The 3 C's of Staging a Home: Clean, Clutter, & Color

Start by taking before pictures.

Making your home show to its best is easy if you remember the 3 C's.  You should complete as much prep work on the 3 C's prior to showing your home for the first time.  Did you say why? Because you may only get one true first impression and you want to make that a positive impression or it may or will be the last chance you have with your best possible buyer.

Start one area or room at a time.  If you need to do half of the of the area or room at a time. Take everything out if possible.  Treat each closet as a room - remember less is more.  Pack it away if its absolutely not needed.  Store items that maybe needed in boxes labeled with need it next date if they need to be stored closer to the last items in a storage area to get to easily.

I'm starting with clutter as it's easier to do the other 2 C's after all the extra things you don't need are gone of site.  Everything your keeping should be dusted, washed, or cleaned as soon as you deide its not junk.  Start packing prior to listing your home.  Only there should be 5 types of items.  (1) Junk or trash should be through this out as you come across it.   You'll be amazed at how good you'll feel with this stuff gone.  (2) Good stuff to return, sell at a yard sale or online, or give to someone that loves it.  Return the stuff by mail or leave a message & drop it off if necessary at the owners home.  If they wanted it they would have come and gotten it before.  Your selling your home your not a storage area.   If they don't want it when you return it it's no longer your problem.  Schedule a yard sale at your home or at a relatives or at the flea market.  Have a plan if it doesn't sell to store it off site but never to return once its out.   If your selling it on eBay or online elsewhere photo it and store it at the entry of the off site storage bin you need for the stuff your taking with you but don't need now so you can get to it quickly when its sold.  Give your self a deadline to sell items you don't need or give them away for free or trash them.  (3) Box up the extra off season items, personal items that you want to take with you that are only making more dusting space or taking up closet space, garage space, or other living areas.  Less items and extra unneeded furniture in rooms, closets, garages, attics, kitchen cabinets, on tables makes your house look smaller.  Less is more in the eyes of the buyer.   Less is easier to clean and make showing ready for a buyer.  (4) Things you need to live everyday that you will use to stage your home to its best advantage.  (5) Finally, things you need that need to be removed or properly stored prior to buyer visits: pets, signs of pets, cleaning supplies.  The car trunk or back seat may become item 5's temporary home.

Once the clutters gone. You have less to clean.  (See why this isn't first).  If its gone you don't have to move it multiple times.  Since you dusted when it then all you need to do is the room its self. Now sweep or vacuum the room and wash the glass windows and effixed surfaces.  Let the light in.  Change any bulbs that need to be changed.  If its dark people think your hiding something.  Light and bright sell.

Color is next.  Walls should be touched up or made preferrably neutral.  Dust everything prior to returnign it to the area.

Now you can return the items that were removed & dusted.  Take a good look at the curtains. sofa and chairs, bedding. Is it clean or should it be recovered or replaced.  Or maybe it's something that should have been stored to go with you, sold, or let go to a better place.  Date furniture dates even a new house.  Would you want to be the lovely clean home thats easy to show or the house with the ugly sofa no one can see past.

Keep telling your self less is more. 

Now take your after picture.  Compare them to your before picture.  Remove anything that doesn't make your home show to its best.  Sit back & enjoy before you move on to the next area.  Only do one area at a time.