When people think of Staging, they typically think of furniture that doesn't belong to the owner & luxurious decor that nobody can afford. Thats not REALLY all staging is though. Staging is essentially the sprucing up of a home to make it look desirable & appealing to Buyers. This can include things like a vacant home having furniture put into it to help Buyers to visualize themselves there, simply things such as planting & lawn manicuring in the front or back yard, painting rooms, de-cluttering, moving around Homeowner's existing furniture to appeal to as many Buyers as possible and so many more things!
As a Realtor, I use a professional company called Realtor's Choice (message me if you're a Realtor looking for GOOD prices and QUALITY staging!) But as a Home Owner, maybe you're looking for tips and tricks to help your home SELL. Maybe you are looking to have the bank appraisal come in a tad higher so you want it to look as appealing as possible? Maybe you're a new Realtor just looking for some tips. Either way, I've compiled a list of AWESOME staging tips!
I've broken them down Room by Room!
THE LIVING ROOM
Remove unneeded furniture. Have a really cozy chair, ottoman or funky piece that is sentimental or not very appealing? If you can bare to part with it for a couple weeks, I would say maybe try to move it to storage or the garage or even the basement. Unfortunately many Buyers have a hard time looking past furniture or decor that doesn't fit their style or taste (usually those sentimental or worn out objects) & once you sell, simply put it back :)
Pull Furniture away from the wall. This might sound silly, but it actually makes the room look slightly larger & it gives the space a more spacious feel overall. People tend to lean toward homes that feel spacious and open.
Replace dark coloured curtains with light coloured ones. Again, this makes the room feel more spacious, it offers more natural light into the space allowing it to feel open, airy and happier than a darker & blacked out blinds or curtains. People love natural light and feel more inclined to buy homes that they feel have lots of natural light.
Tuck cords away. TV cords, lamp cords, your phone chargers etc; don't leave cords laying all over the place because it tends to turn people off. Don't let such small things be the reason someone gets turned off of your home.
Group smaller & like-kind art together. Don't place a depressing Picasso next to an Andy Warhol Pop Art piece LOL. Darks go with darks, lights go with light, funky stuff goes with funky stuff.
THE DINING ROOM
Remove the leaf from your table if it's in there; This will make your table look smaller & thus, make the room look larger. Simple.
Set the dining table properly. Formal setting of dining tables makes people feel cozy and like the home is more elegant. Setting 2-4 places is sufficient, no need to set a 10 course place setting for 12 guests that don't exist. Just a Nice plate, a salad plate or bowl, a linen napkin, form and knife. If you want to go that extra step further, add a wine glass. You can look up on Pinterest some really cool ideas for folding linen napkins :)
Add a centre piece to your dining table; This is a good idea ESPECIALLY if you've decided against setting the table like I previously suggested. A fruit bowl, flowers, a taller & ornate decor piece or something festive if you're selling during the holidays.
Open the blinds to allow natural light in. Further, you can tie them back nicely with a ribbon or install metal holders. You can even get these at the Dollar Store.
use 100 watt Light Bulbs - who would have thought that changing the LIGHT BULBS would improve a space? Well, 100 watt really brightens up a space. change them out in rooms like foyers, dining rooms etc.
THE KITCHEN
Remove as many items from the counter as possible! I can't say this enough, especially prior to taking photos at VERY LEAST. The dish soap - put it under the sink, the garbage- in a proper bin or under the sink, toasters or blenders- in a cupboard or tucked away as much as possible (meaning OFF the counter)! There is really no room people pay attention to more than the Kitchen, so make it look like a home magazine cover.
Add an accent colour with a bowl of fruit, small decor pieces, wall art (yes, wall art can go in the kitchen too lol), or flowers. One step further, if you've done an accent colour in the dining room or done flowers then do the SAME thing in the Kitchen. These two rooms go hand in hand.
Paint dated cabinets. This is a quick DIY & this will look a hundred times better in the photos and look a whole lot different to Buyers ! The first reno most Buyers discuss doing is the Kitchen - its also one of the most expensive, so help them to see past a dated kitchen by sprucing it up in a cheap way by painting or staining old looking cabinets. Takes half a day from start to finish and will add so much more value and appeal toyour home overall. Trust me.
Replace old knobs and hardware. If you have drawer knobs from the 70's, it might be time to replace them. You can get simple and plain knobs or hardware from Home Hardware, Home Depot, Lowes, Rona for super cheap. Spend 50-100$ and add a whole lot more to your home's worth, especially paired with painting the cabinets.
Clean out the fridge. For real, people are nosey. Simple. No explanation needed. Yes, its rude, but people do it LOL.
THE BEDROOM
Remove the TV or tuck it away in the closet (or any other entertainment items) these tend to be things that turn off Buyers. Many Buyers don't bring electronics into the bedroom and again, we're back to the fact that ultimately, many Buyers seem to have a hard time understanding that THEIR life int he home will be different from YOUR life in the home. Just try to appeal to buyers. Better yet, if you have a wardrobe that closes or a closing entertainment unit, then you can easily just close it to hide it during photos or showings. If someone opens your wardrobe its just rude and really against policy, so don't worry as that shouldn't happen.
Fresh white linens on the bed during the photos & if you can manage during showings. This gives the bedroom a hotel vibe that makes the room feel elegant and spacious as well as 'new and refreshing'. Overall, it's a good vibe to have in your bedroom.
Add throw pillows. Again, the same idea as above, offers more of a cozy feel to the home, gives it a touch of elegance & appeals to Buyers in the sense that they will feel like they will be comfy & cozy in your home.
Pull the bed away from any corners. Ideally, you want to have the Bed in the middle of a wall that to make the room look larger & more open as well as symmetrical. We want to always try to avoid making rooms look cluttered or small. Pulling the bed away from any corners will do just that and have an opening affect on the room :)
Place some wall art on the wall in strategic areas. My favourite way to use wall art in the bedroom is a very large piece as a headboard. It makes the room look much larger, makes the bed look larger even though it isn't because it elongates the bed by using the wall rather than floor space.
Well, thats all my suggestions for now. As always, if you have any questions I'm ALWAYS here to help and can always offer you some tips and tricks. Feel free to email me at sfarrauto@rmxemail.com any time or give my office a call 905-575-5478 & ask for Sirrah. Thanks for reading :)
Comments