There is a ton of websites out there with sage house selling and staging advice. I’ve sold in total eight of my own houses (and two for family). By selling I mean sale readiness, staging and ‘while selling’ maintenance. I am not a real estate agent by any means and do recommend you hire a professional to help you list and market your home.

The sale prep and staging, well that’s on you, the homeowner.

2 Months Out from Listing.

1. Take inventory of the things in your home that need fixing. That leaking faucet, that cupboard door that doesn’t sit right, that loose bathroom knob … and fix it. All of it. Buyers want move-in ready, not a laundry list of fix-it projects.
2. Consider hiring a home inspector to do a pre-inspection on your home. This will cost money; however, it is good to know ahead of time what barriers may lay between you and a clean sale. A home inspector will provide you with that laundry list of items that need repair – items that buyers will usually ask you to repair anyway.
3. The great purge. Garage stacked with junk? Kids toy rooms overflowing? Closets stuffed to the brim? Going through these areas is going to take time – but I promise it’s worth it. Not only will you have less stuff to move, but your house look better to prospective buyers.

1 Month Out from Listing.

1. Paint. Have red walls in your bedroom that seemed like a good idea at the time? Paint those now. Buyers will often have a hard time looking past really customized features or design elements. Think light, bright and modern. Grey and Greige (Grey-Beige) is quite popular and will make a really neutral backdrop to showcase your space.  Some of my most favourite neutral paint colours are below.

   

2 Weeks Out from Listing.

Staging.

My husband and I always make a joke that this phase is the part where you want to make your house look like ‘someone could’ live there but that someone isn’t you, or your kids and pets. These are my kids’ rooms; clearly they do not actually live there (not around showing times anyway!).

Don’t forget closets, cupboards, and drawers. You can’t simply just stuff everything in a closet because buyers will look in closets, drawers, cupboards, and storage areas. Minimize the amount of stuff you have hiding in there and make it look well organized. This is my closet (in the last house) staged, certainly not how I live in the everyday.

You are basically creating a life for someone who could/would live in your home. How would they live in this house, how would they decorate, what sofa would go there? You have to really paint a picture as to what life is like in your home. Not every-day messy floors, oh-my-god is that dog pee or water kind of life, but a fantasy life where everything is clean and perfectly magazine worthy.

You’re really kind of selling, your life in this home – which should be THEIR NEW HOME.

1 Week Out from Listing.

Clean and I mean everything.

Wipe those walls down, baseboards, dust, carpets … the works. If you can wash the exterior windows of your home and pressure-wash the decking and siding – do it. It’s only going to add to the wow factor in photos and showings.

Photo Day.

This day you need to go all out. Fresh flowers on the kitchen counter and bathroom, bed pillows fluffed, blankets and towels folded with precision. These photos are the advertisements for your home, bringing buyers in and they need to be spectacular. Make sure your lawn is mowed and flowerbeds are manicured.

…

I know this sounds like a lot (and it truly is) but it’s worth it. You’ll end up with a faster sale, and most likely get more return on your sale. What you put in, you’ll get back out – and a faster sale means less disruption of your regular life (or your new life in yet another home!).

 

 

If you are looking for staging ideas, paint colours, home decor style ideas. I pin A LOT and you can follow me at https://www.pinterest.ca/andreaarient/