staging home to sell, prepare house for sale

• Pack away and store anything that you don’t need to use in the immediate future, including family photos, trophies, certificates, gym equipment not in use, fridge artwork, etc.  Clean, organize and de-clutter all rooms in your house without mercy. If you don't use it then pack it away or even better, give it away!
• Prepare house for sale by organizing all closets.  This may be a good time to dispose or give to charity all those items that you will never want or are sick of seeing for the hundredth time.
• Organize kitchen cupboards. To make your kitchen appear spacious and functional, remove all appliances & clutter from counter tops. Hire an organizer who specialized in storage and clutter organization.
• Put away all personal items in the bathroom.  No one wants to see your toothbrush or mouthwash. Keep it clean &  as bare as possible.  Fresh towels and bath towels are a must, and hang them neatly.
• Repair all cracks, inside and out.  Oil squeaky hinges, fix or update leaking faucets, and replace light bulbs with soft white bulbs. Don't use energy saver or those mercury filled incandescent bulbs - they give an ugly light.
• Keep drapes and blinds open to let in natural light. If you have junky blinds or they are broken or bent or they are too heavy to pull up, get rid of them! So many times I guide my sellers to open up the window by removing the blinds when beneficial.
• When staging house for sale flowers (obviously not plastic or fake), candles, a bowl of colourful fruit, will add appeal, as will the smell of a pot of hot coffee.
• Turn off the T.V., and turn off the sound on all computers.  Have some light jazz playing softly on the stereo.
• Taking your pet with you can be a wise choice especially when it's a dog! I love dogs but some people don't.   Potential buyers may not be pet-lovers even though this is your "baby"! Let the buyers look at your home without any distracts such as a following dog who wants to play, or a meowing cat.
• Make sure everything is clean and dust-free. Look at those fan blades - is there an inch of dust on them? Clean the fan blades and make them look like new. Nothing says dirty home more than the fan blades.
• This small investment in time and money will also ensure a higher sale price.  Buyers are more attracted to a home they can visualize themselves living in.  They will bond to your home visually and emotionally. All this will help sell your staged home sell your newly staged home.