4 Interior Design Projects for Staging a Home to Sell Fast
Many buyers expect that their home will sell just as it is. And although it might sell quickly on its own, it could take a while. One trick of the real estate business is to stage homes before selling.
Staging is the act of creating a beautiful interior space that buyers can picture their own lives in. Usually, most homeowners don’t live in a perfectly staged home because we like our homes to work for us. However, staging a home can help it sell a lot faster.
Don’t know where to start? No worries, here are some interior design projects for staging a home so that it sells fast.
1. Upgrade the Interior Doors
No one ever thinks of the doors, but they are actually pretty noticeable, just like the walls. Upgrading the interior doors is a simple project that you can do yourself with a little help.
There are several interior door styles and each of them provides a different look. If your home is more rustic, you might choose barn-style doors that slide open and closed. If you have a beach home, you might consider french doors since they provide a light and airy feel.
Regardless, upgrading the interior doors is an impactful interior design project when staging your home. It definitely increases the charm and character of a home.
2. Swap Out the Flooring
Homebuyers love a home that has new flooring because it means that they can move right in without having to redo the floors first. If your floors are old or damaged, changing out the flooring can be a big sell. You don’t have to choose something expensive, even an affordable option like faux hardwood flooring is a great choice.
Faux hardwood flooring is durable and provides the same great look as real hardwood floors. Some buyers wouldn’t even be able to tell the difference. Other options include tiling or putting in real hardwood floors. Make a big impact with flooring when staging your home.
3. Remove the Ugly Wallpaper
No one likes to see ugly wallpaper when they walk through a home. That means that removing the ugly wallpaper is a great interior design project to do before selling your home. We know that it can be a pain, but if you follow these instructions, we know you’ll be able to do it!
How to Remove Wallpaper
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Start with protection: Protect your electrical outlets, floor, and yourself. Plastic sheeting and painter’s tape work well for the outlets and the floors, but for yourself, you should at least consider some protective eyewear.
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Try to pry up the wallpaper by using the edge of a putty knife or scraper. For some, the wallpaper will come off in sheets. For others, you’ll have to try some other techniques.
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If you’re one of the unlucky ones, use a wallpaper scorer to score the wallpaper, and then mix up a hot water solution of either a 1 to 3 ratio for fabric softener and hot water or a 1 to 2 ratio of household vinegar and hot water.
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Then, apply the solution and get to scraping.
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In the end, don’t forget to remove the electrical outlets (turn off the power first) and remove the wallpaper that may be behind them.
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That’s it! Clean up and the wallpaper is gone forever!
Did you accidentally damage the drywall or is there still adhesive on there? Let’s take a look at how to repair drywall after removing wallpaper.
How to Repair Drywall After Removing Wallpaper
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Start by getting rid of any adhesive. Wash the walls with a wallpaper paste remover from your local hardware store or use a 1 to 4 ratio of vinegar to water and a rough cloth to scrub them down. For either method, you’ll want to wipe the walls down with clean water and let the wall dry before doing anything else.
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You’ll then want to scrape any loose drywall paper.
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After the wall is smooth, prime everywhere that the surface drywall paper has come off using shellac or an oil-based primer. This is critical because spackle, paint, and drywall compound are all water-based which means that the paper underneath will wrinkle if you don’t.
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Sand the damaged areas of the wall to ensure it is smooth.
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Fill in any gouges with joint compound. Apply two or three layers and extend the compound inches past the damage so that it will be flush in later sanding processes.
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After dry, sand the areas with a 100 grit sandpaper or drywall sanding mesh.
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After that, the drywall is repaired and ready for a water-based paint primer.
This is a good time to talk about paint colors because of course, you don’t want to leave the wall unpainted.
When staging your home for a quick sell, always choose more neutral colors so that the next owners are more likely to love it. Common color choices include shades of gray, beige, and white.
4. Deep Cleaning for Photos
One of the biggest mistakes of staging a home to sell fast is not cleaning surfaces before taking photos to post. Surfaces like countertops, shelving, floors, cabinets, and furniture all need to be clean. One thing that homeowners always have trouble cleaning is their quartz countertops so let’s go over how to clean those.
How to Clean Quartz Countertops
There are three main steps to cleaning a quartz countertop. First, wipe with mild dish soap and a soft cleaning rag. Then you’ll want to gently scrape off any food or dried gunk using a putty knife. Be careful because quartz is scratch-resistant but not scratchproof. Finally, use a degreaser approved for use on quartz. You’ll want to stay away from harsh cleaners and bleach.
Clean surfaces in your home will make it look a lot better in photos and for walkthroughs.
Is Your Home Ready To Sell?
If you have staged your home by using some of the things on this list and are ready to sell, North Texas Top Team Realtors can help! They are experts in the North Texas area and are ready to help you sell your home fast. Contact them today to get started!
Andrea Erickson is a contributor to Innovative Building Materials. She is a blogger and content writer for the real estate industry. Andrea is focused on helping fellow homeowners, contractors, and architects discover materials and methods of construction that increase property value, maximize energy savings, and turn houses into homes.