As a real estate agent, you want your client’s home to leap out at prospective buyers. Understandably, homeowners who are about to place their property up for sale usually won’t invest tens of thousands of dollars on renovations—but that doesn’t mean you can’t work strategically to put their staging budget to work! 

The following improvements are low- or no-cost yet will make a huge difference in attracting buyers and making a sale.

1.) Maximize Curb Appeal

Whether through a digital ad, drive-by viewing, or in-person open house, curb appeal establishes the first impression. Once made, a negative impression can be difficult to change. Therefore, it’s important that you do all you can to improve curb appeal before photographing and listing a property.

• Make sure the existing landscaping is manicured.

• Clean every window inside and out.

• Power wash everything: sidewalks, walkways, porch, roof, siding, and wood fencing.

• Repaint the front door, trim, shutters, and mailbox post. Choose a coordinating or brightly contrasting hue.

• Replace the porch light and front door hardware.

• Replace or repair window shutters, window screens, and front door screen.

• Replace or repair roof shingles and gutters.

• Lay out a high-quality welcome mat.

• Set out vibrant potted plants on the front porch.

2.) Eliminate Clutter

Buyers do not appreciate being greeted with a sea of clutter and will pass on a property just for this reason—even if their decision is made subliminally. Make it your mission to help your clients banish clutter for the entirety of the staging and selling process.

• Every surface and countertop must be cleared.

• Toys, books, papers, magazines, tools, beauty products, and thematic décor must go.

• Closets, pantries, cabinets, and bookshelves must be organized and sparsely packed. No overflowing storage allowed.

• Large, outdated, or worn furniture must be placed in storage. The idea is to showcase the space, not the belongings contained within.

• The garage and basement must be organized and tidy, with any excessive storage items relocated in an off-site storage facility.

3.) Create a Sparkling Clean Interior

Once the home has been decluttered, it’s time for the deepest of all cleanings! If it’s in the budget, hire a cleaning company to accomplish this task. If not, here are tips for you and your clients to follow.

• Work top-to-bottom, right-to-left. Deviating from this pattern will inevitably create more work for you.

• Clean everywhere, not just where you can see. This means cleaning each fixture, behind and beneath appliances and furniture, inside appliances, behind grating, and inside each cabinet—kitchen and bathroom alike.

• Clean carpets, drapes, and soft furniture, all of which will otherwise hold odors.

• Mop hard flooring to a high shine. Crouch down and catch the light across the floor; doing so will allow you to see and eliminate streaks or residual grime.

4.) Focus on Fresh Scents

Once the home is impeccably clean, you may wish to add a light touch of fresh scent. Wax warmers, sachets, baking cookies, or simmering potpourri in a slow cooker are all viable methods, but choose only one. Otherwise, competing scents will likely overwhelm buyers.

5.) Stage Strategically

Staged spaces are meant to facilitate a buyer’s ability to imagine their belongings and future life within a home. Prepare your client for what’s ahead. Explain that they will feel like they are living within a bare-bones home, but a buyer will interpret this restrained staging as a new, clean, open interior.

• Consider converting a guest room or playroom into a modern home office.

• Set up the living room conversationally—never facing a television or entertainment center.

• Add decorative mirrors to open tight hallway turns and small rooms.

• Set the dining room for a formal meal, complete with cloth napkins and sparkling glasses.

• Set up a reading chair or chaise.

• Add blankets, throws, and pillows on couches and armchairs—but not too many.

6.) Add Selective Décor

You may find that the home is bland or impersonal once clutter has been removed, in which case it’s a good idea to add just a touch of colorful décor. Anything you add should be thematically neutral so that buyers can envision their own style within a space. 

• Potted plants immediately bring life and color into any space.

• Bowls of fresh fruit or seasonal vegetables project an array of colors alongside a feeling of healthy living.

• Fresh pumps of hand soap at every sink and basin make a space feel new and unused.

• Brand-new towels and deep-pile bathmats likewise refresh bathrooms.

7.) Optimize the Lighting

Dingy lighting kills the atmosphere, even in a clean, attractive space. Make sure every room has a blend of both synthetic and natural lighting—and that the synthetic lighting is warm and welcoming when viewed at night.

• Replace dim or aging bulbs with broad-spectrum LED lighting.

• Replace any damaged, dated, or unappealing light fixtures.

• Turn on every light, indoors and out, before showings and open houses.

• Open curtains, shades, and shutters to welcome outdoor light.

• If a room is still dim, add lamps or sconces.

8.) Affordable Kitchen Upgrades

The structure of modern households makes the kitchen the heart of the home. A moderate investment on upgrading this space tends to have the biggest impact on a home’s selling price.

• Install under-cabinet lighting.

• Upgrade the faucet.

• If the cabinets remain crowded, add cabinet organizers.

• Add a fresh coat of paint to walls—but don’t undertake cabinet painting.

9.) Affordable Bathroom Upgrades

Like the kitchen, a home’s bathrooms are of utmost importance to buyers. 

• Scrub every surface until it’s gleaming.

• Re-caulk and regrout.

• Replace towel racks, curtain holders, and TP holders.

• Install new toilet seats.

• Reglaze dingy sinks, tubs, and shower surroundings.

• Replace old sliding shower doors and install a new track.

By taking the time to overhaul a property using the above suggestions, you’ll bring out the best in each listing. Remember to take photos of a home before and after your efforts and show prospective clients exactly what you’re capable of!