If you are a home seller, does staging really matter? Believe it or not, staging can make a HUGE difference in people’s interest in your property. It serves as a great way to show off the best features of your home. If you want buyers to be attracted to your home, SHOW THEM ITS POTENTIAL! Below we provide some staging tips for improving your home’s market appeal 👇
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- First and foremost, keep the space clean! This may seem like a given, but you would be surprised how many sellers don’t keep their property neat. Keep the home swept, mopped, dusted, vacuumed, and wiped (NO STREAKS ON MIRRORS/GLASS TABLES!). Buyers typically want a fresh, new space, and cleanliness is a strong contributor to someone’s first impression.
- Declutter. Although we are often fond of our own knickknacks and trinkets around the house, they can make a space feel smaller and crowded. Keep your decorations simple and your corners decluttered. In the wise words of Marie Kondo, “Keep only the things that speak to your heart. Then take the plunge and discard all the rest.”
- Remove area rugs. By removing area rugs, you are allowing buyers to see the home’s flooring while also making the space feel bigger. Even if you have a nice area rug, we recommend removing it to show buyers the full potential of your home.
- Reconfigure your furniture. There is no need to go out and buy a lot of new decor items for a home you will be selling. Instead, take a step back and rearrange what you already have for a fresh look. This, paired with declutting, can make a significant difference in the appearance of a room.
- Remove personal photos and items from the home. If you are showing people your property or are posting pictures of the home online or on flyers, it is best not to have personal photos around the house. Buyers like to see personality through decoration, not through personal items.
- Create little vignettes in the rooms. We are referring to small and more stylized decorations. For example, if you have a coffee table in the living room, you can arrange a book and cute coffee cup on the table. Or in the kitchen, you could display a cookbook or spice rack. Use small items you have in your home for personal touches.
- Incorporate paintings, mirrors, and plants in the space. Small touches like these can make a room feel more welcoming and comfortable. *Note: Mirrors make a room feel bigger, so large mirrors can be a great touch in smaller rooms.
- Decorate with soft colors and few accent colors. For staging, it is best to stick with neutral colors because they make a space look clean, open, and bright. Neutrals also help people envision their own decoration in the home, whereas bright colors can be imposing or limit people’s imagination. That being said, there is nothing wrong with incorporating tasteful (and cohesive) accent colors through select decorative items, such as a painting, decorative pillows, a throw, etc. (See staging examples above).
- Keep the linens smooth. When a bed is clean and neatly made, it keeps a room looking sleek. If you have sheets hanging out below the comforter or wrinkled blankets on the bed/couch, it makes a room uninviting.
- Highlight any outdoor space. If you have a patio, balcony, or yard, make it look nice. Include a table and chairs, or, if you have one, a grill. You want to show off your outdoor space as retreat or a place to gather at the end of the day. If you leave it empty, you are missing a golden opportunity.
- Get rid of your old curtains, shutters, and rugs. If you have dark curtains, old blinds, or worn rugs, you will want to remove them. Your space should feel big and bright, and dark/worn items have the opposite effect. We recommend using light or sheer curtains, simple rugs, and/or nice shutters in your home (or just raise the blinds for more light!).
- Last but not least, hide excessive wires. If you have a lot of cords around your house, try to tuck them against the wall and remove any that are unnecessary. This will help your home appear less cluttered.
We hope these tips will help you in your home selling process! It is important to note that some real estate professionals provide home staging when you list your home with them. So if you are hiring an agent, check to see if they include staging!
