Staging Your Home Begins With Decluttering!

Hi, I’m Steve Brooks, a Realtor with Keller Williams Realty. Along with my partner Marty Dukes, we are the “Homebodies Team”. I have never written a blog before and hope those of you reading this, find it informative and helpful.

We are the only Real Estate Team I know that offers staging services as a part of the listing agreement. Our experiences have really opened our eyes to the benefits of home staging. A home that shows to “its best advantage” will sell quicker and for a higher price than a home that leaves too much to the prospective buyers’ imagination.

Staging a home does not begin with adding things, it usually begins with taking things away. DECLUTTER! Nowhere is the term “less is more” more appropriate than in home staging. Remember, you are trying to sell your home not the stuff in it. Remove any items that distract from the strong features of the home or stand in the way of traffic flow. Remove items that make a room seem smaller than it actually is; such as overstuffed furniture or an inappropriately scaled entertainment center. Go through the closets and view them as a potential buyer would. Pack up out-of-season clothing (you are going to have to pack them anyway), get clutter up off the floor and clean and neatly stack items on the shelving above. Spend $10 on nice hangers and hang clothes by type. For example, pants, skirts, shirts, dresses etc. Using the same hangers make the items hang at the same height and look better organized and do not distract the buyers’ eye. Clean out the pantry; stacking items in a neat and orderly fashion and remove all items from the floor. Remove and pack all items from the cupboards which are not in daily use. Pack extra place settings, seasonal items etc. and store off premises.

Try when possible to put all toys in one room where they can easily be stored in the event of a showing. Keep bathrooms clean and free of clutter. Keep kitchen countertops free of clutter and sparkling clean. Store countertop appliances in cupboards or pantry in some of the space you have created from “downsizing” these areas.

And lastly, the garage. It should be neat, organized, clean and look spacious. If you have a 2 car garage, insure that potential buyers see that two cars will fit. Make sure the lighting is adequate. A painted garage floor always gets a good response!

I could go on all day but next week I will talk more about de-cluttering as well as the use of paint and color to make your home look updated and fresh.

Thanks for reading!