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Home staging is a process of preparing the home before selling the home. Some modifications done in the home may have a big impact on the overall outlook. Staging the home in a right way may increase the selling potential of the home. The main areas to focus on staging are usually Kitchen, Living room, Bath rooms, Bedrooms, Entry way, Outdoor spaces. It might help accentuate the best features of the home and impress the buyer.
What Is Staging?
Home staging is different from decorating as decorating reflects the personal style of the home and the people of the home. Home Staging is focused on emphasizing the usage potential of the home by accentuating the best features of the home. It enables the buyers to visualize themselves on the home. Home staging doesn't always mean hiring professionals, some can be done by the sellers themselves. Staging the home may also make the Buyers feel move in ready and visualizing an improved lifestyle.
Why is it important?
Some of the benefits of Staging a home are as follows.
Home staging, when done in a right way may help to sell your home faster than the homes that aren't staged.
It may help the property stand out from the rest of the competitive listings on the market.
Shows ways to optimize the usage potential of the space.
It might help in increasing the selling price of the home.
The home looks better in Listing photos, flyers or other visual marketing mediums.
It might help make an emotional connection and a lasting impression.
Home Staging Tips
Living room
Choosing the right type of furniture in right size not only gives a lively look, it also makes it look spacious. Adding a large mirror may make the living room look brighter and larger. Adding a neutral rug and house plants may bring a lot of warmth in the living room. It is always best to highlight the best features in the any room, for example if the living room has a beautiful view, you my accentuate the windows to draw attention to the view. Staging furniture according to the room is very important. Pushing all the furniture against the wall may make the room look bigger but may also make the room look out of proportion.
Kitchen and Dining room
Having the kitchen deep cleaned, removing dirt and stains from cabinets, cooking tops, backsplashes gives it a fresh look. You may clear out the counter top and accessorize with matching cookware or a bowl of fresh fruit, such as lemon which adds a beautiful pop of color. You may upgrade the appliances and may choose appliances with a stainless steel finish. Leaving some space on the pantry may make the kitchen look bigger and spacious. Remove trashcans from the sight. Accessorize dining table with runners, center pieces like flower vase, candle holders. Give it a good lighting and store matching dining items in open shelves if present.
Bathroom
Clearing out the personal items and degriming and sanitizing all the surfaces of the bathroom to give it a fresh look. Painting the bathroom and repainting the cabinets in a neutral color might make it more appealing. Adding some flower vases on the counter top and opening windows to let the light in might give the bathroom a warm ambient. You may accessorize with white towels, scented candles, air fresheners etc.
Bedrooms
You may remove some of your clothing from the closet to give it a decluttered and spacious look. You may choose a neutral colored rugs, fluffy white duvet cover, large lamps that go with the interior of the room. You may also change one of the bedroom as an office or any other room to give it a new functionality. Store all the precious and personal items safely and try removing the personalized items such as television, gaming sets to create a calm setting.
Exterior and Backyard
Buying a new doormat, adding some plants, adding a fresh coat of paint to the door and entry way makes it very inviting. You may power wash the home's entryway, steps, driveway and porch. You may trim the plants and shrubs on the lawn, cover the imperfect planting space with mulch, clear out any cobwebs or insects present, hide trash cans. This increases the curb appeal and creates a memorable impression on the buyers. If the home has a considerable size backyard, choose a simple and comfortable furniture. You may add a fire pit to use it as a campfire or to warm up during winter or a barbecue station with a small seating place enough for a small gathering. Small additions to the home may become a huge selling point.
Highlight the home's best features
Highlighting the home's best features is very important to sell the home faster and to a higher price. For example, if the home has a beautiful fire place, try decorating and arranging furniture in a way the fireplace becomes the focus point. If the home has a beautiful backyard, try adding a barbecue station with storage and seating area, this becomes a major selling point who love to socialize and get together at their home.
Flooring and Drapes
Hanging a set of drapes in the right color instead of cheap blinds brings the room together and sets the tone of the room. Casual drapes are apt for the areas like kitchen and living room. This has a space between floor and curtain, making it easier to manage. Formal curtains doesn't have any space between the curtain and floor and it creates a dramatic effect on the room. Common areas like living room or dining room may be upgraded with hard wood floors as they are easy to maintain and clean. Ceramic tiles, Vinyl tiles or stone are apt for the bathroom and kitchen floors for easy maintenance.
Lighting
Painting the room in neutral and bright colors make the room look brighter and bigger. Choose colors like white, cream, off white etc. When these light colors are matched up with the right lighting, it might make the room look brighter and welcoming. Take advantage of natural light by opening up the curtains, turn on the lights while showing or add some light fixtures.
Rearranging furniture
You may also try to rearrange the furniture according to the rooms instead of upgrading and make sure the furniture is in the right size for the room. The furniture should be arranged in a way it is spacious and easy to navigate. Furniture in the living room should be arranged in a way it makes a great conversation area.
Walls and Ceilings
The cracks are usually caused by foundational issues and it may pose as a red flag in the buyer's decision to buy the house. It is best to fix any foundational issues before putting the home on the market or let the buyer know about the issues beforehand. If there aren't any major issues, you may try patching up the cracks found on the walls and ceilings.
Adding Mirrors
Adding mirrors on the living room might open up the space and make it look more spacious. Adding mirrors on the right spots of the home also bring in a lot of light in the home. If you are not sure about the choice of artwork to be added on to the wall, an accent mirror may be added instead of that.
Pet Owners
Remove all the pet items such as beds, toys, blankets, food bowls etc as the smell of the pets seeps into its belongings. Try removing the odor of the pets instead of masking it with fragrance. Take the pets with you while leaving the home. Remove any stains on the carpets and rugs and use a cleaning formula designed for pet odors. You may take the pets with you while leaving the home during the showing. Vacuuming the floors and carpets before leaving the home might help in getting rid of any pet hairs.
Usage of awkward areas
If your home has any awkward areas, be creative and change those areas into a practical and functional space. For example, an area under the stairs may be used as a small workstation, play area for the kids, store a book shelf.
Renting a storage area to store excess belongings makes the home spacious. You may also make a list of improvements made at the home and share it with the buyers to avoid the best features overlooked and draw focus and attention to the best features of the home.