Home Staging Tips and Tricks That Really Work

With the decision to put your house on the real estate market comes a lot of anxiety. While there are many reasons for emotional turmoil during the home sale process, many owners have a concern that the potential buyers won't find their property attractive enough. 

According to ISoldMyHouse.com, one of the best ways to make sure that doesn't happen is by making your residence look fantastic. Let's explore the tricks for staging your property for viewings that'll make people fall in love with it.

Points of Focus

Not every room counts the same towards a successful staging. Focus your time and energy in rooms that are most likely to influence buyer decisions, spending less on areas that don't make much of a difference. Pay the most attention to:

• The living room
• The kitchen 
• The master bedroom
• The bathrooms

Guest and children's bedrooms make much less of a difference. You can even leave them as is if they're in good condition.

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Depersonalizing the Space

Remember the objective of a home staging while planning your tasks. You want to make your house look beautiful while disregarding preferences in favor of a more impersonal look. 

The idea is to help prospective buyers see the space as their own. So, your goal is to turn the property into a stylish, charming blank canvas. 

Remove Personal Possessions

You might feel that the portraits lining the stairs make your place feel more like home, but the buyer doesn't want to be reminded that the house belongs to you. So, put photos and memorabilia out of sight, keep clothes in closets, and clear the bathroom of personal items.

Declutter

Space sells. Decluttering not only helps depersonalize but also makes your home seem more spacious. While you don't have to get rid of everything, remove: 

• Non-seasonal clothes
• Your small decor items
• Papers, books, games
• Cleaning supplies not for everyday use

Remember that buyers open your closets to check out the storage space. If the drawers are hard to close due to everything you keep inside, they'll see much less potential in the property as a whole. 

Clean Up

Spring cleaning has nothing on the amount of work you should put in making your house 100% pristine before the first viewing. You want everything to shine, from the corners to the baseboards and the ceiling. 

A tidy home suggests you took good care of it. Think about deep cleaning everything, and pay special attention to the tasks you usually neglect.

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Open and Light

Another feature that attracts buyers is freshness. A deep clean should take care of any residue odors, but you should also take out the trash before a showing. Add an air freshener and put some plants here and there to promote a feeling of cleanliness and openness. 

Make It Bright

Dark rooms look small, sad, and uninviting. So, the first thing to do is brighten it up by letting in natural light sources. Opening the blinds makes the rooms appear more spacious, too!

Then, turn on all the lights, including those in the closet and the lamps. The home will seem more welcoming, and the buyers will see the lighting setting potential, creating ideas about how they'd arrange it once they buy the house.

Rearrange the Furniture

You might quite like your current arrangement, but try to look at it with a critical eye. Is there enough walkable space?

The idea of furniture rearrangement is to open the rooms, make them easier to navigate and help buyers imagine their pieces in place of yours. 

If there are extra chairs and tables around, especially damaged ones, remove them. When you're left with the basics, arrange the furniture with a minimalist and spacious aesthetic in mind. 

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The Bottom Line

Finally, remember that home staging doesn't require a massive investment. As long as you make smart, strategic decisions, you'll boost the appeal without paying a penny. 

Consult with your agent if you're unsure which changes are necessary, and present your home in the best light. You'll sell in much less time and face fewer issues down the line, making these tasks worth the trouble.

Tips to Know During Your First Remodel

Photo by Milivoj Kuhar on Unsplash

Home remodeling can be an exciting experience, but it hides many surprises that the average homeowners need to be aware of. From choosing the right contractor, picking the best design fixtures and matching colors, to doing an after-renovation cleanup, all these can be quite overwhelming. 

We've rounded up the four most important tips that will help you prepare for your first home remodeling project. 

Plan Your Remodel Carefully 

More often, it's easy to jump into a home renovation project, but it's hard to quantify the hurdles you'll have to face along the way. Planning your renovation will help you see the bigger picture before getting started. 

The first step is to map your goals so you can specify the scope of the remodeling project. For example, you may want to remodel the kitchen and the living room first or the roof and the exterior alone. A plan will also help you estimate the remodeling cost, choose the right contractor company, and even select the finishes and fixtures needed.

From here, you can choose a spare space, either indoors or outdoors, to move your belonging. More often, homeowners will set aside a renovation free-zone to continue living in the same home while remodeling continues in the other rooms.  

You should also create a master list detailing what needs to be done, when, how, and by whom. The idea is to have a clear overview of the steps involved in the remodeling process. However, it doesn't have to be detailed, like the one used by your contractor.

Another critical step is to get a permit from the local authorities. This is particularly true if you are looking to sell your home in the foreseeable future. A home that's remodeled without a permit is most likely to violate the building and safety standards, for example, the national electrical codes. Finally, put measures in place to protect your pets and kids, if any. 

Be Part of the Whole Exercise 

As a homeowner, you have two options. You can let the contractor do his job and just hang around until the whole project is over, or you can choose to be part of the remodeling process. With the latter, you have the option to specify further how you want your new home to look, from the color options to design features and everything in between.

Watching the remodeling process one at a time can be fun, but that will mean you have to take the days off your job, which can be somewhat impractical. Instead, make time to visit the place at least once or twice a week. Give a helping hand, discuss the remodeling process, get to know what works, and check whether the new additions meet your remodeling expectations. 

For example, you may realize that the new windows are letting in too much light, hence the need to make a few changes to accommodate your taste and preferences. However, you should not be a headache to your contractor, always proposing corrections that might compromise the entire project's integrity. 

Expect the Unexpected 

For your first remodeling project, be ready to face challenges you didn't expect. Your contractor may delay to complete the renovation in time due to unavoidable circumstances, for example, failed inspections, weather changes, sick leave, etc. 

To avoid frustrations, always lower your expectations and embrace an open mindset. You can also avoid procurement delays by working with local suppliers who are competent in their work. Also, make it a routine to follow up with your local authorities on inspections to avoid undue delays.  

You can also minimize these challenges by consulting far and wide and modeling solutions to the most probable remodeling hurdles. 

Schedule Cleanup

Every renovation or remodeling project will lead to lots of waste materials, most of which will be difficult to clean on your own. It's easy to overlook the importance of post-renovation clean up until the work is complete, and your contractors leave a heap of clutter in the living room. Common remodeling waste like wood scraps, concrete waste, dust, trash, and debris require proper cleaning, which can be hectic if you lack hands-on experience. 

Working with a residential trash collection service will make the whole process painless, seamless, and fast. However, it's essential to choose the right company and communicate with the cleanup personnel in advance. This will avoid undue delays and inconveniences, for example, cleaning services spanning a couple of days and even weeks. 

Closing Comments 

Whether you are remodeling a few rooms or your entire home, it's critical to plan the whole project. This will put you in a better position to speculate challenges and work on their solutions, so the remodeling becomes a success. 

The four steps highlighted above allow you to proceed with the remodeling while paying attention to what matters the most., i.e., meeting your remodeling expectations while minding your safety and that of your loved ones.