By: Celeste Stewart

If you are getting ready to sell your home, take the time to stage your home so that it makes the perfect first impression. Buyers want to see themselves in your home but if your house is loaded with “stuff” they’ll have a hard time seeing past it. Staging your home involves clearing out the clutter, defining the spaces, and letting the house speak for itself.

Before going over the home staging basics, it’s important to note that these steps go beyond the standard advice; they don’t replace the crucial steps such as fresh paint, freshly mowed lawns, spotless housekeeping, and sparkling windows.

Home Staging Step One: Clear Out the Clutter

You’ve accumulated a lot of stuff over the years and while your stuff is meaningful to you, it’s a distraction to buyers. Don’t let your cutesy owl collection define your house. Instead, you’ll need to stash it during the “For Sale” process.

Now don’t go filling up your garage as you de-clutter because buyers want to see a spacious area for storing their cars, boats, and other items. Instead, rent a storage unit for a few months.

Look beyond the obvious clutter and peer into your cabinets and closets. They’re packed to the gills, aren’t they? What impression will overflowing closets and cabinets leave on buyers? They’ll likely want a house with plenty of storage and will rule yours out because it clearly doesn’t have enough. Stash extra linens, out-of-season clothes, holiday items, sporting goods, and other bulky items in your storage unit. Do the same with book cases and shelves throughout your home.

Home Staging Step Two: Define Spaces

Is your kitchen also your office? Is your dining room table the homework station? Are playpens and baby toys taking over the living room? Let each room fill its intended purpose. Kitchens are for cooking in, not paying bills. You may need to do a bit of rearranging to define your rooms but it’s an important step. Do you want your house to be the one remembered as the house without a dining room? Or the house that has no kitchen counter space?

If you’ve opted to forego a formal living room in favor of a play room for your toddlers, that’s fine. But now is the time to convert it back into a formal living room. Buyers expect basic rooms and often lack the imagination to see past your customizations. To them, your house doesn’t have a formal living room. If they don’t have toddlers, they won’t appreciate the space and see it as a detriment.   

Home Staging Step Three: Finishing Touches

Once each room is cleared of the clutter and serves a specific, and desirable, function, it’s time to add the finishing touches. Get your hands on a few home magazines or visit some model homes in your area. Notice the accessories used to dress up each area? These homes aren’t cluttered but their carefully chosen decorative items make them homey without having too much personality.

Choose a few terrific items to help refine the space without becoming a distraction. A bowl of fresh fruit can serve as an attractive centerpiece on the breakfast table. A classic novel on the end table in the family room will showcase what a terrific area this spot is for reading.

Home Staging Step Four: Show Time!

Now that your house is picture perfect, let it shine. Turn on the lights, open the curtains, and get out of the way. When prospective buyers show up, let your realtor show them the house while you go to the library or run errands. The house will speak for itself.

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