures, and cutting overgrown bushes or trees are also important.
Contact a home staging professional
It never hurts to hire a professional home stager to come in and help you set up your home in the most appealing way possible. There are many reliable and reputable home staging professionals out there who will be more than happy to assist you. They may give you advice on how to decorate and present your home to garner maximum interest from potential buyers and even get a team to do the dirty work for you! Reach out to a home staging professional when you’re ready to begin staging your home for sale.
Work with Chris & Brooke Hernandez
With these useful tips and potentially a trustworthy and reputable professional by your side, you should have no trouble with your home staging process. Your home will look more beautiful, luxurious, and appealing than ever before, and you’ll have plenty of buyers lining up at your front door eager to get a peek.
Ready to prepare your home for the market? Reach out to Chris and Brooke Hernandez, the excellent local Lake Tahoe real estate agents on Live Tahoe Real Estate for expert guidance.