Staging a home to sell is a conscious effort to prepare your home a step above the competing listings on the market. You want a potential buyer to walk into your home and feel like they have to have it! Staging is not easy to do but with some effort, the results could truly pay off. Here’s a checklist on how to impress from curb to closet:

Maximize Curb Appeal:

The first impression is everything in selling your home. One of the first times someone sees your house will be from the street as they drive by or pull in to your driveway on the day of a showing or open house.

• Paint the home’s exterior, including trim, doors, and shutters.
• Power wash the siding and windows. Mold and mildew removal via power washing will freshen up the siding’s appearance.
• Inspect the roof for leaks and make repairs
• Clean the gutters and downspouts
• Check front door, doorbell, address number and welcome mat
• Repair cracks in the driveway and sidewalks
• Sweep the entryway and walkways
• Mow, water, and fertilize the lawn
• Trim shrubs and trees and rake the leaves
• Plant colorful flowers and shrubs
• Store any toys or equipment lying on the yard
• Clean up pet droppings

Rearrange furniture:

The proper placement of furniture can make the room look and feel brand new.

• Start with emptying the room. This way you can get a feel for space and place the furniture where it best belongs.
• Place the largest piece of furniture first in each room, and work the rest around it.
• Decide on how the room will be used.
• Don’t block doorways, windows, views to other rooms, or the flow of traffic through each room.
• Add artwork to give each room character.
• Let rugs lay underneath your furniture to make the room feel larger.

Clean, Repair, Update Kitchens, and Bathrooms:

The biggest moneymakers in your home are the kitchen and bathrooms. Making repairs to these two rooms can increase the value of your home and will be the major attraction to home buyers.

• Mop and wax/polish the floors.
• Clear the countertops.
• Replace outdated hardware.
• Clean appliances and fixtures.
• Clean and organize the pantry, cabinets, and drawers.
• Replace old caulking around sinks and bathtubs.
• Remove stains from sinks, toilets, and bathtubs.
• Keep all toilet seat lids closed.
• Hang fresh towels.

If you are going to be updating the kitchen consider the finishes of homes in your neighborhood so that you don’t overdo it and spend more money than needed on remodeling. If you overspend you won’t see the return on investment because your home value can only increase so much before it’s priced itself out of your neighborhood.

Common updates to the kitchen include new appliances, refinishing or replacing cabinets, and new countertops. Homebuyers tend to like stainless steel appliances and granite counters but again, make sure this is standard in your neighborhood and not being overdone.

Clean up the bedroom:

Time for bed. Our bedrooms are our sanctuaries, so this room must show well.

• Keep décor neutral. Because this is one of the most personal spaces in a home, you should try your best to have the room be appreciated by everybody.
• Make sure that the bed has a headboard. If there is no headboard, you can just add one. This will bring balance to space. It’s not difficult to find an inexpensive headboard, and it can make a world of a difference.
• Keep the clutter to a minimum. For the rest of the home, this is even more important in the bedroom. You want to make it feel like a place where you can unwind after a long day.
• Be sure to use bedding that makes the room feel comfortable. You can do this by using white sheets and not using anything too bold or colorful. Remember to iron all of the bedding.

We hope this list helps you to get to work doing the things that need to be done! At Alpha and Omega Staging, we are proud of our ability to transform homes in the shortest time and highest selling price. We understand that sometimes clients have unique demands, but we work to ensure our clients take maximum benefits from our services. 

To set up an initial consultation with any of our professional home stagers in Oakville, contact us today @ 647 330 8383