Today’s post comes courtesy of fellow recession-proof community member, Paulette. To help your sellers get the best price on a quick sale, make sure you’re following Paulette’s tips for double-checking when staging a home.

What You Need to Double-Check When Staging a Home

In her article, professional home stager Sveta Melchuk contemplated the necessity of home staging, which has been a phenomenon for decades. While some may argue that there is no assurance of selling a home solely on how it has been staged, it contributes significantly to how well viewers are able to visualize the property as their own. It can likewise up the dollar value in contrast to homes that are not staged. Aside from the aesthetics of staging a home, it’s also important to assess its functionality and its utilities.

Here’s what you need to double-check when staging a home:

Depersonalize

Real estate agent Joe Hayden told USA Today that staging is essential for buyers to form emotional attachments with the homes that they are viewing. Despite the number of new virtual tours that allow viewers to imagine as if they are walking through a property, there is still nothing like physically experiencing it. While accessorizing and keeping in furniture are necessary to create a warmer feel, you will need to ensure that this does not veer to being too personal. Remove photographs, trophy cases, or anything else which will not resonate with general viewers. Keeping things too personal may make viewers feel that they are stepping into someone else’s home, instead of having a blanker canvas to create their own stories out of.

Deodorize

Many people say that the kitchen is the heart and soul of a home, therefore it’s one of the areas you need to thoroughly check when staging the home. Unpleasant odors and foul smells could turn away even the most interested buyers and clients. An article on determining the source of kitchen smells from HomeServe, outlines that they usually come from clogged food and debris in the drainpipe, sewer gases, or sometimes even mold. It’s imperative that you get to the bottom of this as soon as you can – not only to get rid of the smell but also to ensure people’s health and safety. There are simple remedies for this issue, such as unclogging the blockages, fixing U-bends, and cleaning the pipes using either homemade or chemical solutions.

Declutter

Natural lighting is always attractive, and there are a number of things you can do to ensure that you either maximize what is present or give the illusion that the property is much brighter. First and foremost, declutter as much as you can. Walk through the space repeatedly to spruce it up and remove any unnecessary items or pieces of furniture that will draw attention away from any highlights, like large windows or good views. Lisa Vaisvila of Home Staging by Lisa advises giving the illusion of space as much as you can – this also means applying fresh coats of light paint, trying to open up wall and floor space, or opening up windows to bring in outside light.

Striking a balance between homey and flexible gives viewers the capacity to imagine the house as a home while still leaving much up to their imagination. If home staging is done effectively, potential buyers will step inside a property and envision themselves living in it. In order to make sure that this unfolds successfully, you will have to step into the shoes of these potential buyers as well.