Relocation > Saratoga Springs Home Staging Tips

Real Estate Tip #3: Set the Stage!

It’s important to create a pleasant atmosphere for your open house. Who doesn’t want to live in a beautiful home? Minor changes can have a major impact when it comes to open house time.

• Pay Attention to Detail

  Walk around your house with a critical eye and fix every item you might have missed that still doesn’t look picture perfect. If it helps, invite someone else over to help you identify small problems. Here are some areas to focus on:
  
  
  • Remove those fingerprints from the sliding glass door.
     
  • Iron your bed sheets and window treatments to create a crisp, finished look.
     
  • Straighten any crooked wall hangings or lamp shades.
     
  • Cut off dead leaves and flowers from any trees and plants, indoors and out.
     
  • Mow down the dandelions in the side yard.
     
  • Repair that loose step on the way to the front door.
     
  • Slap a fresh coat of paint on those peeling window frames.
  
  
  Leave your home looking like it came straight from a magazine cover. Buyers will notice!
  
  

• Stage for the Open House

  Making a good first impression on the buyer is paramount. If you are working with a real estate agent, make sure home buyers will be entering through the front door. You may have a great oversized garage and a nice mud room, but you want the flow of entry to be controlled.
  
  
  • Walk the path people will take into your home, and make sure everything is neat and clean.
    
    
  • Stage the home with fresh cut flowers in the foyer and/or living room, fresh fruit on the kitchen counter, elegant place settings on the dining room table and other small details that can really make your home stand out to buyers.
    
    
  • Appeal to the senses. Place a pan of water in the oven and add cinnamon, sugar and nutmeg, then turn the oven on low. The warm scent of cookies will fill the kitchen with warmth.
    
    
  • Turn on any lamps and accent lighting throughout the house to add dimension and create a warm, cozy atmosphere.
    
    
  • Add ambient light from a flickering fireplace and say, “Welcome Home,” to potential homebuyers.
    
    
  • Be mindful of the weather, and be sure to keep the indoor temperature at a comfortable level for guests touring your home.
    
    
  Above all else, remember to do everything tastefully, and keep accessories simple and clean. Home staging can be fun and exciting--invite friends and make an event out of it!