Staging Your House For Sale – How Your Entry Way Can Lead Buyers to You

Congratulations! You’ve made an important decision. You’ve decided it’s time to sell your house. With a little forethought and a few simple adjustments, staging your home for sale can lead to a contract in any market. Everything starts in front of your house:

1. Walk this way! Familiarity can impair our vision of our home. Stand on the curb and assess your curb appeal. Pretend it’s the first time you’ve seen this house. What does the woodwork look like? Does it need repair? How does the roof look from the street? What’s your impression of the landscaping in the front yard? This honest assessment is the first step in staging your house to sell.

2. Just Do It. Once you were able to identify some possible flaws, it’s time for action. House staging means your next steps might be: fix the broken shutter, paint the front door, and if it’s the season, get everyone in the household involved to weed the front garden. If spring is in the air, a fresh batch of annuals bursting with color is the perfect, inexpensive upgrade for any front yard.

3. Mow, mow, mow. Mow grass frequently when it’s the season. As you’re staging your house to sell, it’s important to remember that you don’t want any small flaw (like shaggy grass) to distract your potential buyer.

4. No Bike Zone. Trikes, Hot Wheels and other toys are part of life when you have kids, but you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Involve your children in storing these items when they finish playing. Be mindful of your own possible clutter: a pair of gardening gloves and a bag of fertilizer left behind could prevent someone from realizing that your home is perfect for them.

5. Front Porch Available. Now you’ve made it from the street, past the freshly mown grass. After you’ve admired the annuals in the front garden and made sure you’ve put up your gardening tools, it’s time to take a good look at your front porch. In spring, is it covered with pollen? In fall, are leaves a problem? Either sweep or hose off any debris on your porch (being mindful to put up these tools when finished.) Does the porch light work? Does the doorbell work? You want to give the impression that your home is well taken care of. A simple thing like a burned out bulb can make you seem like a lax homeowner. The potential buyer may wonder what else is in bad repair or neglected.

What’s that I hear? The doorbell? I think you may have your first potential buyer at the door! Stay tuned for more tips on staging a home for sale. What happens once the front door opens? I can hardly wait to tell you!