If you’re listing your Edmonton house for sale this year, there are a few tasks you should take care of before the listing hits the market. A question that agents often get from home sellers: Is home staging necessary?
The short answer is no; home staging isn’t absolutely necessary to sell your home. However, a few simple tweaks and updates can mean an excellent return on investment. According to stagedhomes.com, home staging can increase a home’s selling price by 6-20% and can reduce days on market by 30-50%. Even if you cannot afford professional staging, there are some simple updates and styling tips you can do yourself to take advantage of the benefits of staging.
Deep clean and declutter
Other than the cost of cleaning supplies and maybe a few storage or organization solutions, cleaning and decluttering your house is the most affordable and most important thing you can do to prepare your Edmonton house for sale.
Professional home stagers strongly encourage home sellers to store seasonal or bulky items in offsite storage and thoroughly organize every room in the house. That includes all closets and drawers.
Potential homebuyers are going to be looking inside closets, cupboards, and drawers. If you’ve gone to the trouble of moving personal items in the house only to cram them into closets and storage spaces in the home, it’s not much better than simply leaving them in place.
Cleaning your house (and maintaining it throughout the home selling process) is absolutely necessary. Staging a home for sale essentially comes down to limiting anything that can distract a buyer from seeing the home at its very best potential. And nothing more distracting (and off-putting) than a dirty home.
Once you’ve decluttered and organized, perform a deep clean (hire professional cleaners if you can) and do your best to maintain it while your house is listed and people are coming through for showings. Don’t forget to clean walls, windows, carpets, and light fixtures. It’s truly the simplest step you can take to help your listing shine.
Find out how you can get the top sales price for your Edmonton house for sale. Call/ text Wally at 780.238.7384 or search comparables online.
Maximize curb appeal
The exterior of your home is what potential buyers see first. Buyers looking at a potential Edmonton house for sale want that first impression to be a good one.
Well-manicured landscaping, a freshly painted front door, and even flowers or greenery if the season allows are all great ways to boost your home’s curb appeal and send a message to potential buyers that the home is well cared for and maintained.
Don’t overdo it with fragrances
Personal taste in scents and fragrance varies widely among different people. What smells great to one person might trigger headaches or sneezing in another person. It is far better to manage household odours rather than try to mask them with candles or room sprays.
Deal with odour causing items like the kitchen garbage, litter box, or diaper pail and make sure the home smells clean but not overly fragranced. Potential home buyers will be wary of strong scents throughout the home and may wonder what you are trying to mask or cover up.
How much does professional home staging cost?
Generally, the price of home staging varies. The size of the home and whether or not it is vacant or occupied are all important factors in the cost of home staging.
A vacant home means more furniture, decor, and artwork that has to be brought in compared to an occupied home where a professional stager may be able to work with some of the existing furniture and decor. For an occupied home, a reasonable cost estimate is around $500 per principle room which includes bedrooms, living rooms, dining room, and the basement.
Can’t justify the cost of hiring a pro? An experienced Realtor® will be able to provide valuable tips and advice on how to reconfigure furniture or stage your space.
Here’s Wally house staging checklist:
BEDROOMS
Make beds
Fold and drape accent blankets
Put all toys, clothes, etc. inside lidded bin
BATHROOM
Clear countertops
Stow bath products, cosmetics, and other items under the sink
Clean bathroom mirror of toothpaste and water spots
Clean toilets
KITCHEN
Clear countertops and put away all pots, pans, and dishes
Stow cleaning items under the sink
Wipe fingerprints and smudges from appliances and other shiny surfaces
THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE
Remove electronics, cords, and valuables
Sweep/vacuum each room
Sweep front walkway
FINAL SWEEP
Turn on lights and open blinds
Empty garbages, litter box, diaper pail
Take pets with you
Ready to list your Edmonton house for sale? Call/text Wally at 780.238.7384 for an obligation-free consultation.