Spring is the start of the surge in real estate market listings. Is your home ready to show? Or if you are a real estate agent, are your customers’ homes ready to be showcased? Here is my Spring Home Staging Checklist that can assist you with all of the prep work needed for a successful listing:
Spring Home Staging Checklist: Outdoor Tasks
There’s a reason you see all of the lawn care company trucks whizzing by this time of year. At the start of the Spring growing season, the earlier you start on your yard, the better your yard and garden will look when the peak of the season has arrived. So my Spring Home staging outdoor checklist includes the following activities:
1. Fertilize grass to prevent Spring weeds:
One of the biggest eyesores of a home for sale is dandelions and other weeds in the yard. Homeowners want to move in and have a beautifully-maintained yard. So trust me and take the time to pay for a lawn care service for the season. You can buy the fertilizer yourself or pay a lawn care company month-to-month if needed (although pre-paying will save you a little). As your home staging resource, I can help you find a local professional to do this work, or contact a pro source like Angie’s List.
A fresh layer of mulch will keep weeds at bay and give your landscaping a fresh look before listing. Planting some annual flowers will give your yard some color and interest.
2. Weed and mulch flower beds:
No green thumb needed here. Just a few hours and some gardening supplies. A fresh landscaping bed looks so inviting and clean. Once you’ve pulled the weeds (a day after a rainstorm is the best time), lay down some mulch to prevent further weeds from creeping in. Again, a local lawn care company can help with this if you’re not so inclined to do it yourself. I’m happy to connect you with one in the Indianapolis area.
3. Clean the exterior of your home:
Take a street-level view of your home’s exterior. Where could it use some cleaning? A few common activities include power-washing the siding, front porch and driveway. Don’t forget about the backyard and decks or patios! Sometimes a broom or blower will do the trick, as will a bucket with soapy water and a hose. Many cleaning companies will also do exterior cleaning, especially windows, which are great to clean at least once yearly.
Make your home welcoming:
Moving onto the front porch or door of your home, you can do a few things to spruce up this area too. Continuing with my Spring home staging checklist we have the following:
4. Add a front door wreath and new welcome mat:
Welcome your prospective buyers with a colorful, Spring wreath or door decoration. Find these at a local home store or make one yourself with faux florals and a wire frame. Also, throw away that old, dirty floor mat and welcome a new one.
5. Add potted plants:
Flank either side of your front door with a few potted plants in Spring colors and greenery. You can pick these up at your local garden center.
6. Set up seating areas:
If your home has a large porch, patio or deck, set up small, cozy seating areas with outdoor furnishings, throw pillows and accessories so that home buyers can visualize enjoying these spaces.
A simple plant, area rug and furniture can create a welcoming seating area and outdoor space.
Spring Home Staging Checklist: Indoor Tasks
Even without a major home renovation or redesign, there are plenty of things you can do inside your home to ready it for a listing. Here is my list of indoor tasks to make sure to do before listing your home:
- Give it a full-scale clean: No one likes to hear this, but your home could be a lot cleaner! Because you live there, you probably don’t notice or have time to clean all of the little things around your house. Hire a local cleaning company that can give you a whole-house clean, including dusting those blinds, wiping down cabinets and baseboards, and other forgotten areas.
- De-clutter and sell or donate: They don’t call it Spring cleaning for nothing! Now is the time to be liberal with getting rid of things that clutter your home. Donate or sell them now and your rooms will feel fresher and brighter. Finally, remove items that don’t fit and box them for storage.
- Let the sunshine in: Look for sources of natural light and make your home look brighter for listing photos by opening blinds and curtains. If it’s too dark, create some artificial light with some new lighting.
Opening the blinds can make a big impression. Simply by letting in natural light into a space, it can make it feel bigger and brighter to a potential home buyer.
Spring Home Staging Checklist: Finishing Touches:
- Freshen linens for Spring: Remove dark and gloomy sheets, bedspreads and bath towels and replace them with brighter, lighter colors for a refreshing impact.
- Invite the senses: Add some potpourri or scented candles in a Springtime scent to add some fresh scents to your home. For instance, vanilla is great for masking odors and is a great choice.
- Fresh flowers: Lastly, my favorite way to freshen a home for a showing is to add fresh flowers to coffee tables, kitchen islands and bedroom nightstands. Find some at your local grocery store for a few dollars and add a big impact. I talk about this in my other post about places you wouldn’t expect to find home decor.
A fresh bouquet can freshen up a home before listing and adds an elegant touch.
Sell your home quicker and for top dollar with Staging Services
I hope this Spring home staging checklist has helped you prepare your home to sell for above asking price this season. Finally, let me know how I can help you stage a home in the Indianapolis area, or check out my virtual home staging services if you are outside the Indy area and in need of home staging. Know someone selling their home? Please feel free to share this post with them or on social media.
