You’ve decided to sell, but the thought of having your house viewing-ready at a moment’s notice sends you into a tailspin. How will you ever live in a staged home and keep it clean, all while keeping your sanity?
Statistics prove that staged homes are on the market for less time than their unstaged counterparts. But you don’t have to go it alone when you live in staged home. Staging also means you have a seasoned professional guiding you every step of the way.
When an experienced stager comes to your occupied home, we recommend alterations that will enhance the beauty of the architect and style of your home. We consider the flow of the house, the ideal buyer, and the colors and style that will showcase their lifestyle. We recommend you pack up most of your belongings to simplify and minimalize. And we suggest you depersonalize everything. During this 90 minute consultation, we provide everything you need to stage your own home. (Our Realtor partners have been referring our consultation services to their client for years with outstanding results!)
Living in a masterpiece that must be ready at all times doesn’t have to be difficult. Here are a few tips to help you live in a staged home.
Move out mentally.
You have to stop looking at your house as yours and start thinking of it as already belonging to someone else. Make the mental shift that begins to disconnect you from where you’ve been and puts you thinking ahead to where you’re going.
Declutter.
Once you make the mental shift, it’s much easier to remove your belongings and create space to breathe. Potential buyers will be much more likely to view your home as spacious and large when everything has its place. No crammed closets, no boxes shoved under the beds.
Simplify.
Once the clutter has disappeared, you can focus on arranging the little you left in your home. The artful arrangement of what remains becomes much easier, and the style of the home can really shine.
Deep-clean it and keep it clean.
When things are out of the way and looking bright and beautiful, roll up your sleeves and give everything a deep clean. Or hire someone else to do it for you. This effort will make the day-to-day cleaning maintenance much easier. Additionally, with fewer belongings in your home, and everything assigned its place, you’ll be amazed at much easier a quick cleanup becomes. Even your littles can often straighten their own rooms once they know where everything belongs.
Don’t go it alone.
If you’re not a visionary, or if you’re very busy like most of us, you’ll want some help to get everything ready for your potential buyers. Consult with a professional home stager like us who can help with occupied homes. Have a cleaning crew come in every week or two. Save you sanity and eat out a bit more often than normal. Enlist your family to aid in the quick clean-up before you run out the door. The more help you enlist, the easier it becomes to live in a staged home.
Get out of the house.
Schedule a few more outings than normal. Take your kids to the park. Are they full of energy? Grab a soccer ball and find a field. Explore the extended area with a day trip or two. The more time you spend outside your home, the easier keeping up the interior becomes.
Plan Ahead
Have a grab-and-go back ready by the door. Pack it with snacks, a favorite magazine, water bottles, and if you have littles, a change of clothes for each. If you have pets, tuck in a leash and a few waste bags. When a realtor calls for a last-minute viewing, you’ll be ready to sail out the door with much less stress.
Make a quick-clean checklist.
Make a list of the essential that you want finished before a home tour. Make the beds, throw dishes into the dishwasher, and clean the counters in the kitchen. Wipe down surfaces in the bathroom. Run out any trash to the bin.
Living in a staged home can be much easier than most realize. It is much easier to maintain because there are fewer belongings to navigate. And when you start with a great deep clean, the upkeep is a breeze. Statistics show a staged home will sell faster and for more money than its unstaged counterpart. Plus, you get to live in a beautiful space until your home sells!
Realtors, check out our prelisting marketing tool. When you add home staging to your package, your clients will rave about your services. Whether it’s a buyers’ market or a sellers’ market, home staging can make a big difference.