When we help a client design and build their dream home, we frequently hear the same thing as we conduct the final walk-through:
“This is perfect. We’re never leaving here.”
While we’re honored, we’re also realistic. People put a lot of thought and attention into building a custom home, but sometimes they decide to sell it. More frequently, they have to go through the process of selling their current home to move into their new, custom home.
We’ve built a few custom homes for Southern Living over the years. It’s a chance for us to showcase our skills, our attention to detail, and offer a glimpse into what your dream home may look like. When we open one of those homes to the public, we do something that anyone selling a home can do:
We stage it.
Staging a home is very much like putting on a play. Rather than actors and an actual stage, the home becomes our platform and we prepare it for a public audience. We work with designers and architects to determine how to best show the assets of the house.
But, as a homeowner, and without a team of professionals, how can you set the stage for a prospective buyer?
Like any purchase, first impressions are everything. Stand in front of your home, and try to look at it as if for the first time. What’s your curb appeal like? Are the shutters straight? Are overgrown shrubs concealing the windows? A few dollars and a weekend of labor can put down fresh mulch and some flowers, making the home look colorful and well-tended.
As you walk from room-to-room, make an inventory of everyday items that create clutter. You may have a basket of remote controls that you keep next to the sofa but you don’t need to show them to a buyer. The kitchen implements that you use every day may be handy on the counter, but putting them into drawers and showcasing clean counters invites a prospective homeowner to imagine dinner parties. It’s good to have a stray magazine on a coffee table or a bowl of fruit on the counter, but these should be just enough to make your home looked lived in and add some personal color.
Speaking of color – What about some paint? While your home may be perfectly clean, paint dulls over time, and a fresh coat can brighten any room. We recommend neutral colors, such as eggshell or light greys. The few items that you choose as accents will really pop, and anyone walking through will be able to imagine their own tastes livening up the walls.
Now, for one last secret tip: Sniff around.
A friend of ours owned a restaurant. One of his dessert items was a stacked ice cream sandwich with chocolate chip cookies. Most restaurants would pre-make the cookies to speed up service. He had his pastry person bake cookies in the middle of every dinner service. It was amazing to see a bustling dining room full of customers put down their forks as the aroma of fresh cookies wafted through the building.
Everyone wanted dessert.
Bake some cookies. Put out some fresh-cut flowers. Make it smell delicious.