
You did it, you have decided to sell your home! You met with the realtor, signed the contract and now you realized that we were listening to the realtor’s advice like you listen while at the doctor’s office by nodding and agreeing. You think you heard most of what was said but a lot of the words sounded like the noise the Peanuts Teacher makes when she talks…”waaaa wa wuh waaaa wa wa”. All you really know for sure is that you have a lot of work to do in a short amount of time.
Let’s do a quick recap, your immediate tasks are yard clean-up, garage organizing, decluttering, packing, cleaning and ...staging the rooms prior to the real estate photographer coming to take pictures of your home. Wait!!! What???? Yes, you heard me correctly, I said “staging the rooms prior to the real estate photographer coming”. Take a breath and hear the good news that most of these previously mentioned jobs are self explanatory so let’s focus and simplify what home staging means.
Before we look at the things to do within your home, for convenience sake, rent a decent sized storage unit. Choose a storage facility close by so you can easily access it when you need to add more boxes and furniture after continuing to sort and pack. The more you sort, pack and store the cleaner you home will look, the quicker it will sell and the easier it will be for you to move out before the buyers move in!
Home Staging ~ Let’s Set the Stage

Define Each Space - Notice how the colors pop in this photographed home?
A dining room is a dining room it is not also a craft zone, a living room is simply a gathering place and that miscellaneous room will no longer be the dumping ground for your extra stuff, instead transform it to a home office or a seating area. Also, unless you have an actual home fitness room please take your Bowflex to storage and join the local gym for a few months.
Depersonalize - Remove your family pictures, trinkets, grandma's homemade blanket and any other special or unique item that could block the potential buyers from seeing your home as their space. You want them to have the ability to see where their special items could reside along with them. If it means something special to you then wrap it, pack it and keep it safe.
Remove Clutter - Within each room remove your decorative items from shelves, dressers and tables to do some critical editing. Pack away about 75% of those decorations while keeping out only a few neutral yet current items that could add interest to the room. In the kitchen clear off the counters and store small appliances along with that block of knives (yikes!) in the cupboards. In the bathroom store your toothbrushes and other toiletries in drawers not by the sink.
Reduce - Smaller and less furniture is better because it makes the room seem larger. Remove older, well loved, yet out-of-date pieces to storage. Pack or donate anything that confuses what a room is used for or takes up extra space for no specific reason. Let’s also be clear that the popular Mid-Century Modern decor trend does not include that 1970’s veneer table as a vintage piece.
Think Simple Yet Welcoming-

Stride toward clean lines, neutral colors and soft lighting from table and floor lamps.
Like this home we photographed In Elkhart Lake, WI
Update Within Budget - Consider investing in a few things to make your home more appealing and more wanted by letting the buyer see your home as idealistic. Maybe remove your faded 1990’s comforter and replace a textured, neutral and solid color blanket. Don’t forget a couple of matching pillow shams and a few throw pillows in colors that slightly contrast or highlight the new bed cover.
That’s it! That’s all that you need to do. Sure some work is involved but know it will be worth your time and effort. If your aren’t sure if you should keep or remove an item, error on the side of caution and move it to storage. Soon your home will be ready for the photographer and also easy to prepare for the last minute showing requests. After sorting, packing and storing your personal items, extra decorations and excess furniture your home will feel bigger. A neutral color pallet and clean counters tops, tables and shelves along with soft lighting from lamps it will have a fresh and cozy feeling. Editing out the old and updating with a few new items is like dressing up your home for a special occasion. Let the buyers come in and see your home at it’s very best and the home they will want as their own!
Comments