Preparing to sell your home is a stressful time for anybody, but real estate agents like Anthony D’Alicandro are invested in helping you get it right on the first try. Although it may seem like a tall task, staging your home has serious benefits. For example, it can lead to a 5-10% increase in price, depending on the market. With this in mind, here are six home staging tips to help you prepare your home.

The first part of a home a potential buyer sees is the outside, and its appearance can sway a person either way in considering the property. Some ways to make sure buyers receive a good first impression of the property are to pull any weeds, trim the trees and bushes, and mow lawns or rake landscaping rock so it looks fresh and neat. You can also sweep or power wash walkways and driveways, and power wash the exterior of the house to give it a new shine.

As the buyers will be entering through the front door, prepping the front entryway is also an important step. Take the time to clean or repaint the door itself if it’s looking a bit old, as well as polish hinges, handles, and doorbells. Also, sweep away cobwebs, dirt, or other debris. For a final touch, consider replacing an old doormat with a new one.

Making sure the house looks as big as possible will attract more buyers, and the first step of doing so is to thoroughly clean your home. Some steps to take are to sweep and mop tile, vacuum and remove stains from carpet, dust the tops of cabinets and other crevices that collect dust, and air out any lingering smells from cooking, pets, or odors from shoes. Other than appealing to a buyer’s sense, not cleaning your home before a showing can indicate other, more serious maintenance problems to buyers. Play it safe and clean to speed up the process of selling and buying Fishtown real estate.

After you’ve thoroughly cleaned, the next step is to declutter your home. To declutter, sort through items you no longer use, such as clothes, kitchen appliances, decorations, or any other items that take up storage space; then decide what to donate, throw away, or keep. Hide items you use daily like kitchen top appliances, toiletries, utensils, and magazines or books on tables to keep areas looking organized.

As a part of the cleaning and decluttering process you may find yourself packing away your items in your home’s storage spaces, but seasoned real estate agents like Anthony D’Alicandro  know that isn’t the move to make. Try to keep storage areas like closets and cabinets clear, as potential buyers will be looking in these areas.

Rent a storage unit to save boxed items for moving, like extra clothes, decorations, appliances, or bedding. If part of the decluttering or depersonalization process includes removing large pieces of furniture, also store these items in a unit to use in your next home.

The potentially hardest—but one of the most important—steps of staging a home is to depersonalize the space. 77% of buyers agents say it’s easier for people to visualize a staged home as their own, but this only works if the home is clear of any personal touches. Classically simple staging appeals to the largest number of potential buyers, which is good for sellers.

To depersonalize your home, remove personal items like family photos, souvenirs, knickknacks, fridge artwork, or religious symbols from walls and spaces. You should also remove things like quirky furniture that makes too big a statement, and paint over accent walls that are loud or creatively patterned with a neutral color.

To quickly sell your home and begin searching for your dream home in Fishtown real estate, make your home appear as bright as possible. Buyers like to enter bright rooms, so maximize the amount of natural light each room receives by cleaning the outside and inside of windows and window screens, opening and cleaning blinds, and opening or completely removing curtains.

When considering artificial lighting, replace any broken or dimming bulbs, and use the same color and wattage of the bulb throughout your house to keep a consistent look. To maximize the light more, dust off light fixtures and lampshades, or completely replace them if they’re looking outdated or old.

Staging a whole house can be daunting, so if you don’t have the time and energy to stage your entire home, agents like Anthony D’Alicandro know what rooms are the most important to stage first. 55% of surveyed agents say the living room is the most important room to stage, so make sure the area doesn’t seem cluttered by excess furniture and the natural pathways of the room are open.

Beyond the living room, the kitchen and master bedroom (along with the master bathroom) are the second and third most important rooms to stage. As they’ll be used every day by the potential buyer, it’s essential to keep these areas clean and in top shape. Lastly, any tricky rooms with an unclear purpose can greatly benefit from staging. Whether it be an oddly shaped corner room or dining room, staging it can help buyers see the space as a perk of the house rather than a problem to solve.

Through the staging process, you’ll help potential buyers envision their own life in the home. With these six staging tips, you’re well on your way to making a lasting impression on everyone walking through the front door. When you’re ready to sell or find someplace new to call home, contact Anthony D’Alicandro to help you with the process.