If you don’t want to pay a professional home stager, then simply use a few suggestions:
- Declutter rooms – clutter makes a home look smaller
- Remove personal items – photos, school memorabilia, collectibles and other such belongings should be stored so prospective home buyers can imagine themselves in the space
- Don’t offend anyone – PETA supporters, non smokers and non religious people also buy houses so store your animal skin rugs, ashtrays, religious artwork and anything else that may even be remotely off-putting to a buyer
- Tone down walls – consider repainting any vivid (or plain white) walls with some neutral colors, such as light gray, cream or sage
- Show off the features – be sure you aren’t blocking any focal points of your home, like a fireplace or bay window, and arrange seating to showcase these elements when possible
- Trick the eye – use mirrors to create the illusion of additional space, get rid of oversized furniture and hang window coverings higher and wider than usual to make windows appear bigger
- Tell a story – imagine your home is an upscale bed & breakfast, so you may set out coffee table books on travel, arrange candles, lay a throw blanket on a sofa, etc
- Be selective – don’t worry about redoing every room and just focus on the kitchen, family/living room and master bedroom
