Staging to Sell or Stay in Spring

 

Whether you have decided to sell your home this spring or in the mood for a good spring cleaning, here are some tips to brighten your home and having it looking its best.

 

Start With a Spring Cleaning
Scrub your home until it sparkles — and don’t forget the windows  Then, get out of winter “nesting” mode and declutter, declutter, declutter until your space is light, airy and spacious. Don’t stuff junk into closets, you want them to be neat and organized, or potential buyers will think your home doesn’t have enough storage.

 

Buff the Floors and Wash the Walls
Floors take a lot of abuse over the winter from wet boots, snow and dirt. Give your carpets a thorough cleaning, and buff worn spots on wood floors with a little polyurethane, says John McAuliffe, owner of Admiral Floors in Washington, D.C. A bucket of warm water with a few drops of mild soap and a sponge will clean off most wall marks; eliminate the tough ones with an eraser-style cleaning pad.

 

Swap Dark and Cozy for Bright and Cheery
Put away your snug winter blankets, throws and dark-colored accessories, and bring in the spring with bright shawl throws, flower-printed pillows and bright cloths for dark wood tables. Andrew Schrage, the home expert at Money Crashers, recommends inexpensive staging items like towels and wash cloths, throw pillows, candles and table settings in lavender, yellow, sage green and pale blue colors.

 

Let the Sun Shine In
Nothing says spring like sun-drenched rooms. Pull back curtains and drapes and raise blinds and shades for instant brightness. Rainy day? Turn on all the lights before a showing.

 

Bring Blooms Indoors
Botanical colors and prints in light green and yellow shades give bedrooms a spring-like, peaceful feel. An idea is to replace a brown color scheme and white walls with a pale yellow-green wall, a white duvet with subtle green accents, botanical prints on the wall and a knot of flowers on the nightstand.

 

Clear Off the Counters
You like the convenience of the toaster, mixer, spices and coffeemaker on the counter, but to a buyer, it just looks cluttered. Stash counter items in the cupboard (if there’s no room, stick them in a box and take it with you during showings) and decorate the counter simply with a bowl of fresh seasonal fruit.

 

Don’t Forget the Front Door
You may go in and out through the garage, but buyers will enter your home through the front door. Take down the circular wreath,  which reminds buyers of the holidays and implies you’re not on top of things. Instead, hang a spring-themed welcome sign and put down a cheery welcome mat and an umbrella stand for those spring rains.

 

… Or the Back Door
Especially in early spring, when many backyards are still sporting bare branches and spotty grass, you want to give buyers the same cheery feeling when exiting your home as when they entered. Put containers of potted bulbs on a deck table or the back steps to add color to spaces that haven’t fully grown in, says Amy Dube, a flower bulb and gardening expert.

 

www.frontdoor.com