7 Staging Tips That Will Sell Your Home this Fall

You may have heard that Spring and Summer are the times to sell your home, but don’t be fooled; Fall is still a great time to put your house on the market!

During  Fall there is less competition, but the market is still very active. Even better, you can now use the spirit of Autumn to decorate your home for potential buyers! Who wouldn’t want to buy a cozy looking, pumpkin-bearing home?
Staging is a crucial step in the selling process that is often overlooked by sellers. It prepares the house and makes it attractive to prospective buyers, helping them imagine the potential for their future home. Staging can be largely dependent on a home seller’s resources, but many home staging secrets are inexpensive and extremely effective. Here are our top 7 staging tips that will sell your home ASAP.

Make your house sparkling clean
This one is simple and important: clean and tidy homes make or break any visitor’s first impression. When trying to convince a stranger to move in, you must make the extra effort to get a sparkling clean house inside and outside to make the desired positive impression on your visitors.

From shiny floors and clean, fragrant carpets to streak-free windows and scrubbed gout, every surface in the home should glisten. This includes hitting the outside of your home– power washing that siding and sweeping that driveway of any fallen leaves or debris. If you’re not willing to get those hard-to-reach spots, try hiring the services of a professional cleaning company to get a sparkling clean house. Cleaning should be at the top of the home seller’s checklist. This is the easiest way to show off your home’s best features, and feel confident in what you’re selling.

Improve the curb appeal
Many buyers will have already made up their mind about your house just based on what they see when they approach the property. Upping your curb appeal is one of the most important home staging tips. Simple acts like cleaning the sidewalks and driveway, pruning large bushes, adding flowering plants in pots and fresh greenery, mowing the lawn and weed whacking will take your home’s curb appeal to the next level.

Use the season to your advantage by decorating with mums, pumpkins, wheat or anything else that makes your home feel like Fall. If the house has a front porch, make sure cleaning and arranging its furniture are also a part of your checklist. Even if you only have a tiny stoop, welcome guests, home with a clean doormat, working porch lights and an inviting wreath or other door decoration. You can also hang new address plates and replace any old doorbells or knockers to create a good impression on your visitors. If they like what they see when approaching your house, they are more likely to be interested in what’s inside, and eventually, make an offer.

Pay attention to windows
Clean windows will add to the curb appeal of your home, but what can they do for the inside? Working on the windows of your home will make a world of difference. Once the windows are clean inside and out, check out your curtain and blind choices. Curtains can quickly transform a room, making it feel more complete.

When showing your home to potential buyers, make sure the blinds are pulled and curtains are drawn to allow natural light to come inside the rooms. You can also create a wonderful ambiance by opening or closing windows depending on the time of the day. Do not use nets as they neither cover nor reveal windows properly. Consider using lighter curtains in tighter spaces, and shifting color palettes to reflect the season when possible.

Rearrange furniture
Free up your space by removing large and unwieldy furniture items. This will give you leverage to think creatively about different combinations your furniture items. Removing stocky furniture will free up space in the room and provide a lighter feel.

Instead of stacking furniture against the walls, play with arranging it in the middle to create a new feeling in the room. In the living room, symmetrical arrangements usually work well. Use pairs (of sofas, chairs, lamps) to create inviting conversational areas. Free your bedroom(s) of personal items and clutter. You can’t go wrong with clean, crisp linens, tasteful artwork and a blanket folded at the foot of the bed. Consider adding autumnal accents to the room with throw pillows and subtle decorations, but be careful not to overload rooms with too much decoration clutter.

If arranging furniture sounds daunting, you can call a professional staging company to rearrange and organize furniture items inside your house. You’ll be surprised at how quickly you can sell a house with a simple reorganization of furniture items.

Improve lighting inside rooms
Lighting can work wonders in uplifting the ambiance of a place. In addition to opening your rooms up to as much natural light as possible, you can make your rooms appear warm and inviting by simply changing the artificial lighting of your rooms.

Placing more lights in as many appropriate areas as possible. Even if you were living comfortably with additional lights before, you should still ramp up lighting as part of your staging efforts. You will be surprised how much you can enhance home value by simply improving the lighting. Vamp up your lighting and sensory experience with the addition of lit candles and wax melters in rooms.

Undertake necessary repairs
Fixing minor issues and carrying out home improvement projects as recommended by your realtor is a crucial selling tip. Sure, there are parts of a home that buyers will need to touch up themselves, but anything you can fix yourself is a must.

Spend a day or two hitting all of the minor fixes your home requires. This might mean a fresh coat of paint, replacing cracked tiles and countertops, re-caulking the tub and shower and fixing any leaking faucets. You’ll want to tackle the most obvious, visible improvements first. It helps in making your house more desirable for potential buyers, and seem like less of a project for them.

Improve the condition of floors
One of the first things visitors will notice when entering your house is the flooring in each room. Some flooring may be old, so at the bare minimum, give all floors a deep cleaning and use decorative area rugs to your advantage. Area rugs placed strategically, capture the imagination of the visitors and distract from imperfect flooring. You may want to consider having wood floors refinished if they are in seriously poor shape.

If your home has carpeting, shampoo, and steam to remove stains and odor. If you have animals in your home, be especially aware of your pet’s odors. This can be difficult if you don’t regularly deep clean, so be extra vigilant about vacuuming and washing surfaces. Also be sure to keep any pet toys and doggie bones hidden when tours are scheduled. The use of candles and wax melters will help mask any residual odor that may linger.

If you are thinking of putting your house on the market, you are probably hoping it will sell quickly, and that you’ll get an offer at your asking price. The speed and ease of a sale is especially important if you want to sell your home before the holidays hit. Let the agents at Nestlewood Realty help you prepare your home for the market with little stress. Contact an agent today!