Real estate article: The Basics of Home Staging

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Never underestimate the importance of preparing your home for showing. If your home is up for sale, staging is of ultimate importance, and can net you thousands in profits after your home sells. A well staged home will attract buyers even if there is a surplus of homes on the market. Similarly, in a shortage, a staged home attracts more and higher offers when there is a shortage of homes available. Either way, you win.

The major factor in staging a home is to eliminate as much as possible from the home. But this doesn't mean create empty rooms. On the contrary, the home must looked lived-in and homey, but extremely tidy and simplified. For example, rent storage space for all your storage. If you have boxes and piles of stuff in your basement or attic, get it out of the house. Then, rearrange things to make the attic look like an office, and the basement to include a nice exercise room—even if you never used them as such. This will give the potential buyers a sense of the potential of your home.

Excess decorative things in your home need to be eliminated. Any furniture placed awkwardly, in a way that requires one to walk around it to get to the next room, needs rearranging. If you look at it like a stage, and not what you need to live, do without those extra chairs and the foot rest for the (hopefully) short time until your home sells. Set your rooms up like a hotel: everything is there, but without the extras.

However, some designers insist that some extras can make or break the feel of the home. For example, if you have a barren spare bedroom, be sure to hang some art up—just one or two pieces. Also be sure there's a bed and dresser, arranged in a way that they aren't in front of the door, and show off as much of the room as possible, while still looking lived-in. If the home is in a family neighborhood and you expect to attract parents, including a teddy-bear on the bed will give them the idea that this room would be great for their kids.

Bathrooms are key, so be sure it's tidy and clean. And don't neglect the cupboards. Potential buyers almost always open cupboards and drawers, so repair any sticky hinges or latches, and clean the cupboard shelves along with the rest of your home, getting rid of all the things you no longer want or need as you go.

Finally, things like replacing an old roof and freshening up a weathered paint job, while they might cost a bit, are virtually guaranteed to get you your money back.

The bonus of thoroughly cleaning your home and boxing up some of your less important belongings is that you're well on your way to being ready to move.

About the author of The Basics of Home Staging

Written on behalf of Jim Olenbush, Austin Texas Realtor®. Visit JimOlenbush.com for access to Austin real estate listings.