In a buyer’s market with many homes to choose from in the MLS, Home Staging is arguably the most important thing you can do to sell your home ahead of the competition. And while hiring a professional Home Stager is the best way to ensure your home is prepared for its full potential, there are many things you can do on your own to make a big impact in the buyer’s eyes. Below are 10 of the best tricks to help you prepare your home for sale and make sure it is as attractive as possible to all potential buyers.

1. KITCHENS SELL HOUSES

Granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, and travertine tiles are beautiful additions to kitchens, but don’t think that sprucing up a kitchen has to be such a big investment. A fresh coat of paint on the walls, updated hardware and faucets, and simple fixtures on the countertops can give your kitchen a major makeover. Before replacing the cabinets, consider refinishing or painting them and adding some updated hardware in a brushed nickel or bronze finish to give them a like-new look for a lot less money.

2. CURBING THE APPEAL IS CRUCIAL

Your home must excite the buyer from the moment it arrives: hedges must be pruned, lawns and islands of pines must be cared for. Replace tarnished exterior fixtures, doors and hardware, set up eye-catching potted plants on the steps leading up to your door, and lay out a fresh welcome mat to greet guests as they arrive. With over 80% of people searching the internet before setting foot in a home, that first exterior photo to appear in MLS is crucial in encouraging buyers to explore more.

3. BUYERS NO LONGER WANT BATHS, THEY WANT SPAS

Make sure your bathroom has a light color on the walls, and place a stack of fluffy towels by the tub and a basket of soaps and lotions by the sink. Again, upgrades don’t have to cost a lot of money – consider painting or touching up the vanity, hanging up a new framed mirror, and updating faucets and light fixtures.

4. LIGHTEN AND BRIGHTEN

Lightening and clarifying is the cheapest thing you can do with the highest return on investment. Open the blinds and curtains and turn on all the lights and lamps in the house before the shows. Do you still have those heavy window treatments you put in in the 70s or 80s? Lower them and let the light in: you are selling your windows and the view, not the bandages that surround them.

5. AVOID COATING THE WALLS WITH FURNITURE

This is one of the most consistent mistakes I see when preparing for clients. Not only do most rooms have 1-2 pieces that are simply not necessary, but everything in the room has been pushed up against the walls, so there is a large, empty, unusable space in between. Remove sofas from the walls, remove extra furniture that doesn’t serve a necessary purpose, and allow buyers to see the peripheral in the room. This will add instant visual square footage.

6. DES CUSTOMIZE

When looking for a home, the goal is to find the one in which you can imagine yourself living better. That said, shoppers need non-personal style and décor to make them feel “right at home” while walking. Remove personal photos, deer heads, or plate collections and replace them with a beautiful framed mirror or landscape artwork. Flip through the Pottery Barn and West Elm catalogs, then do your best to implement that style in your own home.

7. PAINT, PAINT, PAINT

Busy wallpaper, jagged walls, and ultra-dark or bright colors should always be overpainted. Nothing offers an easier and less expensive facelift than a fresh coat of paint in a nice neutral color, which will simultaneously curb odors. But don’t let the word neutral lead you to paint your entire home beige – the variety of colors in a natural palette will give your home a memorable warmth and charm. Use the colors you see in nature, such as beige, sage, soft yellow, and blue-gray. If you’re overwhelmed by the thousands of colors in small swatches at the paint store, try ordering a paint pallet recommended by color professionals like “Paint Colors Sold” to narrow down your options to just the best paint colors that have proven useful. sell homes.

8 FRESH BED = MASTER BEDROOM CHANGE

In bedrooms, and especially the master bedroom, the bed should be an attractive and beautiful focal point that invites buyers to come in and relax. A bed in an upgraded bag can be purchased for $ 40 – $ 100 at TJ Maxx, Linens-N-Things, Marshalls, or Target. Buy bedding that matches the feel and color of your room in updated patterns like jacquard or damask. Or play it safe with an elegant white duvet with some cushions that bring the color to your walls!

9. KNOW YOUR BUYER

Is your home a two-bedroom townhouse in Buckhead or a five-bedroom house on an acre in East Cobb? The location, size, and layout of your home are good indicators of who will likely be looking at and eventually buying your home. Once you’ve identified your buyer, cater to them with the style of furniture, colors, and the overall lifestyle you present in the home.

10. DECIDE THAT YOU ARE GOING TO SELL

While you need to organize your home to make sure you get the best price as quickly as possible, you don’t have to just prepare your home, put it on the market, and then sit back and wait. You can never be sure what action a contract will actually guarantee, so do it all. Print your brochures in color, not black and white, and keep the box full. Make sure every inch of your home glows with every visit and there is a fresh scent when buyers walk in. Open your doors for an open house when available on Saturdays and Sundays. Email friends and family in the area with photos and specs of the home to let them know it’s on the market. Decide that you are going to sell and then do everything in your power to do so.

Good luck!