Tips for Staging Your Home to Sell

When it is time to sell your home, you want to be sure it looks as beautiful as possible. Of course, you will want to be sure floors are vacuumed, swept and mopped. You’ll dust, clean counters and pick up things your family has left lying around. However, there are other things you can do that will make your home even more attractive to buyers. Staging your home makes it appealing to as many buyers as possible and it may mean doing more than just keeping it neat. These tips can help you stage your home without breaking the budget.Group Your FurnitureSome people believe that pushing furniture along walls to make rooms feel larger, but that isn’t necessarily true. Float furniture away from walls by repositioning sofas and chairs into conversational groups. Place the pieces so the traffic flow in the room is clear to people walking through. This will make your rooms seem more user-friendly and will actually open it up to seem larger. Remember that furniture is not locked into one room. If you have a dining room table you have not used for years, consider moving it under a window, adding lamps and using at as writing table or desk. An armchair in the family room can also fit into a bedroom. Try to use your imagination to create unique looks that buyers will notice.Clear Out the Junk RoomEveryone has a room that seems to be the catch-all for unwanted items. It may be a spare bedroom, a living room closet or a utility room. Clear out the junk in the room and turn it into something that has a purpose. A small armchair, table and lamp in a spare room create a lovely reading spot. If you have a basement, drape flowing fabric on the walls, add a carpet remnant, hand weights and other exercise equipment. Suddenly, you have a home gym or yoga studio. The first step, however, is to be honest about the junk you have stored there. Make yourself go through it and if there is anything there you have not touched for years, get rid of it.Lighting is KeyYou may not realize but most homes are improperly lighted. The right light can completely transform the look of a room. Increase the wattage in your lamps and fixtures, aiming for 100 watts for every 50 square feet. Mix and match lighting fixtures to vary the type of light around the room. Be sure each room has ambient lighting, which is overhead or general lighting, as well as task lighting, like a pendant, under-cabinet or reading light. You also want to be sure there is accent light from a table or wall lamp.These are just a few ideas to stage your home for a quick sale. By just taking a few simple steps, you may find that your house not only sells quickly, but also for a higher price.