Real Estate is a big business nowadays and appearance means everything. The task of every salesman is to do all that is in his power to make every room in the house presentable and appealing to potential customers. Here you can find a couple of tips on how to stage a home before you try and sell it.

Finding the balance between depersonalized and overly familiar

It is of course paramount that the rooms in the house are cheerful and well-decorated, not just empty shadows of what is supposed to be a home. You are not selling just a house, but a representation of life inside it, a story and world of possibilities. There is, however, something as “too much personal”, especially when you are trying to sell a home to someone who might have entirely different taste than you. Customers are supposed to envision themselves in the house, so try and remove all the personal items picture frames, and decorations that just have a sentimental value for you.

Make sure everything is clean and well preserved

This should come without saying. Chipped corners, wallpaper that is peeling off the walls, and stains on the couch will certainly fail to bring any success to your customers. Make final preparations and checks on the conditions of the house a couple of days before you start the sale and potential clients start arriving. Pay special attention to the kitchen and the bathroom, they get dirty really easily and fast but are supposed to look spick and span for the viewing. Also, make sure you rearrange your bookshelves and put books and magazines upright and in order so that they give a more professional look.

Less is more when it comes to furniture

It doesn’t mean that you are supposed to clear out every room of all the items, but be aware of the “natural flow” of the room. It is best to rehearse a route through which you will lead your customers and make sure there is nothing unnecessary along the way. Also if your rooms are overcrowded with furniture it may (and probably will) make the space look significantly smaller and everyone likes some breathing space, right? Try and give a pattern to your furniture design, for instance, avoid pushing all the chairs and the sofa to the wall, but arrange it into “conversational” groups or circles. It will give a room a much friendlier look.

Lighting

Everything comes from a good light and you should learn how to manipulate it into working for you. If possible, try and make use of the natural light in the house, good positioning of curtains and blinds can decrease brightness if necessary or direct light to places of the house you want to emphasize. Most houses, however, suffer from a deficiency of light and you have to invest a little in artificial light. Chandeliers and overhead lamps are a good way to go, they brighten up the room perfectly and can look more expensive than they really are. If all else fails buy a couple of lamps to fill in the empty space.

Don’t be afraid to move furniture around and try out new ideas and positions. Just because a piece used to e part of one room it doesn’t mean it wouldn’t look even better somewhere else. If you find yourself out of ideas consult different online store catalogs.