How to Get Your Property Ready for an Open House

Whether it’s your first or 40th open house staging, it’s never an easy process. However, you don’t have to break the bank to get the property decluttered and organized for photographs and showings. Try out these easy tips to make the job that much simpler.

Declutter

Your first step is to declutter your property, and it’s best to start with two trickier areas: the kitchen and bedrooms. In fact, kitchens will benefit from a little extra effort since they are especially prone to being grimy when cluttered. As you go through each room, ask yourself how often you use something, if you have any extras, or if you would choose to buy it today. In particular, pay special attention to areas under the bed, and the top shelves in closets.

To free up these spaces without losing any possessions you’re not ready to toss, consider renting a storage unit. These can be let on a weekly or monthly basis, but do your research first to get the best deal. After all, in Stuart, the median cost over the last 180 days has been $101.56, so don’t get something more expensive than necessary.

Neutral for Mass Appeal

The goal of open house staging is to create a neutral appeal. This way, potential buyers don’t picture someone else’s property; instead, they can imagine themselves and their furniture in your home. With that in mind, it’s good to give things a fresh coat of paint, both outside and inside. However, a well-staged home will mean a white exterior and an inside full of neutrals. Thankfully, that doesn’t mean boring, as you can layer different shades of your neutral palette, or add unique textures where possible. For example, you could add some faux sheepskin pillows to your sofa, or a woven rug (you can find a $32 woven rug on Amazon that won’t derail your budget) under your coffee table to keep things visually appealing.

Arrange Furniture

It’s often said you should get rid of half of what you own for showings, and this is particularly true of furniture. If a small space is cluttered with piece after piece, not only does the room look claustrophobic, but it also limits walkways. However, when deciding what fixtures to keep and what to put in storage, don’t just choose your smallest pieces. Instead, add a mixture of small and large options to avoid your home looking like a miniature model. Lastly, when it comes to walkways, float furniture away from the walls to open things up and create natural focal points in your open house staging.

Keep Things Looking Crisp

Every room should look photo-ready at all times. Indeed, how you place or fold your accent pieces can give your home a professional appearance that may appeal to buyers. For instance, before showings or photography sessions, refold your hand towels in the kitchen and bathroom to give them a decorative quality. Likewise, lay different colored towels to give spaces a more interesting note, and arrange pillows as accent pieces. To keep things elegant, have the largest pillows at the back, and each successive layer smaller than the last. This trick works well on beds, as well as couches and overstuffed chairs.

Last-Minute Touches

If you have an unexpected showing, you should spot-clean, but also bring in as much natural light as you can throughout the home. When cleaning, it’s better to start with the room that gets the most use, usually the kitchen. While it’s natural to think no one will open your microwave, you’d be surprised where people will look. So, as a precaution, put a few drops of essential oils into a bowl of water and microwave to make grease easy to wipe off. As a last touch, clean the inside and outside of your windows, open curtains, and remove obstructions to bring in light.

It takes work, but you can make your property look almost flawless. This is a time to emphasize simplicity and open spaces. Remember, by keeping things clean and elegant, you’re more likely to appeal to a greater number of people.

Post courtesy of Suzie Wilson ⎸info@happierhome.net  ⎸Happier Home

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