Staging An Older House To Sell

I am not a realtor.  I am not a flipper.  I am not any kind of an expert in real estate.

But I have been doing my homework concerning what it is that people are looking for in a house.

Specifically if it is an older house.

In a nut shell: updated, but with old house character (a fine balance).

Sunday afternoon I toured a great older house down the street from us.

More research.  And these are some of my conclusions on staging an older home.

 

 Curb appeal.

This house has it in spades.

But it has to have sustainability.
(The potential buyers have to think they could keep it
looking that way.)

 Welcoming.

 Good sidewalk.
Good stairs.

Plants, healthy plants.

Painted front door, check.

A couple of coordinating chairs on the porch.

 Light.

 This house has great natural light.

I appreciated that they didn't try to keep the sun out with heavy curtains.

It also had well placed electrical lighting, which were all turned on during the open house.

There were no dark paint colors sucking up the natural light.

 Simple.

No crowded book shelves.
This house had FOUR mantels on the main floor,
and each was decorated very simply.
I could easily imagine my own decor on the mantel.

 Spacious.
Put extra furniture pieces in storage.
Especially if they interfere with natural walk ways.

 Oh, and clear out your closets --

I will definitely be looking at how much space is in each one.

  Bare floors, if possible.

Easy to clean.
I don't have to imagine if pets have peed on the carpet,
or what you may be hiding under the rugs.

 Cute.

 Not too heavy on the "authentic" victorian, craftsman or

whatever style.  Most people are not purists, and they
 have to be able to picture a comfortable mix

of styles in the house.

Light neutral colors.

 Featured here is :"Sell-it-now" gray.

As in, if you really want to sell your house,

this should be your go-to color.

And of course, the white trim is a JoJo Gaines classic touch.

 Cleared off.

Stow it.  We don't want to see your make-up,

tooth brush or mouth wash.  The more naked

counter space, the better.  Same in the kitchen.

Comfortable.

 This may seem a little bizarre, but my big

"take away" from this house was pillows.

I would need more stylish pillows to stage the beds in my house.

 Clean.
Sparkling clean, everywhere.

Cobwebs are a no-no, they make me think there are spiders in your house. 

Functional.

 Now we are exiting through the back door.

Love the built-in bench and storage.

I can imagine how handy this space would be.

Memorable.

Not just that I will remember it from the home tour.

But that I can picture my family making memories

there in the future.