Home Staging Tips to Knock Your Open House Out of the Park

A client calls you, they want you to come and see their home about a possible listing. When you arrive at the home it is a terrible mess. Excessive furniture, cluttered, dated décor, perhaps even a musty odor… What do you do? The only thing you can do: tell your client the truth and get staging.

Staging involves cleaning areas, removing furniture, rearranging furniture and maybe even adding some art work. In some cases, this might also involve painting and making small cosmetic changes. A little bit of staging goes a long way and the networks are catching on. Shows and magazines like HGTV http://www.hgtv.com/decorating-basics/15-secrets-to-selling-your-home/pictures/index.html and Canadian Living http://www.canadianliving.com/life/money/top_15_home_staging_tips.php  have all released content on home staging!

Here are some small things that your client can do to prepare their house to sell so that you can knock your open house out of the park:

·        Clear the Clutter – Less is more. Excess furniture and clutter will have to go. If your client is not prepared to purge, consider a portable storage unit like the PackEdge portable storage containers that can sit in the client’s driveway. This can go a really long way.

·        Clean – and we mean really clean! If walls and trims are dirty, they will need a fresh coat of paint. Grout between tiling needs to be cleaned. If painting, focus on neutral colors. Particular emphasis should be placed on the cleanliness of kitchens and bathrooms and if possible you should have fresh bedding in your bedrooms.

·        Furniture Grouping – a unique idea discussed in the HGTV article providing home staging tips is to group furniture along the walls to give the perception that the room is larger.

·        Depersonalizing – the Canadian Living article highlighted the importance of depersonalizing and making the space generic/neutral so that a potential buyer can picture themselves living in your client’s home.

·        Smell Matters - recommend that your client air out their home, use air fresheners and natural elements to make the home smell fresh when prospective buyers come through. You too can do this when showing a home for an open house.

·        Outside – make sure the grass is cut, the driveway and walkway swept and washed, shrubs and plants trimmed. Ensure that there is no garbage or clutter whatsoever outside the house. 

If your client decides to take your advice it may greatly improve the probability that their house will sell sooner and for more money. Properties in poor condition receive the highest volume of low ball offers and can be on the market longer which can negatively impact the home’s salability for a long span of time.

For more about making your open house a smashing success, call ViMO today at 1 855 999 8466 (VIMO).