Although many people find the process of selling a home exciting, the process can be an emotional one in multiple different ways as well. Once you’ve decided to sell, you need to make the decision to disconnect from your home so that you can move forward towards your new accommodations and start things off on the right foot.
One element to successfully selling your home is making the potential buyer imagine your home as theirs. You need to try to imagine seeing your home through the eyes of a stranger. This can get done by depersonalizing your home before staging it.
What is Depersonalization?
When preparing your home for sale, you will depersonalize your home by eliminating your personal tastes and making it neutral yet inviting. You might love a specific bold pattern or you might be passionate about colorful vintage furniture, and it’s likely that your home reflects that taste. While it’s only natural that you’ll personalize your home, it may not help you sell to potential buyers.
Buyers want to envision their lives in the space when they visit prior to making an offer. They want to see the home as their own and see the potential in it. You want to create a beautiful canvas that excites the potential buyers when they start to imagine how they could make it their own.
The Process of Depersonalization
As soon as you choose to sell your home, you need to start the process of depersonalizing your home. While personalization naturally is different for everyone, there are several things that many people have incorporated into their decor.
Wall décor
Personal possessions such as family photos, sports memorabilia, and certificates can be distractions to a potential buyer, so instead, put them into storage. Items such as mirrors, clocks, and art pieces should get assessed whether they will add neutrality to your home.
Wall Coverings
Remove or replace any wall coverings that are old and outdated. Wallcoverings include wallpaper, upholstery, or stencils. Buyers will have a difficult time trying to see beyond wallpaper patterns and designs that are not modern and minimal.
Collections
Keep your collections throughout your house neutral. Magazines or books related to food or architecture are appropriate to display, so hide everything else that doesn’t fit with the neutral theme. You also want to remove any religious artifacts, decorative ornaments, or something of a subject matter that may offend or turn off a potential buyer.
Color Palette
Use a warm and neutral color palette throughout your home to create a space that feels stylish yet subdued and that creates an environment that potential buyers will be able to picture themselves in. You don’t have to go with whites only – there are light shades of various colors that could work as well.
Neutralizing by Room
You might prefer to go through your house room by room. This can be easier if you’re finding the process too emotional or overwhelming to complete all at once. You can do one room at a time and take a break in between to decompress.
Bedroom
Your bedroom is the most personal area in your home, so you want to spend extra time depersonalizing your room. Not only will you need to put personal items away, but you might want to consider buying new bedding to match your neutrally painted walls.
Bathroom
Bathrooms are functional rooms and have lots of personal products exposed. Hide personal items such as razors, soap, and deodorant. Potential buyers will want to look at the various cupboards and storage areas, so make sure that all your personal items are packed away neatly. Use matching and decorative baskets to store these items to make the space look presentable.
Kitchen
The kitchen area is one of the most used rooms in a house, so you need to look out for items that aren’t practical to put away in storage. Things to remove include artwork or magnets that are on the refrigerator. Small appliances that are on your countertops can also get put away in kitchen cabinets.
Living Room
The living room is most likely the first room a potential buyer will see when entering your home for the first time. Consider all the tips above, such as removing photos and decorative collections and neutralizing the room with neutral furniture and colors on your walls.
Depersonalizing Outside Your Home
Once you’re done depersonalizing the inside of your home, it’s time to get to work outside. Before entering your home, a potential buyer will get a glimpse of your landscape, curb, and front door. First impressions are vital, and you don’t want a buyer to get distracted by your garden gnomes!
- Ensure all your kids’ toys get stored out of sight.
- If your home is getting sold during the holiday season, try to keep your holiday decorations as neutral as possible.
- Lawn gnomes and ceramic garden décor might be your style, but it’s not for everyone! Rather focus on landscaping and keep bushes and your lawn trimmed.
- Give your front door a whole new coat of paint to make a good first impression.
Get Help From a Real Estate Agent
A professional real estate agent has seen hundreds of homes of all varying tastes and styles and can give you great advice. Ask them for their credentials and their staging experience early on in the process. If they don’t have enough experience with staging, they may have connections with those who do.
Don’t take any advice from an estate agent or professional stager too personally! If they advise you to get something out of sight, they are not giving you style advice. Remember they are giving you their best insight into how to make the space aspirational and inviting to a variety of people.
Too Emotional to Depersonalize Your Home?
Let’s face it. As necessary as depersonalizing your home is, it’s a strange and emotional process. If you’ve lived in your home for a long time or went through significant life experiences while living there, it can really feel like a huge step.
It’s completely understandable if you want to avoid the time and energy necessary to complete this process! Should you need a faster and easier way to sell your home, we will make it easy for you. Skip the staging process altogether by selling your house for cash directly to us.
We buy houses no matter the condition it’s in by paying cash while offering fast closings. It’s our number one priority to ensure you have the advice needed to make the best decision for your situation.
If you’re interested, contact us today for a free, no-obligation cash offer at 781-309-7085.