By now, you probably know all about the importance of staging. When selling your house, it’s important to make a strong first impression, preparing every room in your home so that it looks clean, organized, and clutter-free. Indeed, as you seek to get the place sold, you’ll want to straighten up your living room, kitchen, bathrooms, and beyond.
Something many home sellers don’t think about? Staging the garage. No, it’s probably not quite as pivotal as your living room or kitchen… but you can bet that potential buyers are going to want to see your garage space. And if it looks like a mess, or if they have a hard time seeing how spacious it is, that could hurt your chances for a sale.
The question is, what steps should you take to make sure your garage is listing-ready? How do you ensure that your garage helps, rather than hurts, as you try to get your home sold? That’s what we’re going to talk about in today’s post.
By the way, remember to get your copy of the SOLD.com seller’s report, which will give you some individualized tips for selling your house. Grab yours today!
How to Make Your Garage Listing-Ready
Get rid of the clutter.
The first step to staging any space is getting rid of all the junk and the clutter. This can be an especially arduous task in the garage, simply because this tends to be a catch-all space for all the stuff you can’t find a home for elsewhere! Taking the time to go through the garage and either sell, donate, or toss unwanted stuff can not only help the it look more spacious and organized, but it can also make your life easier come time to pack and move!
Remember that the big selling point of any garage is storage space. Buyers want to see that there is ample space for them to put their own stuff, and ideally even to park their cars. All that’s to say, the more you can declutter, the better.
Clean it out.
Let’s be honest: Most of us have fairly dirty garage spaces. Yours may have cobwebs, dust, dead bugs… you name it. There’s no shame in that! Again, that’s how most garages are.
Before you have house hunters come through, though, you’ll probably want to spend some time making the place as clean and inviting as can be. Remember, you will have buyers walking through the garage, and the last thing you want is for them to be dodging spider webs while they try to get a look at the place. A good, thorough garage cleaning can really go a long way toward maximizing the appeal of that space.
Give it a new coat of paint.
As far as making your garage look shiny and new again, there’s a pretty simple solution… paint it!
A fresh coat of paint on the walls of your garage can take years off the place; and, most garage spaces are going to provide you with some relatively simple surfaces to paint. It’s definitely something you can DIY, if you choose to.
If you have stains on your garage floor that you just can’t get rid of, you may want to paint and seal it, as well. Again, make the place seem like new!
Fix the lighting.
You want to make sure your garage is well-illuminated, ensuring that your buyers can actually get a good look at the place without having to squint or turn on their cell phone flashlights.
Simply checking your overhead lighting and replacing dead bulbs may be all you need to do. And if the place still feels a little dingy, you may want to consider bringing in some additional lighting, just while you’re selling your house.
With these tips, you’re ready to turn your garage into a place that will really wow buyers… and hopefully, that will help you get your home sold quickly and for top dollar.
Get Additional Tips for Selling Your House
One more reminder: If you’re looking for custom recommendations for listing and selling your home, you can always claim your free report from SOLD.com. Request yours right now!