In many cities in the US, the housing market is rebounding after years of declining values. The rising values of real estate have many homeowners seriously thinking about selling, and most home sellers would love to get the highest possible price for their home. Getting the best price for your home requires a little preparation before placing your home on the market. Here are staging and storage tips to help increase the value of the property when selling your home.
Your real estate professional is a great source of information for ways on making your home more marketable. After a thorough cleaning and making minor repairs on your home, your real estate professional might suggest “staging” your home. Staging is the process of making your home more inviting and creating the illusion that rooms are bigger than they are.
The best way to make rooms look bigger is to get rid of clutter. People have way too much stuff and furniture is often the biggest culprit. Professional stagers have been known to remove almost half of the owner’s furnishings temporarily. Don’t forget to de-clutter your closet, kitchen cabinets, and garage; those are one of the first places home buyers look, so remove items not needed for immediate use. Any furnishings or items you wish to keep can be safely stored by renting a self-storage unit.
Before reserving a storage unit, determine first how much of your belongings need to be stored. Self-storage units vary in size and costs, to determine the correct storage unit size needed and only pay for what you need. Pack items carefully so they don’t get damaged. Linens removed from closets can be used to wrap fragile items to prevent breakage while other items can be stored in drawers of furniture. Don’t forget to label any boxes so you know what they contain.
After your home has been de-cluttered and items safely stored, consider fresh paint and lighting. Paint doesn’t have to be boring, neutral hues can be warm and inviting. Same goes for lighting. Increase the wattage of your light fixtures; 100 watts for every 50 feet of space.
Lastly, arrange remaining furniture in groupings s the room looks inviting and traffic flows easily. Before the first prospective home buyer arrives, light some candles, place fresh plants and flowers around and open windows to let in some fresh air. Nothing smells like “welcome home” like a fresh batch of cookies; bake some if you have time. These efforts will help you snag an offer before you know it!
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This article was contributed by Eva Prada, a writer for the Self Storage Blog.
