When you are looking to purchase a home and looking at a lot of different houses – one home that always stands out is a home that looks move-in-ready. The way a home is presented leaves a lasting impression. You want to invite potential buyers to imagine themselves living in YOUR home. That’s why it makes sense, when trying to sell your home, to think about how you present your home— especially in the bathrooms.
Like the kitchen, a home’s bathrooms are a huge part of the selling potential of a home. When you’re looking to sell, take the time to prepare and update your bathrooms so they have maximum appeal for buyers!
Here are 5 tips to stage your bathroom to appeal to buyers.
1. MAKE REPAIRS
Signs of deferred maintenance are a big red flag to buyers.
Walk through your bathroom looking for any problems the buyers will see. Fix anything that’s broken or damaged to give your bathroom a fresh, move-in-ready look. If you’ve got a leaky faucet, visible water damage or a cracked tile, now is the time to invest in repairing it, before potential buyers come to visit.
2. AFFORDABLE UPDATES
You can find inexpensive, but up-to-date, items at Home Depot or Lowe’s
Do you need a new soap dish or a new toilet seat? Even things that aren’t in disrepair might need to be swapped for fresher, newer options that will appeal to today’s buyers. Good ideas include repainting the walls, replacing the cabinet hardware, new lighting, or updating towel bars. Will a new bathtub faucet help revive the shower/tub?
3. DECLUTTER and DEPERSONALIZE
This is an important no-cost step that can pay big dividends.
Buyers don’t want to peek into your beauty regime; they want to see themselves making your bathroom their own. While you’re tidying the bathroom, take the time to also remove as much as possible — toiletries, knick-knacks, extra cleaning products, etc. — so you can keep the room completely clutter-free. Think of a bath in a hotel with only a few beautiful items, like a stack of new fluffy towels or an orchid on the counter. That is the look you are going for.
One area that sellers often don’t declutter is the shower—remove ALL your personal products! If you are regularly using that bathroom, fill a portable caddy with your daily toiletries and tuck them safely out of view during showings. If you have some decorative bath item like unused fancy shampoo or soaps, you can leave them in the shower otherwise leave the shower empty—seeing your old razor or many used bottles of shampoo spoils the mood you want to set (“if you live here your life will be beautiful and serene”)
4. GET IT SPARKLING CLEAN! 
It almost goes without saying that when you’re putting your home on the market, sparkling bathrooms are a must.
Everybody knows clean bathrooms are more attractive bathrooms. When you’re getting ready to sell, scour the sink and the tub, scrub the floors thoroughly, wipe down every surface in the room (including the light bulbs). Use fresh-smelling cleaning products that give the room a like-new scent. You may even consider hiring a professional cleaning service to get the job done right.
5. ADD FRESH WHITE TOWELS
White bath linens make the room seem fresh and clean.
Give your bathroom a little luxury by adding fresh white towels, a beautiful shower curtain, and fancy hand soap by the sink. While these little luxuries don’t come with the home, they help create the hotel /spa look so that buyers will see your bathroom as positive feature of your home.
Do you have a home that needs to be updated?
Call PITTSBURGH STAGED HOMES at 412-427-2675 to find out how staging can add to the value of your home.
SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT STAGING YOUR BATHROOMS: