So you’re ready to sell your home – but is your home ready? It doesn’t have to look like the homes in the magazines, but it should look nice enough to be featured all over the Internet. These quick and easy steps to stage your home are inexpensive, but will really stand out to buyers and increase the appeal of your home. You won’t have to pay for expensive stagers or worry about ruining rented furniture. Keep on reading to learn about the key things you should focus on when staging your home.

1. Clean Up

The first step to staging your home is storing away the clutter. This will depersonalize your home and allow potential buyers to picture themselves living in the house. Make sure that the things you put away are stored neatly and not tossed in. Buyers are curious and will open every closet to see how much space it has. They don’t want to see all of your kid’s toys stuffed into the hall closet. This is also a great opportunity to get rid of or donate items you don’t want to transport to your new place. Make sure you also clean the little things  like the baseboards, fan blades, and the window sill. Doing all of these little things will help buyers picture themselves in your home.

2. A Fresh Coat of Paint Goes a Long Way

Freshen up and stage your home by painting your walls. This will hide any marks, fingerprints, or discoloration. Plus it will make your home feel refreshed. Choose light, neutral shades when painting to allow potential buyers to easily personalize the home with the color of their choice. Light colors will help your home seem light, bright, and open (all things a buyer wants!). Also, make sure that you do a nice job when painting. Too often people who DIY their painting do a shoddy job. There are spots where the color is uneven, patches where the paint is poorly applied, or areas where it was obvious that it was a spot job. Remember, you want the home to look attractive to buyers. If you can’t do a nice job painting, hire someone to do it for you.

3. Consider Your Lighting

Stage your home with great lighting. Do a walk-through of your home to make sure plenty of natural light is coming in throughout the day. Purchasing LED lights are a great energy-efficient option that will brighten up any room. Make sure that you also dust the bulbs and around the light fixtures as well.

4. Step Up Your Curb Appeal

Your home should make a great first impression from the moment potential buyers drive up. Hiring professional landscapers will ensure your lawn and shrubbery are manicured to be most appealing to buyers. Make sure bushes and trees are trimmed and pruned, and that any flower beds are well-maintained. Dead plants or overgrown shrubs act as a sign of negligence to buyers. Make sure that the front of your home is just as appealing as the exterior of your home.

Now that you are done staging your home, be sure to keep it clean! You’ll never know when someone will walk through the door asking for a tour. And give a Coldwell Banker agent a call. We would love to help you sell your home.

Looking to buy or sell in the Nevada County area? Give a Coldwell Banker agent a call today!