The housing market can change on a dime, and time can easily work against you when you’re trying to move houses. If the market is hot and you’re ready to sell, it’s time to clean and stage like the pros. Not only will they help you sell your home in lightning speed, but they’ll also help boost your home value so you get the maximum return on your investment. The best part is, you don’t need to be an interior decorator! Check out these super easy and doable tricks to transform your home into a real estate agent’s dream house.   

1. Clean

If you’re ready to sell your house, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and bring out the elbow grease. The biggest culprit is usually your floors; if you have carpeting, years of dirt, dust, and odours are trapped inside of it, which can age your home significantly. Hire a professional to properly steam clean your carpets (like City Metro Carpet Cleaning), and you (and the potential new owners) will be blown away with how new your carpets look. If you have hardwood flooring, a few strategically placed area rugs can freshen up your rooms and hide scuff marks and wear and tear.

2. Declutter

One of the biggest mistakes people make when staging their home is leaving around their personal effects, like drawings on the fridge, knickknacks, toys, etc. Potential buyers want to see how the home could look if they lived there, but they don’t want it to look too lived in. Clear away as much as you can, focusing on counter space (a big selling point), entryways, and bathrooms (check out these tips to declutter like the pros).

3. Landscape

When house shopping, many people make their decision as soon as they drive up to the house. Without even stepping foot inside, they’ve made an on-the-spot decision as to how they feel about your home. You want to make sure they make it past the front step, so landscaping is absolutely key; lay down fresh grass, plant blooming flowers, hang baskets, pressure wash the garage doors and any siding. These are easy fixes that can make all the difference, so definitely do judge your book by its cover!

4. Accents

If a full remodel simply isn’t in the budget, you can make a lot of easy improvements at very little cost. Think about all the accents in your home that might look aged and worn, such as doorknobs, faucets, cupboard handles, light fixtures, vents, and window trimmings. These can be replaced for literally cents on the dollar, but can really help modernize your rooms and boost your home’s appeal.

5. Paint

Painting your walls is such a crucial part of staging, but so many home owners skip over it. Walls can very quickly lose their lustre from handprints, oven smoke, steam, and sunlight, and it becomes harder to notice when you live there. Repainting will help you bring some vibrancy back into your rooms, but it will also help you stage your house; stick to neutral colours and light pastels so that potential buyers can better picture themselves living there (that lime green room your 7-year-old picked isn’t quite as endearing to house shoppers).