Home staging tips

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Sep 28, 2007

Try looking at your house "through the buyer's eyes," as though you've never seen it or been there before.

INSIDE:

1. Clear all unnecessary objects from furniture throughout the house. Keep decorative objects on the furniture restricted to groups of one, three or five items.

2. Clear all unnecessary objects from kitchen countertops. Clear refrigerator fronts of messages, pictures, etc. (A sparse kitchen helps the buyer mentally move their own things into your kitchen.)

3. In the bathroom, remove any unnecessary items from countertops, tubs, shower stalls and commode tops. Keep only your most needed cosmetics, brushes, perfumes, etc., in one small group on the counter. Coordinate towels to one or two colors only.

4. Rearrange or remove some of the furniture if necessary. Thin out as much as possible to make rooms appear larger.

5. Take down or rearrange certain pictures or objects on walls. Patch and paint if necessary.

6. Review the inside of the house room by room, and paint any room needing paint, clean carpets or drapes that need it and clean windows.

7. If you need room to store extra possessions, use the garage or rent a storage unit.

8. Leave on certain lights during the day. During "showings" turn on all lights and lamps.

9. Have stereo FM on during the day for all viewings.

OUTSIDE:

1. Go around the perimeter of the house and move all garbage cans, discarded wood scraps, extra building materials, etc., into the garage.

2. Check gutters for roof moss and dry rot. Make sure they are swept and cleaned.

3. Look at all plants, and prune bushes and trees. Keep plants from blocking windows. (You can't sell a house if you can't see it.)

4. Weed and then mulch all planting areas. Keep lawn freshly cut and fertilized. Remove any dead plants or shrubs.

5. Clear patios or decks of all small items such as planters, flower pots, charcoal, barbecues, toys. etc. Put them in the garage or a storage unit.

6. Note paint condition of the house, especially the front door and trim.

Source: Stagedhomes.com