The way you live in your home and the way you market to sell your home are two very different things! Most people associate home staging with new or empty properties, however, organizing and staging an occupied home is not uncommon. Utilizing the expertise of a home staging professional will help you sell your home faster and maximize your sale price.
Occupied staging can hide flaws that you may have become accustomed to. It de-personalizes the space to attract the attention of as many buyer personalities as possible. When staging your home, it focuses on the actual property - not the people who live in it. Home stagers can create functionality for every space in your home, even the weird little nooks and crannies!
So you've made the decision to stage your home. Now what? How can you possibly keep it looking as neat and tidy as it did when the stager left? Here are some tips for living in your staged space:
1. Baskets are a always a storage solution! You can fill baskets with anything and it will always look presentable. Toys in the family room, papers in a home office, snacks in the kitchen, whatever needs storing, try a basket.
2. Keep in mind how your home smells. Have Pledge multi-surface spray or cleaning wipes in the kitchen and bathrooms. Before you leave for a showing, do a quick wipe down to leave the home smelling clean and fresh.
3. Get a plastic bin for each person in the home, kids included. When you are having a showing, have each person fill their bin up with items they need in the house, but don't necessarily want to leave out or throw under a cabinet somewhere (yes, potential buyers will open up the cabinets under your bathroom sink!). Add any toys, books, excess makeup or toiletries, or anything you can think of that may make sense to put away. Store the bins in your garage or basement if possible during the showing.
4. Buy a new set of hand towels, toothbrush holder and soap dispensers and keep them in a linen closet. When it's time for a showing, swap out your everyday ones with the new ones. This way, buyers are seeing brand new towels, holders and dispensers and they won't get used so they'll never need cleaning.
5. Do you have small kitchen or bath rugs? Stash them away / out of sight for your showing. They often end up dirty, out of place, and add a focal point on the ground. Without them, you'll give buyers a cleaner first impression and avoid the room appearing cluttered.
Your professional stager will walk you through how to easily clean up and store things away before a showing! If you have any questions about occupied staging, please feel free to contact us!