According to (NAR) 2019 Profile of home staging report, 40% of buyers’ agents cited that home staging had an effect on most buyers’ view of the home. 83% of buyers’ agents said staging a home made it easier, for a buyer to visualize the property as a future home. Staging the living room was found to be most important for buyers (47 percent), followed by staging the master bedroom (42 percent), and staging the kitchen (35 percent).There so many reasons why home staging is important. In this article we have pointed out the most important considerations when staging a house.

1.       De-personalize the space

You must make sure that prospective buyers visualize the space as their own the first time they see the house. Remove all personal touches that belong to you as the seller like personal photos, both on the walls and on the surfaces, keep sakes anything hanging on the fridge, clear bathroom counters of personal items. Keep away all clothes hat and all toys. This will help the buyers to easily connect with

2.       Get rid of clutter

If you want to make your home look bigger and more appealing to your potential buyers, make sure you pack your things and get them out of the house. Clutters distract buyers from seeing the features of your house. Remove everything that you don’t need on daily basis from our house like un- seasonal clothes, your décor, papers and messy hobbies.  Don’t even put them on your closet because buyers will want to see their storage. A de- cluttered home is a sign that you really care about your home.

3.       Do a thorough cleaning

A clean house is warm and more welcoming. When cleaning your home make sure that every square inch is clean.  Most areas that  buyers will concentrate with includes on the baseboards, the corner of your ceiling, kitchen counter tops, inside of your refrigerator, window blinds ,inside the closets, all bathroom corners and definitely the entire house.  These areas should be cleaned thoroughly.  When your house is clean, it’s that time to put it to market.

4.       Make a good first impression

The most important aspect of a home showing is the buyer’s first impression.  A buyer is not compelled to buy a house when they are inside it. The decision making starts when they are few meters away from the house. It’s therefore very important to work on the entrance of your home. Remove any sort of seasonal decoration, power wash the front stoop. Try adding a touch of hominess with a clean and beautiful doormat, a potted plant that is in good condition. One way of making a great first impression to the home you are selling is to assess the appearance of other houses in the neighborhood.   Pay attention to color scheme, the quality of fencing and other features like exterior doors, walls, windows and door frames. See ways to make a great first impression before buyers even walk in the door

5.       Make thing  fresh

Try to add freshness in your home. Add a few pots that are well spaced, with fresh flowers to make your home inviting. Dispose any dead or bad smelling flowers. You can try to place a vase with bright flowers at the center of your kitchen table, potted plant in the corner of the living room. But if it’s hard to maintain the plants freshness, you can use fake plants. This will actually save you time. Still in the line of freshness, make sure you have cleaned your trash bin. If you want to maintain a pleasant smell, install some scented plug in in your bedroom.

6.       Work on your furniture

There some small changes that will add value and make it more appealing to the customers.  You can try to rearrange your furniture leaving a reasonable space that will allow the buyers navigate through and are able to have a good view of the entire room. In in case there are unnecessary furniture or ones that are broken beyond repair or those that don’t match the rest put them in a storage. A well-arranged room will give you confidence to show your home in the light and to potential buyers. If your furniture is old, you can try to replace with new ones, those are appealing to the eye .You can buy or rent for the sake of staging your house.  You can add throw pillows to make them more inviting. Just make sure it has the right size for the room

7.       Do necessary repairs

Look through your home to see if there some damages that may signal neglect to buyers. The buyers don’t want to live in a house that will cost those repairs and maintenance in future. These are the main areas that every buyer will first check.

i.                    Wall

Remove all wallpapers and wall hangings that in your house because chances are the client won’t like them.  Remove all the paints especially if you had garish colors and replace it to neutral colors like gray, white, taupe. Each person has the color of their choice and neutral colors give the potential buyer an option to choose their preferred color.

ii.                  Floor

Let your main focus be kitchen, the living room, and dining room, bathrooms. Look that the walls are not damaged and if there damages, repair them. Do some ceramic or vinyl tiles in your bathroom. You can opt to add hardwood floors in the living room .Let the floor look expensive

iii.                Light

Brighten all the rooms by letting much light shine in them. When it’s your house showing time make sure that your lights are turned on to make your home welcoming. You can also make sure make sure that your curtains are opened. Where necessary, add fixtures. This will actually ease the buyers effort of looking for switches. Do repairs, replacements or additional of your lightings where necessary. If they are in good condition make sure they are clean.

iv.                 Ceiling

Make sure there no cracks on the ceilings. Cracks on the ceilings are an indication of a poor foundation. Check with your inspector to know whether you will need to repair the foundation or just the ceiling. And just like the walls let the color of your ceiling remain neutral.

8.       Stage the exterior

The entryway and the entire exterior is what make the first impression. If the exterior is appealing to potential buyers they will definitely be excited to view your home.  Prune all flowers, lawns, hedges and any other plants and make sure there no weeds. If necessary, powers wash your exterior. Make sure that the windows are all clean. You can add flower boxes to make your home look bright. If you have a swimming pool let be crystal clear. It will also be to your advantage if you have a well-furnished and clean outdoor living space such as a gazebo, a deck or a patio.

Summary

The rooms that all buyers will keenly focus on are the living room, master bedroom and kitchen. Other rooms, children’s bedroom, bathroom, gust bedroom, have less influence but it’s good to have them staged. You can consider hiring a home inspector just to make sure everything is in order and that necessary repairs, replacements and maintenance are made.  Also see benefits of home inspection in real estate. You can also ask a friend or a family member to walk in buyers shoes and see what the buyers see.