Setting the stage for a Spring sale

When the time comes to place your home on the market, getting your home "buyer ready" is extremely important to the success of your home sale. With the Spring market in full swing and thoughts of Spring-cleaning on everyone's minds, Bobbie McGrath of Successful Staging, LLC, offers four pieces of advice that apply to each and every home regardless of their price point or location.

Posted 1:00 p.m. May 12, 2012 — Updated 6:03 p.m. Jul 13, 2018

By Bobbie McGrath

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When the time comes to place your home on the market, getting your home “buyer ready” is extremely important to the success of your home sale. With the Spring market in full swing and thoughts of Spring-cleaning on everyone’s minds, Bobbie McGrath of Successful Staging, LLC, offers four pieces of advice that apply to each and every home regardless of their price point or location.

Pack away excess accessories

“Excess” refers to those things that don’t serve a purpose in the space or don’t make your heart sing. Remember, less is more! By putting away this “visual noise” you can enjoy those special items that mean so much to you. Have a lot of things you just love? Why not rotate the accessories from time to time? By doing so you freshen up the space without busting the budget. You could do a complete redo every three to six months. Your friends may even think you’ve hired a designer!

Edit/rearrange your furniture

Everyone has so much stuff! Bring in only the furniture you will use in the room. Sell/donate/repurpose your excess furniture. The space their absence creates will provide you with a sense of peace each time you walk into the room. Many folks feel like they’re on vacation after having their house edited. What a great way to feel in your own home, right?

Clean out your closets and cabinets

Many times the reason so many items are out on the countertops and other surfaces is because the places meant to store them are full…with things never used! Donate that yogurt machine and third set of dishes your Aunt Martha gave you. She gave them to you because she wanted to free up her cabinet space. No…really!

Deep clean the house

I mean every nook and cranny. Knock down those cobwebs, shampoo the carpets, and wash the windows. Take down all the curtains and have them cleaned. Dust the light bulbs. Apply lemon oil to your kitchen cabinets and see them become new again. Paint/touch up the walls and trim. (Paint is “money in a can”!) Roll up those heavy winter rugs and let the cool gleaming wood floors take center stage. Open the windows and air out your winterized house. Don’t forget the little used guest room, either. Consider hiring a cleaning service even if you usually clean the house yourself. A deep cleaning is one of those areas that benefit the whole family. That includes you, too!

Sound good? Today is the day! Throw open your windows and get started. The very techniques that professionals use to help you sell your house may also help you fall in love with your home all over again. Who knew?

Bobbie McGrath of Successful Staging, LLC has been staging homes throughout the Triangle for the last eight years. From Hillsborough to Oxford to Rolesville, Fuquay-Varina, Benson, Raleigh and many points in between, she has staged and/or consulted on over 2,000 homes ranging in price from $85,000 to $4.5 million.

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