We all know how important it is to get your home "Market Ready", so I've compiled my Top 10 Tips to create a home every buyer wants! These are all tried and true tips I tell sellers every single day. Simple and effective ways to elevate your home to the next level! I always say, by doing a little work on the front end of the sale, you won't have to keep your home "perfect" for long! So here it goes...in no particular order!
1. Kitchen Storage: Pack up kitchen dishes and tools you aren't regularly using and stow them away. It frees up cabinet space, which buyers LOVE! (Plus, no one likes getting pelted with Tupperware when they open a cabinet door and stuff hits them in the face!) Also, as a general rule of thumb, I encourage sellers to only have one kitchen counter appliance visible and one pretty thing, like a bowl of fruit or cookbook on their counters!
2. Add some plants! Plants always help liven up a room. Instead of buying a bouquet of fresh flowers, add a green plant on the kitchen counter and bathroom counter! Don't have a green thumb? Faux plants have come a LONG way in recent years!
3. Buyers LOVE storage! Here is a tip all my clients ooh and ahh over! If you are moving, free up some closet space by storing out of season (or excess) clothes and shoes in suitcases; either under your bed or in a storage room out of sight. Suitcases are a great way to transport all those clothes and shoes because
1. They are used to that kind of work, and 2. They have wheels and are easy to roll!
4. Create a Bedroom that dreams are made of! When staging your master bedroom, I always tell people to think of their favorite hotel or spa they’ve ever stayed at and try to replicate it as best they can in their bedroom. Invest in a new crisp bedspread. Having a headboard, nightstands and lamps always help to establish presence in a room. Master bedrooms are meant for rest and intimacy. A clean and uncluttered space is really what you need! Remember: the person buying the home is the one who is going to be sleeping in the master bedroom! Make it something they can’t resist!
5. Lighten up!! “Good Light” is a must have on most home buyers list! So, obviously, we should give them what they want. Pull up the shades, open the curtains, turn on every light switch and lamp! (Yes, even the stove light!) All of the lights should be on during every showing! If that means you need to turn all your lights on before you leave in the morning, I say DO IT!! Especially if you want to show your home in its best light. (Pun intended!)
6. Adding Rugs helps to define spaces. Has your Curled up rug got you down?? I used to put books and heavy objects on the corners to make them stay, but now I have found this quick, easy and permanent method to keeping a rug FLAT! Use 2 pieces of 12” peel and stick tile. (Yes, the ugly stuff at Home Depot that’s like 49 cents a piece) Cut each piece diagonally into 2 equal triangles. Peel off tile backing and stick to the corners, and you will have an instantly flat rug! Gamechanger! Click below for a "how to video".
7. Quiet on the set!! (Makes me think back to my theater days...) Try removing any excess items from the room, so you can start fresh!
8. Smart color! Try sticking with a neutral wall color, that way you can infuse color around the room like little “color nuggets” through art, rugs, pillows and accessories!
9. Mix and Match. By mixing in vintage or estate sale pieces In with newer items it helps create a Curated design; a space that feels warm and inviting, full of life and depth.
10. Bathroom Towel hack! Don't go out and buy a whole new stack of fresh towels. Watch this tutorial on how to fold one bath towel to look like a full stack!
Thank you for sticking around until the end! I hope you learned some new tips and tricks to get a jump start on getting your home staged to sell!
And remember the Bottom line--
Make it Clean.'
Keep it Simple.
Add some Style.