The time has finally come for you to put your San Diego home on the market. You have a long to-do list of tasks to make that happen and one of them is what agents call staging your home. Any San Diego real estate agent will tell you that staging is a necessary step to getting your home ready to sell because it is the process of making your home welcoming so that it can appeal to nearly any buyer. Some sellers hire a professional to give their home a staged look, while others go for a DIY approach. If you have a small home, you’ll have less square footage to work with and you may want to consider staging your home yourself.
Start with decluttering
No matter what size home you are selling, to prepare it to go on the market, you have to first declutter and clean. Potential buyers can’t imagine themselves living in a house filled with your stuff — they want to see a home that is ready for them to move in. Depending on how much stuff you have, you may want to start with the easiest area to organize first — such as in a bathroom or a closet. You can even make a list of the areas to work through and set a goal to go through a certain number of areas each day. If you find it difficult to give away items, it can be helpful to put them in a box for storage to think about later. Furniture can also be decluttered, such as in the living room and bedroom by moving out floor lamps, chairs, or desks that are used less often, creating more spaciousness in each room. This process can also help you get started on packing to move into your next home.
Deep clean
After decluttering it’s time to clean. A thorough deep clean reaching ceilings, windows, and under all of your furniture may require hiring professionals — especially if you don’t have the time to clean your house on top of everything else on your to-do list. A deep cleaning may also include polishing floors, taking rugs to the dry cleaners, or steam-cleaning carpets. Touch-up paint jobs can also help to give your home a fresh look. If you need to sell your home quickly, a deep clean may give your home enough of an update to sell, instead of repainting every room.
Use lighting to create space
Adding light has the power to make a small home seem larger and assessing your lighting is another step to getting your home ready for its time in the spotlight. You’ll want to remove dark drapes and curtains and plan on maximizing natural light during a showing by keeping windows open. Other ways to add light are replacing overhead light bulbs for high-wattage options; floor lamps can be used but only if you have the space and it doesn’t make a room feel cluttered.
Add greenery and outdoor elements
By maximizing natural light, you can bring more of the outdoors into your home. You’ll want to check the view from your windows and make sure anything overgrown is trimmed back to show off the best features of your garden from the inside and outside. Bringing plants indoors can also give your home a fresh look for staging and brighten up your home. While it might be tempting to go with fake plants, live ones will add to the homey feeling.
Staging is a necessary step in selling any home. You can do the job yourself with some dedicated time and by understanding what buyers are looking for.
