Home staging -- easy ideas to do it yourself

Home staging involves preparing a home for sale through cleaning, de-cluttering, updating the décor, and making repairs. You can hire a professional home stager. Or, at great savings to you, you can do the home staging yourself.

Remember, when you are preparing your house to sell, you want to make the right first impression. That is where home staging comes in. At the front door, you want to capture the potential buyer’s attention and draw out a “Wow!” This requires some change in perspective on your part. No longer can you primarily think of the house as your home – it is now something that you want to sell and you need to present it as such. The following tips should help you to do that.

1. Make necessary repairs
Look around your house. Are there obvious flaws that need to be fixed? You can be sure any potential buyer will notice them. In order to allow your home to make its best impression, have the repair work all finished as the first part of your home staging.

2. Clean thoroughly
This may seem obvious, but it must be done. Clean everything: the blinds, baseboards and the fronts of the appliances. It may be worth it to hire some to do this. That can free up your time for other aspects of the home staging.

3. De-clutter
Home staging is much more successful if you do not have clutter throughout your house. Take the time to conquer those piles of clutter and also to prevent them from creeping back.

4. De-personalize
The goal of home staging is to sell your home. If you have too many family photos around the house, it may be harder for potential buyers to picture themselves living there. You want to leave room for them to imagine where their own family photos may hang.

5. Update your décor
Make sure your décor is updated and attractive. Try a slipcover for your couch or new decorative pillows to spruce up your look. Also, make sure that the furniture is arranged in the best way. Be sure that traffic can move through the house easily and that each room’s layout maximizes its space.

Home staging is a great way to get your house ready to sell. It is definitely something that you can do yourself, instead of hiring a professional. For added help, bring in an honest friend to give you feedback on what should be changed for your home staging. Use his/her advice to help you to get your house to shine.