STEP FOUR:

Time to STAGE.  Now that you have just the essentials left in your house and everything is clean, it’s time to make your staging sell your house.  Here are a few items to help you along the way.

1. Neutral paint goes a long way with sellers.  You’re trying to appeal to a broad range of individuals and they need to be able to picture their furniture and style in a space.  Neutral colors will give the buyers another “MOVE IN READY” feel!
2. Neutral doesn’t have to mean boring!  If you have a powder room or fantastic wall you want to accent, don’t be afraid to select a deeper, rich, neutral color for that space.
3. Make sure each room has a specific purpose to showcase to a buyer.  If you use a room as an office/guest room.  Pick one and stage for that type of room.  Multi-purpose rooms can confuse a buyer.
4. Don’t be afraid to move furniture around.  If you have always used a chair in the living room, but you have a lot of empty space in your master bedroom, move it to the bedroom and show off your master with sitting area!
5. Lighting! You want a buyer to walk in and instantly feel at home.  Lighting plays a huge part in how someone feels entering a space.  You’ll want around 100 watts per 50 square feet, according to HGTV.com. Try to utilize multiple types of lighting such as:
   1. Ambient – your overhead or general lighting in a room
   2. Accent – a table or wall light
   3. Task – a pendant, under-cabinet or reading light
6.  Art is meant to be creative!  Hanging it at the same height and position in every room will make it blend into the background.  Have your artwork accentuate a room and make a statement.
7. Let’s use those accessories you left behind…As before, no more than 3 should be on one table, but have fun with it! Mix up heights and widths to make the accessories seem more interesting. However, also make sure they have a unifying characteristic about them so they feel connected
8. Make your bathrooms feel like a spa.  Roll up towels and add greenery to accent the space.
9. Plants (real or fake) will make your house feel more alive.  Have them positioned throughout your house to bring each room to life.

Once your house has been de-cluttered, cleaned, fixed, and staged, it’s time to LIST IT!