This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of CORT for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine. Hi friends, today I’m taking off my DIY’er hat and putting on my real estate investor hat to share my top ten house staging tips to sell a home quickly. As many of you know, I owned a real estate company for many years in my prior life. I’ve shared lots of advice and tips on selling a home with clients and friends so they could get the best price and sell their homes as quickly as possible. I’ve followed these same home staging tips while selling my own homes because they work. Home staging to sell a home doesn’t have to be daunting, it’s simply putting your home’s best foot forward so you can sell it faster. You all definitely must find this useful because it was one of my top posts by readers in 2018.
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It widely known in the real estate industry that a property will bring in the best offers when it’s newly listed. When a home is staged to sell, the offers are generally higher, there’s usually less haggling over price because a buyer wants to snatch up a property before anyone else gets it. Sometimes, new listings bring about bidding wars when two or more people put in offers at the same time. So the bottom line is, you want to sell your home fast. Preparing your home by tending to a few key elements and staging it properly go a long way in this process. Below you’ll find my top ten house staging tips to sell a home quickly and with less stress.
House Staging Tips to Sell a Home Quickly
Tip #1. Curb appeal counts, make a good first impression. People are deciding whether or not they like your home as they drive up and walk to the door.
Start staging your home from the outside in. Weed the garden and trim back over-grown tree branches that may block the view of the front of your home. Neat edges and clean walkways make a big statement about how well a home is kept up.
If needed, update small details like address numbers or the mailbox. Add a fresh coat of paint to the front door, a potted plant in a colorful container and a fresh welcoming doormat.
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Tip #2. Make your home as move-in ready as possible. Not everyone wants to fix up a home or has the time or budget to DIY. A new coat of paint makes a home feel fresh, clean and larger. Consider using whites and light neutrals on your walls, It will help make your home appear move-in ready. This is a great time to get rid of any highly personalized or outdated colors too. They don’t photograph well and many people can’t see beyond them.
Tip #3. Create a welcoming entry. Is there a bench, coat rack or table to place items as people walk in the door? Home shoppers want to visualize themselves walking in the front door as if the home is theirs. Stage an inviting entry by adding a pretty entry rug, a table with a pretty vignette where keys and mail could be placed when walking in the front door. Benches or simple seating are great space fillers too. Look up at the entry light fixture. Is it clean? Does it need updating?
How to Arrange Furniture in a Long Narrow Room
Tip #4. Furniture counts. Arrange furniture to enhance each room’s best feature. The right furniture helps to highlight those features. Be sure not to block the best features by having too much or furniture that is too large. Consider thinning out extra furniture if you have too many pieces or they are too big for a space.
If you feel your furniture is too big, outdated or worn to make a good impression, consider renting furniture from CORT Furniture Rental. I fell in love with the selection of couches and home decor I was able to browse online. Plus, it’s convenient, CORT Furniture rental will deliver everything and pick it all up when your home sells. That’s one less detail to worry about.
Another furniture item I need to address is empty rooms. Empty rooms always make a room look smaller. They also seem to highlight everything that is not right about a room. If you have to move before your home is sold, I highly recommend renting furniture. I’d add some home decor accessories too at least in the living, eating area and a minimum of one bedroom. It’s easy to do with CORT since they have short and long term rental options of single pieces, full rooms or a whole house.
You can find lots of other moving and furniture tips and advice on the CORT Blog.
Tip #5. A clean home is an inviting home. Give your home a deep cleaning before it goes on the market. Pay attention to details like baseboards, light switches, doors and windows. Have carpets shampooed or replaced if stained or heavily worn.
Tip #6. Clear the clutter. In all spaces and all rooms clear away clutter, stacks and piles. Open spaces always look larger and cleaner and more attractive.
Tip #7. Put personal items away. People like to envision themselves and their families in a space when shopping for a new home. If you have an abundance of family photos on display, pack some of them away. The same goes with collections and tchotchkes. Consider setting up small vignettes using accessories instead.
Tip #8. Stage closets and small spaces. An overstuffed closet may portray there’s not enough space in your home. Tidy linen, coat and bedroom closets. Stage them and use pretty baskets to hold and hide clutter. Pack away seasonal items and what you don’t need so closets feel open and adequate. Also, tidy kitchen and bath drawers, people will open them.
Tip #9. Contain Pets and Pet Odors. Odors are a huge turn off. Keep litter boxes fresh and clean and pick up after the family pet in the back yard.
Tip # 10. Keep staging baskets handy to save time. Keep home staging baskets of the items you place out before your home is shown. These are the items that make your home look inviting but aren’t used. One of my favorites is clean fresh bath items, a white bath mat, bath and hand towels that are ready to hang up.
