When preparing to sell a property, your real estate agent will advise you on how to best present your home. Staging your home is often recommended to help make the house more appealing to more buyers. Here are a few tips to prepare your home for the real estate market.

Get Rid of Clutter

When trying to sell your home, it’s important to make it tidy. Decluttering is something you will likely do anyway as you prepare for your move. Sort items into three categories: items to keep, things to donate, and trash. Take out the trash as soon as possible and put your box of donation items in the car to drop off next time you run errands. Fewer items in the house will make it easier to stage.

Good Use of Lighting When Staging Your Home

Dimly lit spaces feel smaller. When preparing your home for sale, install brighter bulbs in the fixtures throughout the house. Rearrange lamps so that they light darker corners. Lighting is especially important in the kitchen and bathrooms. If these areas are not well lit, install under-cabinet lighting and new overhead fixtures.

Choose Neutrals

Your real estate agent will probably tell you that a neutral color scheme makes your home more appealing to potential buyers. If you’re repainting the living room, choose ivory or lighter beiges and browns. Don’t feel like you are limited to a completely neutral room. Use throw pillows, a colorful rug, and fresh flowers to add color to the space.

Staging Your Home Often Requires Removing Your Belongings

Decluttering will clear out some things from your home, but it’s a good idea to remove about 30% of your belongings and personal items. The goal is for the buyer to have a clean slate so that they can visualize themselves in the house.

As you begin to pack for your move, store personal items first. Take care to wrap and pack away sports trophies, family pictures, children’s artwork, collectibles, and other items that personalize your home.

Paint

A fresh coat of paint makes a home feel new and look well-kept. Choose paints carefully while considering the spaces in your home. For instance, if your kitchen is small, painting the adjacent dining room the same color makes the area feel larger. Use paint in the living room that matches the drapes to create the illusion of a bigger space.

Drew Inspection Service provides home inspections to South Dakota. Contact us if you are selling a home to request a pre-listing inspection.