Important Things to Know When Staging Your Home

When you’re trying to sell your home fast and for the highest price possible, it’s critical that potential buyers can see themselves in your home. Part of appealing to buyers is presenting your home in a way that allows them to imagine their life living in your home. One of the common strategies to help this thought process along is called home staging.

Staging is the process of tidying a home, arranging furniture and giving a space that “lived in” feeling so that your home makes an excellent first impression. How do you stage your home so buyers can see the potential of the space?

It’s Time for a Deep Clean

Your home needing to be extremely clean may seem like a given when it’s time to sell, but you may be surprised how important it is. Clean the windows inside and out, mop the floors, dust the blinds and wipe the baseboards to give your home a fresh feeling.

You should open the windows to let in fresh air rather than masking odors with artificial air fresheners that could turn off buyers. A clean home sends the message that it has been well cared for, and smart buyers will want a home that won’t come with too many surprises.

Depersonalize Your Space

Removing your family photos and personal keepsakes as well as general decluttering can be challenging at times, but it’s an important part of home staging. When left sitting out, these items draw the attention of the potential buyer to your family and keeps them from seeing the home as their own.

Arrange Furniture to Show Off the Space

Too much furniture is a big contributor to a cluttered and small looking living space. A quick way to make any room feel a little bigger is to remove unnecessary furniture pieces. Organize the remaining furnishings away from the wall to give the illusion of more space.

Play “musical furniture” and swap items until each room is well furnished and has a clearly defined purpose such as just an office or just a spare bedroom – not an office/den/sewing room/guest room combo. If a room appears to have more than one purpose, people are going to think there just isn’t enough space in the house. If something just isn’t adding value to the space, pack it away. Less is more.

Showcase Bedrooms with Calming Décor

Bedroom walls should be painted a calm, neutral color. Tie the room together with clean coordinating linens and curtains. You can add some interesting textures or color to the neutral scheme by tossing a few accent pillows and a folded blanket on the foot of the bed. When in doubt, keep it simple.

Closet space is a very important feature for potential buyers so it’s essential to highlight how well your space contains your things. Try removing 20 to 40 percent of your wardrobe. A spacious, organized closet with room to spare sends the message that it is easy to manage your belongings with the amount of space.

Spruce Up the Kitchen

If your kitchen is less than modern, a simple paint job might just be a quick fix. Repaint or replace cabinet doors in a neutral color and add modern new hardware to transform the whole space.

It’s important that this room especially shines with clean floors, counters and appliances. Be sure to organize all drawers and cabinets because someone may be taking a look inside to see how well their items fit.

Make Any Needed Repairs

No potential buyer wants to see unfinished work that might mean money out of their pocket come move in. Items such as missing floorboards and cracks in the wall will send an immediate red flag that the house wasn’t well cared for. The little money and effort it takes to repair these flaws will go a long way with potential buyers.

Staging is about more than just rearranging some furniture or putting generic artwork on the walls. It’s about giving your home that welcoming feeling you love that will make any potential buyer feel right at home in your space.