When you sell a luxury home in the Hamptons, you are selling not just your property but a luxury lifestyle. Finding the right buyer (and finding them in the shortest time possible) begins with preparation and planning so that your home generates the most interest from potential buyers. Fortunately, there are proven methods to improve your power as the seller, and many of those advantages come in the from of staging your Hamptons property. But look no further — we’ve got the top nine staging tips to sell your luxurious Hamptons home.

Buyers searching for high-end, luxurious homes for sale in the Hamptons want a good deal. And a mini-makeover, with a bit of help from an interior designer, can not only catch more attention from buyers but also gives your home the strategic updates that command top dollar for your property.

However, don’t fall into the trap of putting money into areas of your home that will result in a low return on investment. A quick brainstorming session with a Hamptons realtor can shift your focus toward the renovations that will yield higher gains.

This rule is essential when it comes to the curb appeal of your Hamptons property. As your home’s first impression, curb appeal can do one of two things: make a strong enough impact to invite potential buyers inside or move their home buying journey along to the next house. Start by imagining yourself driving past your Hamptons home.

The more attractive your home’s front yard exterior, the more attention you grab from both buyers driving around the neighborhood and those searching for properties on the internet. Leaving something in poor condition outside your home can give prospective buyers a leg up during home price negotiations. Take care of all the exterior issues before you list your home.

Hire a landscaper to touch up scraggly bushes or trees around the front yard, reinvigorate dead patches of grass, and spread mulch in ways that bring out the best of your property and curb appeal. Take out your power washer and breathe new life into doors, windows, and exterior walls. Think of the extra cash you shell out as a capital investment in staging that improves your chances of selling your Hamptons property.

Try not to think about selling “your” house to buyers and instead focus on selling them a “new” house. You may have grown to love your unique design aesthetics that define the house as yours, but buyers want the chance to imagine themselves living in their own space with their furnishings and personal decor.

Touch up your home’s interior by painting, fixing leaks, repairing drywall dents, buffing floors, and steam-cleaning furniture and rugs. Don’t underestimate the power of cleaning up and cleaning out traces of you throughout the home.

Remember, your distinct tastes will appeal to fewer buyers than something more neutral, leaving room for imagination. Maybe you have artwork, furniture, or window treatments that together create too much of “you” throughout the house. Remove and replace (at least temporarily) anything that gets in the way of buyers picturing their own belongings, lives, and families in the house.

Make it as easy as possible for buyers to create that perfect vision in their mind’s eye. Find a temporary home for your family photos, refrigerator magnets, and to-do lists. Rid the bathrooms of other traces of you, from stray hairs lying in the sink to wet towels crumpled on the floor. The houses for sale in the Hamptons with the cleanest slates often sell the quickest and most money.

While removing traces of you is essential, don’t go overboard by making the inside of your house appear staged or antiseptic. Buyers still want to feel like they’re walking inside a person’s house — just not a scene straight out of Architectural Digest.

How can you maintain that perfect lived-in feel? Start with a bit of editing. For example, remove your knick knacks to declutter the space in your bedroom, but avoid stripping the room of its personality. Rather than showing buyers an empty living space, leave a prized painting or two on the bedroom wall and arrange a small handful of coffee-table books out in the living room.

It’s a balancing act figuring out exactly how to stage your Hamptons home for success. Focus on the dual goals of helping prospective buyers imagine themselves living in your home while leaving just enough behind to show buyers how much you cared for the house.

Furniture straight out of the 1980s has no place in staging your Hamptons luxury home. A home needs to give off a modern, clean-lined vibe to attract the most buyers. If you’re lucky, refreshing and redecorating your outdated living room could be as simple as splurging on a new $1,500 couch. Consider it money well spent if that clever update persuades the right buyer to consider making you an offer.

This tip for staging your luxury Hamptons home piggybacks off the idea of removing traces of you from the house. The bottom line: You may love the bold colors that sit front and center in your living space, but don’t count on potential buyers loving them.

What’s refreshing to you could be jarring to someone else. It’s always best to play it safe by repainting your walls in neutral tones, like white, beige, gray, or greige. This color scheme lets prospective buyers imagine how they would decorate the space.

Today, our smartphones can do some amazing things, and snapping a high-quality photo is one of them. However, a professional photographer does a lot more than just use a high-end camera to help you sell your Hamptons real estate. An experienced photographer can manipulate light and space to make the inside and outside of your house pop. Delegating the task of photographing your house to a professional is always a wise investment. Your Hamptons realtor will have a few in their rolodex.

With enough clean lines in every room and a set of color schemes that double as a painterly canvas, a photographer can work wonders to ensure your listing stands out. You benefit from getting professional advice on what is possible in every shot and what will work best. Rather than dictate how you think the house should look, meet your photographer more than halfway when they provide their directions, insights, and intuitions.

Every scrap of clutter in your Hamptons luxury home needs to go. More than anything else, clutter has the power to transform a beautiful home into an unappealing eyesore. So get rid of all the “stuff” before showing your property. Your home will look more spacious, and you will have reduced the amount of packing you need to do when you move out.

Until you sell your Hamptons home, get used to the idea of living clutter-free. For valuable tips on achieving a clutter-free home, read Marie Kondo’s bestselling book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing.

Not only do you need to get out of the house frequently, but you also have to deal with the residue of your daily life. Junk mail, bills, magazines, dishes, laptops, iPads, gym clothes, and shoes must be out of sight. And avoid simply stuffing these items under the bed or in a closet because buyers look there, too.

A storage unit is a simple investment when decluttering your living space. When the goal is to make your rooms appear and feel larger, big pieces of furniture can stand in the way. Rather than stuffing everything into your garage and scrambling every time you show your Hamptons estate, create a temporary home for the more significant pieces in your home, including boxes filled with out-of-season clothes and some of the louder artwork in your home.

Just because your home has the space to accommodate large furniture and other numerous decorative items doesn’t mean you want them to get in the way of a potential buyer imagining their lives in your home. A storage unit is a convenient solution for organizing your items and maintaining a clutter-free home that can make a big impression on the prospective next owner of the house.

If you’re ready to list your Hamptons home, contact the Mackay Dixon Team to start the process. With decades of experience and expert knowledge, Matthew and Benjamin promise to make your Hamptons real estate dreams a reality. Contact us today!