Outdoor Home Staging: What Not to Do

You want to sell your Southern California home. So, you perform the repairs and updates necessary to make it marketable. Another part of the home selling process includes staging. Why? Because studies show that 85% of staged homes sold for up to 23% of the list price. They also sold faster than unstaged ones. While some people set their focus on the inside, never forget about your outside home staging.

Outdoor Home Staging: What Not to Do

Don’t Ignore Your Exterior

First of all, get rid of dead plants. Pull the weeds. But do not leave empty pots laying around. Instead, fill them with flowers or greenery. Add some drought-tolerant plants, as well. Trim overgrown shrubbery and keep the lawn mowed to 1″ to 2″ tall. Also, store lawn care implements neatly in either the garage or an outdoor shed. Finally, place trash bins on the side of the house, behind your fencing.

Don’t Forget to Add Furniture

Here in Southern California, we enjoy great weather for most of the year. Buyers want to see the living space expand into outside areas. One outdoor home staging tip that entices buyers is to add outdoor furniture. Outdoor kitchens are very popular and will increase your home value. But they can get expensive. Even something simple like adding a small table with a few chairs and an umbrella shows potential buyers possible entertainment ideas. Add colorful placemats, a nice potted plant, and some outdoor tableware to complete the look.

Don’t Leave Clutter

I always tell my clients to declutter their Inland Empire homes before listing them. This makes rooms look larger and allows buyers to picture themselves (and their things) in the space. The same goes for outside home staging. Toys (both for kids and pets) need to be stored out of sight. Either repaint or remove rusted furniture. Replace stained furniture pads and pillows with newer ones.

Don’t Forget to Clean

Power wash your driveway and walkways. Scrub tabletops and counters. Trim back grass and shrubbery surrounding your walkways. You want buyers to easily find your front door and avoid tripping hazards to get there.

Don’t Ignore Exterior Paint and Driveway Maintenance

If buyers see peeling paint or a cracked driveway, they quickly worry about what else has not been taken care of in the home. Also, make sure your decking is in good condition. Make sure all of these fixes are finished before you take listing photos.

Muna Dionne, your Inland Empire specialist with Coldwell Banker Realty