Staging Your Home to Sell? Don't Forget These 5 Things

It's all about putting your home's best foot forward.

Home sellers enjoyed high demand and soaring prices for homes listed in 2020 and 2021, but now the tide has turned. Buyer demand has dropped off in the face of those too-high prices, and to make matters worse, rising mortgage rates over the course of 2022 mean that if someone wanted to buy your home today, they'd be looking at an average mortgage rate of about double what they would have paid a year ago.

Despite this hurdle, life waits for none of us, and it might be time for you to sell your home. If you want to lure in that perfect buyer who will fall in love with your home and offer you a good price for it, remember to stage it using the following tips.

1. It's all about that curb appeal

While you will likely get a lot of potential buyers via the multiple listing service (MLS) page that your real estate agent creates for you, it pays to also target potential buyers who are driving or walking around your neighborhood, looking for those "For Sale" signs. To that end, you want to pay special attention to the outside of your home.

Spend some time cleaning up your yard. If you're listing a home during the warmer months, you'll have more opportunity to get your lawn and landscaping looking great. If your landscaping is a bit sparse, spend some money and time sourcing new plants and flowers. And consider using a power washer on the outside of your home as well as outside fixtures like plastic lawn furniture.

2. Welcome buyers with your front entrance

Your front entrance also contributes to your home's curb appeal. Consider repainting your front door if it's looking a bit dingy, and maybe add a decorative wreath. Potted plants and flowers can make your porch or front steps prettier, too.

3. Clean and clean some more

Now is the time to do a serious deep clean of your home. Pay attention to the small details that you might otherwise not bother with if you're only cleaning for you. This means taking a look at your baseboards, the corners of your ceilings, and everything in between. Take extra care in your kitchen and bathrooms, as it's a real turn-off for buyers when these spaces are dirty.

4. Bring in the light

Is your home well lit? This could be due to light fixture choices and placements or due to plenty of windows (ideally at least some of them facing south, to collect the most natural light possible in the Northern Hemisphere). If you're staging to sell, it's a great idea to emphasize these features. Clean your chandelier, wash those windows, and when setting up for an open house (or real estate photos), make sure you're lighting the home well.

5. Think engaging -- but impersonal

Finally, take this opportunity to get a jump start on your packing. Focus especially on those personal effects, like family photos on the walls, kids' toys, and anything that stamps the home heavily with your personality and lifestyle. You don't want to leave the home bare and empty, but you do want prospective buyers to be able to picture their holiday photos on the mantel and their kids' playhouse in the backyard. Consider renting a storage unit to keep some of your belongings safe until it's time to move out (and as a bonus, it'll be a lot easier to load a moving truck directly from a storage unit).

Don't feel discouraged just because homes in your neighborhood are no longer being snapped up on the day they're listed (and for way more than asking). Take the above steps to help your home compete in this challenging market.