SOME BASIC STAGING TIPS

Depersonalize - You have to no longer see your house as YOUR house but rather a PRODUCT you are selling. People don’t feel comfortable in a home that they can’t see themselves in because it feels like someone's PERSONAL SPACE and not theirs. Take down personal photos, collectables, bold and strange items etc.......

Declutter - Get rid of trinkets, personal toiletries, clear counter space, pack up things you're not using every day and get rid of the junk! It can be distracting and potential buyers will be more interested in your photos and trinkets and strange things than they will the house! When you don't declutter, potential buyers judge and investigate on how people live rather than the actual HOUSE itself!

Clean your house!! - That means from head to toe!! Under furniture, beds, couches, every piece of furniture and piece of art on the walls! Clean your fridge, microwave and everything in sight!! This might seem obvious but this is the one thing people MOST overlook! Cleaning affects the way a house smells and feels!

Remove excess furniture - You are selling square footage, so you have to show off the space not the things you have in it! Show odd fire places, windows and cool details of the house rather than hide them with furniture. Only use NECESSARY pieces of furniture and store the rest for the next house. What you might think is the coolest thing....like a stuffed horse or an old juke box, others might think is offensive or just a big distraction......they won’t even notice the SIZE of the room when there are too many things in it!

Highlight the architectural details of the house - This can be done with paint, moving furniture out from in front of them ie: fire place, cool window, doorway etc...... and placing it in a way that draws you TO the feature. Draw the attention to the cool details the house has to offer by highlighting it!!

Take attention away from flaws and towards the main selling features. If the floor has bad floors, cover them with a throw rug and use splashes of color in the design so people notice the fun things instead of the weaknesses of the house. If the only couch you have is old and shabby, cover it with an inexpensive slip cover or a flat sheet for 15 bucks - tucking and more tucking goes a long way. If the ceilings are in bad shape use a cool paint color on the walls and fun accents like pillows and floral arrangements to draw attention away from the ceiling. etc......

Tanya Memme, Host of A&E’s “Sell This House”

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