Home Staging Guide
What is Staging?
Home staging goes a step beyond the common criteria of just presenting a neat and orderly home. The process takes take preparing your home to be sold a bit further.
Staging is a way of showcasing your home so potential buyers can visualize themselves living in it. There are professional home stagers in most areas that offer their services for a set fee. Generally they can work with your own furnishings to create a comfortable new welcoming look. They might re-arrange furniture or change some pictures or decorations from room to room. Your interior decoration looks wonderful, but remember that it needs to be presented in a way that potential buyers can see it as their own home.
“Staging Tips & Techniques”
Home Staging Tips and Checklist
Changes that make immediate improvements:
Eliminate offensive odors. Odors, good and bad, are the first things potential buyers notice as they enter a home. Make certain the scent in the air is welcoming and not a deterrent.
Reduce Clutter. Put away small kitchen appliances and other items placed on tables and countertops. This frees up space and gives a larger more open feel in the kitchen and dinning areas.
Clean and Sparkling This is a must for everything from windows to floors. Remember to clean the microwave, stovetop, oven, and all other major appliances. Windows and skylights should be crystal clear.
A Note about Vacant Homes Keep the climate controlled in a vacant home as well as in an occupied one. This will prevent stale air and mildew smells and will create a more comfortable setting for prospects. Periodically check the exterior of the home and yard as well.
Do not forget about curb appeal. We mentioned the obvious; nicely manicured lawn, flower beds, and garden.
The front door is also important. Adorn the door or entry area to capture the buyers’ attention.
Staging Tips Checklist
q Identify you home’s best features and how to showcase them.
q Pack up personal collection and items that may distract potential buyers focus from looking at your home.
q While you home is on the market, leave a few pictures out, but put away the majority of personal and family photos. This will help any potential buyer to more easily envision their own family and belongings in the home.
q Removing some excess furniture will make a room look and feel more spacious. Even though that chair and end table look great together in the corner of the living room, removing them will open up the room.
q Plants can be complimentary with nearly every home staging theme. Add plants, preferably real, in the main living and family areas.
q Ask the opinion of either an un-bias person, or a friend that will be frank with you so you can make your home feel inviting to potential buyers.
Staging Techniques
Expand a Small Room
One way to expand a small room is to hang a large landscape print with a faraway horizon. This will create the illusion of more space.
Broaden a Narrow Room
Paint one wall a darker, richer color. Hang an exciting print on that wall, then hang a custom framed mirror on the opposite wall. The reflected art will make the room appear wider.
Heighten a Low Ceiling
In a room with a low ceiling try using a darker floor covering. Then choose a light color to use on both the ceiling and walls to draw the eye upward. Hang prints with strong vertical lines to heighten the ceilings. Using portrait format (taller than wider) will add to the sense of height.
Warm up a Stark Space
Warm up a stark space by using Country-inspired prints. Mix the prints with antiques, quilts and country accessories for a cozier feeling.
Fresh Air for a Cramped Room
Do you have a room that is small, dark, and cramped? Introduce a breath of fresh air with some beautiful prints to bring the outdoors in and brighten space with bursts of color.
Lengthen a Room
Hang prints with strong horizontal lines to create the illusion of increased length in your room. For best results use the landscape style format and prints with light expansive colors (several prints in a row compound the effect.) Panoramic vistas work very well for this situation.
Room Without Windows
Use prints to open up a space in rooms with few or no windows. Landscapes, windows and doorways lead the eye outward to create the illusion of added space and light.
Since every home is different, each has different options. Taking time to prepare the home should put extra dollars in your pocket in less than average time. Rather than trying to make your home look perfect or professionally decorated, focus on facilitating the buyers’ vision of living in their “new home”.
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