Stage Your House Correctly to Take Advantage of the Current Market

With the historically low mortgage rates going on right now, it may be easier to sell your current house and upgrade, downgrade or move across the country and make some money at the same time. One of the keys to selling your home, however, is staging it correctly. The first impression that potential buyers get from your home can play a major role in their decision to buy it or keep looking for something better. Here are four tips you can use to stage your home so potential buyers will put it at the top of their list of houses they want to buy.

1. Paint the rooms with neutral colors. You might think that bright orange paint looked good in your kid’s bedroom, but what if the potential buyers don’t have kids? Or what if they hate the color orange? Make sure each room is neutral by painting with earth-toned colors like beige, sage, light blue, vanilla and others. This makes it easier for buyers to imagine each room with a fresh canvas so they can make it their own in their minds without being given preconceived notions about what you used the room for.

2. Make the beds. Leaving the beds in the bedrooms of the homes will make it look homey and the potential buyers will be able to picture themselves sleeping in those rooms. Make your beds the focal point of the bedrooms by using new, fresh sheets, blankets, shams and comforters. Use coordinating solid colors or simple patterns that won’t distract from the bedroom’s surroundings.

3. Hide the pictures. Having pictures of family and friends around your home is great while you are a living there, but they can distract potential buyers from focusing on the rooms, space and potential of the home. Photos are too personal so you should always have them boxed up when showing your home to buyers.

4. Make it smell good. One common trick to staging a home is to bake cookies in the oven before potential buyers arrive for a showing. This gives the house a homier atmosphere. If you don’t have time to bake cookies, you can simply use some vanilla or apple cinnamon scented candles strategically placed around the house. Plug-in scents are also ideal and affordable for giving your home the aroma that buyers will appreciate.