One of the best investments you can make before selling your home is to stage it. Staging increases the likelihood of receiving an offer quickly and selling your home for the highest possible price. Research indicates that staged homes sell for an average of 17 percent more than ones that have not been staged.
There are times when particular rooms in a house may be awkward, which is why it is necessary to show people how to make the most of them. An empty house might feel cold and lack the charm of a home.
Good staging shows off your home's best features and tries to hide its flaws, making it easier for buyers to want to live there. When done correctly, staging your home provides it an advantage over other properties on the market. Make your home stand out from others with these helpful staging tips.
1. Improve the appearance of your home's exterior
Buyers begin their decision-making process all the way from the street, not just when they walk through your front door. A buyer's first impression of your home will either make or break your chances of making a sale. First impressions create a mental image in your buyer's head that stays with them throughout the viewing process.
Creating a stunning first impression with your house's curb appeal is an important part of home staging. A beautiful exterior immediately grabs your buyer's attention, and everything else they see after that reinforces that first impression and makes them want to purchase your home.
Here are some ideas on how to improve your home's curb appeal
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Clean your roof, gutters, and siding
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Give the front door a fresh coat of paint
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Brown lawns are not welcoming, so make sure your yard is well manicured and looks lively
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Replace the mailbox and old house numbers
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Fill in empty beds and window boxes with flowers and greenery
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Add outdoor seating to make your home's exterior cozier
A spectacular exterior will pique your buyer's interest, making them eager to see more of your home.
2. Thoroughly clean the entire house
The first thing you need to do when staging the interior of your home is to give it a deep cleaning. The majority of home buyers place a high priority on a home's cleanliness before making a purchase decision. Even experienced remodelers are cautious about purchasing a house that seems like it has been abandoned for a long time.
The kitchen and the bathrooms should be your first priorities. There is nothing quite as disgusting as a filthy kitchen or bathroom, so ensure they are thoroughly cleaned. Deep clean the crevices of the sinks and bathtubs to get rid of any soap or dirt residue. Ensure the bathrooms' windows are open, so the room can smell clean and fresh.
Remember to take care of the floors as well as any other surfaces. Now is the time to clean the walls if you don't regularly do it. Scrub the tiles to remove dirt and grime, then clean the windows and the doors.
Thoroughly clean every piece of furniture in the house, including mattresses, sofas, and chairs. Carpets and rugs tend to accumulate dust, so make sure they are vacuumed and aired. Clean decor pieces and furnishings, as they can amass a significant amount of dirt over time.
3. Declutter and depersonalize
People tend to amass plenty of belongings after living in the same residence for a long time. However, buyers don't want to walk into a property and find it cluttered with the things you've accumulated over the years. Clutter will not only make your home appear smaller, but it will also prevent potential buyers from seeing the best characteristics of your property.
It is crucial to depersonalize your property before selling it since prospective buyers want to be able to see themselves living there. The presence of personalized artifacts, such as photographs of the family, souvenirs, and other mementos, gives the buyer the impression that they are in someone else's home.
To depersonalize and declutter your home:
- Rent a storage unit, and store the items you haven't used in a considerable amount of time.
- Organize your bookshelves by reducing the number of decorative items you have on them. Although decor pieces make a home feel cozy, too many of them might be distracting to potential home buyers.
- Many home buyers like checking out the storage options in your home, so avoid hiding things in closets.
- Put away your children's toys and your pet's supplies. Keep the ones you use and donate or throw away the rest.
One tip to guide your decluttering process is only to keep items that are either attractive or functional. After you have decluttered and cleaned your home, you can then move on to decorating it for buyers.
4. Add pops of color
Painting your house is a great way to give it a makeover and make it stand out. A well-executed paint job not only brings more light into a room but also makes it look larger and more well-kept.
When selecting a paint color for your home, it is important to keep in mind that the buyer may have preferences that differ from yours, and selecting the wrong wall color could cause them to lose interest in buying your home. Make sure your paint job gives your buyer a neutral base to add any decor style they choose.
When you are staging a property, it is recommended to work with a color palette that is neutral. The use of neutral colors is classic, makes decorating a breeze, and reflects light well, all of which contribute to the illusion that a space is larger. Other than painting, you can add color using potted plants, soft furnishings, and decor pieces.
5. Use the right furniture pieces
If you want to sell your home quickly, one of the things you should focus on is making sure that prospective buyers appreciate the amount of space in your property. A helpful piece of advice for house staging is to make sure that each individual piece of furniture in the home is suitable for the specific room it is in.
When you have large pieces of furniture, your home appears cramped. On the other hand, small furniture pieces can make your home feel empty. Choose pieces of furniture that not only look good in a room but also highlight the room's primary function. It is important, for instance, to stage the living room such that it draws attention to its function as a place for socializing and unwinding.
Find a focal point in each room and arrange the rest of the furniture around it. A good tip is to begin with the larger pieces of furniture and then build everything else around them. Experiment by rearranging the pieces of furniture in order to get the best angles. No matter what you do, make sure your pieces of furniture are neatly arranged and appealing.
6. Give each room its own vibe
When you stage a home for sale, one of the essential things you can do is make sure that every room in the house has its own vibe. All the rooms should come together to create a cozy and inviting home, but each room in the house should stand out on its own.
For example, if your home has several bedrooms, it would be redundant to paint all of them the same color or furnish them using similar decor pieces. Experimenting with various themes for each of the bedrooms would be a fun way to create some contrast.
Your job is to show potential home buyers that every inch of your home can be used in some way. By giving your rooms some individuality, you make potential buyers marvel at the uniqueness of each room, making them want to live there.
7. Choose the right accessories for each room
Accessorizing your home is the final step in the home staging process. A general tip when trying to sell your home is to go for a decor style that will appeal to the greatest number of prospective buyers. Here are some tips for accessorizing the different rooms in your home:
Living room
It is important to make a good impression on potential buyers in the living room because this is typically the first room they see when viewing your home. Replace thick drapes with sheer ones to increase the amount of natural light that enters the room. Use throw blankets and pillows to decorate your sofas.
Home office
Add office space if you can. Having an office in your home gives you a competitive advantage because so many individuals are migrating to remote or hybrid work. Using a cute mug as a pencil holder or adding an attractive wastebasket is a good way to make your office pop on a budget.
Bathroom
When it comes to home staging your bathrooms, strive for a simple, clean, and spa-like vibe. Use candles, potted plants, or expensive-looking soap containers to accessorize your bathrooms. Add in some clean white towels to bring in that spalike feel.
Kitchen
Installing a new kitchen is not necessary because your taste may differ from that of potential buyers. Instead, make small changes like replacing old cabinet handles and knobs. Decorate the countertop of your kitchen with some bright fruits and vegetables that are in season.
Dining room
Home buyers want a dining room that can accommodate their existing furniture, as well as their lifestyle. Put a rug under the dining table to give it some texture and make it look more grounded. You can create a beautiful centerpiece by including a few candles, a floral arrangement, and a nice table runner.
Garage
Many first-time home buyers consider the garage one of the most significant rooms in a property. Therefore, staging the garage is just as important as staging the interior of your home. When it comes to accessorizing your carriage-style garage door, decorative door handles are an excellent choice.
Let Sherry Beindorff help you stage your home
It will be much simpler for potential buyers to picture themselves living in your property if it is already furnished and beautifully styled. Sherry Beindorff is a Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist, so she knows that buying and selling a home is more than just a transaction. Do you want to sell your home faster and for a higher price? Contact Sherry today!
