<!–[CDATA[Once you’ve decided to sell a senior’s home, you may want to consider doing more than just tidying up and making small repairs. According to a 2015 report by the National Association of Realtors, “thirty-seven percent of sellers’ agents believe that staging a home increases the dollar value buyers are willing to offer by up to five percent.”
Home staging has become increasingly popular over the past decade. Both realtors and sellers are convinced that it not only will help your home sell for more money, but sell faster as well.
If you’re not sure how to start the staging process, here are a few tips to help.
Pick the Most Important Rooms to Stage
The goal of staging a home is to allow buyers to envision themselves living there. Before you start feeling overwhelmed about having to redecorate the whole house, the National Association of Realtors ranked rooms in order of importance for staging:
- Living Room
- Kitchen
- Master Bedroom
- Dining Room
- Bathroom
- Children’s Rooms
- Guest Rooms
Don’t feel as though you have to tackle ALL of these rooms either. If time or money is an issue, it is best to tackle the three most important rooms.
Lighten Up
Lighting plays an important role in presentation when anything is on display, including a home. Natural light can have a positive effect on a home buyer.
Be sure to clean the inside and outside of all windows and keep the shades or drapes open for showings. If natural lighting isn’t an option for certain spaces, invest in bright table lamps and floor lamps. Just be sure to leave the lights on for showings!
Get Rid of Clutter
This tip rings true for the entire house. Essentially, you should have most of your personal items boxed up and out of sight before you host showings in your home.
Make sure to keep all personal photographs and keepsakes out of sight. This will further aid in allowing the potential buyer to envision themselves living in your home.
Also, clear the closets of any clutter. Just be sure to leave a few items hanging to make the closets look clean and large.
Neutral Colors
Staging doesn’t necessarily have to involve painting the walls, although if paint is in poor shape, or chipping, it is highly recommended. If you do choose to paint the walls, be sure to pick neutral colors so as not to overwhelm potential buyers or turn them off from the home.
And if you are keeping existing furniture in the house, consider using neutral-colored slipcovers on chairs and couches to help keep it looking fresh and clean.
Choose Smart Accessories
Rugs and mirrors might not seem like a deal-breaker, but choosing the right ones can have a big impact on selling a senior’s home.
Professional home stager, Patti Stern, told the National Association of Realtors that she loves using rugs because “they can dress up any space. We sometimes even layer rugs over existing carpeting to play down flaws and update an all sea of beige carpeting. Rugs can anchor furniture and often better showcase hardwood floors.”
Natalie Gray is another professional home stager. Natalie recommends using mirrors to stage rooms because “they play many roles. They can make a space feel larger, increase light in a room, act as artwork to create a mood, and they can reflect a great view.”
Subscribe For More Tips
If you’d like additional information about selling a senior’s home–including tips for downsizing and why you should hire a Senior Move Manager–subscribe to our Indiana Senior Living blog. By becoming a subscriber, you can choose to have these helpful articles delivered straight to your inbox each week or month.