When you are selling your home and getting ready for home staging, you’ll find that it takes on a different form depending on the seasons. The things you do while staging your home to sell during the spring is much different than it is during the fall. In this article you’ll find a list of home staging techniques you can use during each of the major seasons of real estate – the spring and the fall, and be on your way to making your home looking beautiful and ready for a good sale.
HOME STAGING FOR SELLING IN THE SPRING
For some people, spring is an exciting time of year and they’re just itching to get outside and start gardening.
If you’re getting ready to sell your home, adding some pizzazz to your home’s curb appeal is a must-do.
Nothing can turn off a buyer like pulling up to a home with an unkept yard. So here are a few tips I came up with that are tried-and-true and go a long way to giving your home an appealing first impression.
FAQ
HOME STAGING STEPS:
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Flower Beds: Pick out the weeds and tidy up those flower beds! Pull out dead items and prune overgrown shrubbery. Plant colourful flowers and shrubs, or purchase potted plants to place in front of the house. Window boxes are a great idea! Add fresh soil or mulch to give your gardens a clean, professional look. Front Door: Whether you decide to do it black or a bright colour, people always notice a welcoming front door. So give it a new coat of paint! It’s an inexpensive way to freshen up your home with a clean new look! Front Porch: Clean up your porch and give it a good mop. If necessary, freshen the paint or stain on any railings or floor boards. Put away any recycling bins, brooms, old newspapers, or other “stuff” that has been left on the porch. Add some colour and warmth by adding a couple of chairs or potted plants. |
Mailbox & Light Fixtures: If you’ve got a mailbox on your home, give it a good once-over. Remove cobwebs and decide if it needs a fresh coat of paint or to be replaced entirely. The same goes for your porch light – clean off those cobwebs that accumulated over the winter and make sure the bulb is working! Decor: Add some cute decor to your door. A colourful wreath can pretty up any front porch! Replace an old front door mat with something fresh and clean as a welcoming gesture to the buyers that will be coming in your house! Lawn: Rake up fallen leaves and thatch in your grass that have settled in over the winter. This will allow your grass to grow strongly and more healthy. Be sure to keep the grass cut and trimmed around the edges. If possible, give it some fertilizer and your lawn will be nice and green all summer! |
GET THE WHOLE FAMILY INVOLVED
Get your family to help. It’s a little bit of work for a big payout. Remember first impressions from buyers are the most important, get them to love your home before they walk in the door
And the best part? You and your family can put your feet up at the end of the day and admire how your hard work paid off.
HOME STAGING FOR SELLING IN THE FALL
The fall market can often be mistaken for being a slow time of year, when in fact, next to the spring market, it’s actually the busiest time! Fall is when people focused on long weekends, the cottage, vacation time and getting ready to go back to school.
When the cooler weather arrives, the fall market shows a solid two and a half months of steady paced real estate sales before the Christmas season kicks in.
This time of year gives everyone a warm, cozy feeling. How many of us have been waiting patiently to pull out our chunky sweaters, tall boots and long scarves, then diving into a big vat of Pumpkin Spice EVERYTHING?!? I know I have… and I’m not alone!
This feeling is often accompanied by getting everything ready at home for the long cold winter. So folks that are buying a house are definitely thinking about what type of place they want to be spending their time in. That makes it a great time to sell.
So if you’re considering selling your home in the fall, there are some things you can do to attract more buyers and get your home sold.
FAQ
TIPS TO GET YOU STARTED:
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Curb Appeal: Don’t be afraid to play on the beautiful autumn colours in the trees for your front porch & gardens. Textured grasses, deep fall coloured mums in urns & colourful wreaths all play into that cozy “home” feeling that we love of this time of year. Rake it Up: We are so lucky to live in a climate that offers such a stunning show of colours this time of year. But as much as we love the leaves on the trees, keep them off your lawns and pathways! You don’t want to give the impression of anticipated yard work that your home requires at this time of year. Smells Of The Season: ‘Tis the season for pumpkin spice, cinnamon apple pies and chocolate cookies! Gentle scents can offer a wow factor to your showings… but I STRESS the word “Gentle”. We aren’t trying to knock people over with nutmeg! Just a hint of something that makes your home smell like the season can go a long way. Light a scented candle about an hour before your showings, but BLOW IT OUT just before you leave. DON’T leave a lit candle in your home during showings. If you like the look of candles, there are many battery-operated flickering candles you can leave out for ambience. Flickering Fire: Have your fireplace checked before the season. Many people will envision their family curled up in front of the warm hearth with hot chocolate and cider, and boom! They’re imagining themselves living there, which is one step closer to getting your home sold! |
Dress The Table: Add some visual interest to your home by dressing up the dining table with statement centrepieces of bold autumn colours. Don’t be afraid to leave out fresh baked goods to offer your buyers, or a jug of hot or cold cider for them to enjoy while they walk the house with their agent. Set The Mood: Nothing speaks to me like a cool jazz or crooner style music during this time of year. Good ole Michael Buble or Harry Connick Jr. quietly playing in the background during a showing makes people feel relaxed and “at home”. God I love Fall! If you don’t own any of these albums, try looking through your cable or satellite tv stations — often there are channels that just play music if you look for them. Light it Up! Above all else, make sure your home is well lit! With fall comes less daylight. The last thing you want is for your buyers to walk into a dark home – it loses all appeal and ambience! This includes outdoor lighting as well – make your home look bright and inviting from the street and you’ll be giving your showings a great first impression. If you’re worried about consuming too much energy, leave a polite note at the front door requesting the buyer’s agent turn-off all the lights when they leave. I’m sure they’ll be accommodating. |
Regardless of when you’re selling, home staging is one of the most important and crucial stages of properly selling a home. Visit our page on home staging services to find out how we can set you up with a professional home stager who will evaluate and assist you in getting your home ready for the market.
