How to Stage a Home for a Viewing or Open House From a Leading New Jersey Realtor

Staging a home the correct way can positively affect the home selling process. Some 83% of real estate agents say that staged homes sell faster than those that are not. With this in mind, the Feagles Homes Team has created a list of ways to stage your home for a viewing or open house.

The first part of a home a potential buyer sees is the outside, which is why it must look its best. Maintain your home’s exterior by trimming trees and shrubs, pulling weeds, mowing the lawn, and raking landscaping rock. Also, sweep away any dirt or leaves that litter the driveway and walkway, and store any unique front yard décor. If your home looks dusty or the paint is peeling, you may also want to power wash the sides of your home and touch up the paint job.

Buyers enter locations like Ridgewood properties through the front door, so staging that area also helps to make a good impression. Sweep away any dust or cobwebs in the corners of the entrance, and clean the door by buffing up the hinges and wiping down the door itself. To create inviting energy, replace an old doormat with a new one and hang a wreath from the door.

The Feagles Homes Team knows that people viewing a home are deterred by mess and clutter, so ensuring your home is clean is integral to a successful showing. Not only does a messy house deter buyers, but it also may indicate that you’ve neglected other areas of the home. Clean your home by sweeping and mopping floors, vacuuming and removing stains from the carpet, dusting off cabinets and shelves, and removing any odors related to food or pets. Attend especially to areas like bathrooms and kitchens.

After deep cleaning your home, declutter your home by donating, throwing away, or selling items you don’t need or want. This includes excess clothes, duplicate appliances, and other things that take up unnecessary space. This will help your house look big and appealing to potential buyers. Also, organize the space in closets, cabinets, and shelves to emphasize the storage space a buyer would have in the home.

While decluttering, you’ll be tempted to store items in closets and cabinets. However, buyers look at all parts of a home they’re interested in, and having cabinets fit to burst will make it more difficult for buyers to imagine how they could use the storage themselves.

Instead, rent storage units for extra belongings that need to be removed to stage your home. This way, you’ll have a place to put boxes of items and larger pieces of furniture. You can pack items in preparation for when you move out of the home you’re selling.

What makes staging effective is its ability to help buyers imagine their own lives in the house, which is why the Feagles Home Team suggests depersonalizing your home. Do so by taking down photos of friends and family, souvenirs and knickknacks, and other home décor that shows off your style too strongly. Make your home appealing to the largest number of people by removing any furniture statement pieces, replacing them with something else, and painting over accent walls with a neutral color.

Making significant repairs may come later with a home inspection, but fixing minor repairs that a homebuyer would notice can help you show your home in its best light. Fix things like leaky faucets and broken bulbs, drawers that are hard to open, sticky knobs, and squeaky hinges. Also, fix items outside your home, such as torn window screens, worn patio furniture, or loose rails and wooden planks on steps or a deck. These fixes may seem small, but they can impact how a potential buyer thinks about your home.

Staging your whole house can be daunting, but you can succeed with staging only a few rooms of Ridgewood properties. A critical room to stage is the living room, so ensure that the natural pathways remain clear and that the furniture doesn’t impede the room’s flow. Another room to pay attention to is the main bedroom and bathroom. Make sure the area appears clean and comfortable for prospective buyers.

The kitchen is also an important space to stage, as it’s a place to cook and socialize. Clean off kitchen counters of clutter and crumbs, and make it look welcoming. Lastly, if there are any odd spaces in your home, staging them can help buyers imagine what to use them for. Instead of the space becoming a nuisance or problem area, it becomes an asset when people know how to utilize it.

Most buyers enjoy a bright look, so increase natural light by opening blinds and curtains before a showing. It may be best to forego curtains altogether during showings or an open house. Clean windows and screens to ensure as much light as possible enters the house.

You’ll also want to increase the artificial lighting in your home by replacing any dimming or broken bulbs, replacing old lampshades, and dusting off light fixtures. To maintain a consistent look throughout your home, use the same wattage and color temperature bulb in all the house's fixtures.

With these tips, you’re ready to stage your home for a viewing or open house. For more help in the home selling process, contact one of the trusted agents on the Feagles Team to guide you through the process.

_{*Header photo courtesy of Shutterstock}

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