Don’t forget to pin my top ten home staging tips for later and share with friends on FaceBook!
I hope you’ve found my top tips for staging a home to sell quickly useful. Selling a home is a stressful event, with a little know-how anyone can do a few things to help them sell their homes faster. Do you have a favorite tip for staging a home?
I love when you guys share your expertise with me too! Leave me a note in the comment section below!
Jenny says
Great tips! Love the idea of making a welcoming entry way. Thanks for sharing at #HomeMattersParty
Wendi says
Hi Jenny and thank you so much! I love these tips for every day life too. We’ll, not packing away our things… but the idea of staging areas to be pretty, like the entry. Glad you liked them too! Thanks so much for your visit!
Allison Cooper says
These are such helpful tips! I have a few friends who are going through this process right now and I’ll share!
Wendi says
Hi Allison and thank you for sharing my home staging tips! What a good friend you are. They make a big difference in how well a home is perceived during the sales process. Your friends will thank you! Thanks so much for your visit & comment.
Scott says
Clutter is the big thing. When we decide to move, we’ll be renting a storage facility to hide all our junk!
Wendi says
Hi Scott and good idea! I would have to rent a storage place to stage my home to sell too. It’s crazy how fast we accumulate things! Thanks so much for your visit and note.
Toni | Boulder Locavore says
I love these ideas! Awesome tips! Presenting your home as neatly surely helps.
Wendi says
Hi Toni! Thanks so much, yes, these tips are super helpful when selling. I think the neat clean tip is probably the biggest one. Thanks so much for your visit and note!
Reesa Lewandowski says
We will be selling our condo hopefully soon and I will be using these tips for sure! Thank you!
Wendi says
Hi Reesa! What perfect timing! I’m thrilled you found my tips. Best of luck to you on selling your home!
Amy says
I know how to stage a home all too well since we lived this last year. The best tip I have is to put ALL non-essential items into storage until you move.
Wendi says
Hi Amy and thanks for your tip! Yes, that is great advice! People don’t realize how much stuff they collect until it’s time to box it up. Moving personal items and extra stuff out early is a big one. Thanks so much for sharing your tip!
robin rue says
In this part of the country houses are selling like wildfire – no matter their condition. It’s a good time to buy & sell here 🙂
Wendi says
Hi Robin, The real estate market is moving here too. I feel real estate is always a good investment. When the market is competitive staging makes good sense as well. Why leave money on the table, right? Thanks so much for your visit!
Jeni Hawkins says
I’ve never sold or bought a home, but definitely appreciate this post for a friend selling her house! Her furniture is in weird places that fits HER family, but wouldn’t fit others. I’ll have to share this with her!
Wendi says
Hi Jeni! I pictured homes I’ve seen that fit what you’re describing as I read your note. Yes! If your friend is selling her home, be sure to share these tips with her. People don’t realize what a big difference staging and preparing a home can make. Thanks so much for your note and visit!
Stacie says
I love these tips Staging is key. You can have a great house, but if you don’t set it up to LOOK as great as it really is, people will just file through and then out again.
Wendi says
Hi Stacie! You are so right. The best house won’t look good if it’s not presented well. People make up their minds so quickly when home shopping too. Thanks so much for your visit and note!
Melissa Chapman says
I read this article and I am so glad I don’t have to sell my house because it is too cluttered. I like your ideas though to keep me ready for when that day comes, such good tips.
Wendi says
Hi Melissa, and thanks for your note! I completely understand how overwhelming staging and selling a home with lots of stuff can be! We don’t plan to sell our home anytime soon either but I do use several of these tips just to keep it looking pretty.
Barb says
Lots of great advise! I don’t know if it would help sell a house or not, but a pet peeve of mine are dirty sidewalks and driveways. Power washing makes such a difference. Driveways and sidewalks look soooo much better when they’ve been cleaned. May be odd but that’s part of my first impression.
Wendi says
Hi Barb! Wow, that’s a big one too. Good suggestion to add to the list. Dirty driveways and sidewalks definitely leave a not so good first impression. Thanks so much for sharing your tip!
diana says
Thank you, your right! Hadn’t thought of that. Very good.
Wendi says
It’s a good tip! 🙂
Mary says
Great tips Wendi, I know I am definitely going to need this in the future. Pinning.
Wendi says
Hi Mary! How exciting that you’ll be in the market for a new home in the future! I’m glad my tips on staging will be helpful. They’ve served me well for many years and I hope they are as helpful to you too! Thanks so much for your note and sharing my tips!
Kirstin Troyer says
Great tips Wendi! We sold our own home several years ago and I think we used some of these tips.
Wendi says
Hi Kirstin and thank you! Selling a home is stressful enough, right? We might as well make it easier with simple things like staging. Thanks so much for your visit!