Staging Your Home with Pets and Kids: Tips for a Smooth Sale
Home staging is the process of preparing your home for sale by making it look attractive, clean, and inviting to potential buyers. It can help you sell your home faster and for a higher price. But what if you have pets and kids who live in your home? How can you keep them from ruining your home staging efforts? Here are some tips to help you deal with pets and kids during home staging.
Keep Your Pets and Kids Out of the Way
One of the most important things to do when staging your home is to keep your pets and kids out of the way. You don’t want them to distract, annoy, or scare off the buyers who come to view your home. You also don’t want them to leave behind any messes, odors, or damages that could turn off the buyers.
The best solution is to arrange for your pets and kids to stay somewhere else during the home staging process and the showings. You can ask a friend, a relative, or a pet sitter to take care of them temporarily. You can also take them with you when you leave the house for the showings. If that’s not possible, you can confine them to a specific area of the house that is not part of the staging, such as a basement, a garage, or a spare room. Make sure they have enough food, water, toys, and comfort items to keep them happy and calm.
Remove Any Signs of Your Pets and Kids
Another thing to do when staging your home is to remove any signs of your pets and kids from the house. You want to create a neutral and impersonal space that appeals to a wide range of buyers. You don’t want to make the buyers feel like they are intruding on your personal life or imposing on your family.
This means you should pack away and store any items that belong to your pets and kids, such as toys, clothes, beds, bowls, crates, cages, litter boxes, photos, artwork, stickers, posters, etc. You should also clean and deodorize any areas that have been affected by your pets and kids, such as carpets, floors, walls, furniture, curtains, etc. You should also repair any damages that have been caused by your pets and kids, such as scratches, stains, holes, etc.
Add Some Pet and Kid-friendly Touches
While you want to remove any signs of your pets and kids from the house, you don’t want to make it look like you don’t have any pets and kids at all. You want to show the buyers that your home is pet and kid-friendly, and that it can accommodate their needs and lifestyle. You want to make them feel like they can see themselves living in your home with their own pets and kids.
This means you can add some subtle and tasteful touches that suggest the presence of pets and kids, such as a basket of plush toys, a cozy blanket, a colorful rug, a framed photo, a cute pillow, etc. You can also highlight the features of your home that are beneficial for pets and kids, such as a spacious backyard, a fenced-in area, a playroom, a mudroom, a storage space, etc. You can also provide some information about the neighborhood and the community that are relevant for pets and kids, such as nearby parks, trails, schools, shops, vets, etc.
Conclusion
Home staging can be a challenge when you have pets and kids who live in your home. But with some planning, preparation, and creativity, you can deal with them effectively and successfully. By following these tips, you can make your home look appealing and inviting to the buyers, while also showing them that your home is pet and kid-friendly. This can help you sell your home faster and for a higher price.