Yesterday, as I finished up staging an occupied home, I overheard the Realtor say to the homeowner the following: "It's Beautiful." He quickly added the following question: "Will it be possible to keep it this way while you have it on the market?"
On the surface, it may appear challenging to keep your home in "show-case" condition. However, the truth of the matter is that as a homeowner, there are things you can do to make the process easy. Here's what I share with every occupied home seller after I've staged:
Bathrooms:
- Purchase two plastic bins (6" x 8" with holes) and use to house your personal items (i.e., shampoo, conditioners, etc...). Each morning after showering, place the basket under your bathroom sink.
- Use pre-moistened wipes and each morning, before leaving the bathroom, do a quick wipe down in the sink(s) and faucet.
- Hang towels
- Ensure toilet seat lids are down.
Bedrooms:
- Make beds each morning
- Place clothes in laundry basket
Living Areas (Living Room or Family Room):
- For homeowners with children, use a wicker basket with handles (they're light and easy to carry) and make a game of collecting the toys, books, etc... to place in the basket. Each night, put the toys to bed in the child's closet or in their room.
- Ensure coffee table remains clear of everything other than the accessories
- Get a basket of some sort (could be wicker or wire) and place all remote controls inside
- Use pre-moistened furniture wipes - they're easy and convenient to use. A quick wipe down of your accent tables (i.e., coffee and end tables) will make them look beautiful.
Kitchens:
- Ensure sink is left empty and clean
- Ensure counter-tops are kept clean and are wiped down
- Place liquid soap, scrubber, etc... in plastic bin and place underneath sink
- Kitchen table - Ensure the only item left is the centerpiece and wipe table down
Suggested purchases based on the above list: 3 to 4 plastic bins (to house bathroom items as well as kitchen soap/rag items); wicker basket (for toys); small wicker/wire (for remote controls); pre-moistened wipes (for bathrooms); pre-moistened dusting wipes (for living areas).
Making a habit to do these things daily will help further ensure that the home looks great for every prospective buyer visiting your home.
Georgia Interior Solutions is a full service home staging company in Atlanta, serving Cobb County, Marietta, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Dallas, Kennesaw, Powder Springs and surrounding areas. View our web site at HomeStagingAtlanta.com for more examples of our work.
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About the Author: Kathy Nielsen, a RESA 2010 Home Stager of the Year Finalists is a nationally recognized leader within the home staging industry, offers affordable home staging solutions to help sell your home more quickly. Kathy can be reached via email at info@homestagingatlanta.com or by phone at 678 522 8392. Their Atlanta Home Staging services offer a variety of options to accommodate all budgets. To view examples of their before and after pictures, visit their portfolio at Home Staging Atlanta Gallery.
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