5 Staging Tips to Help You Sell Your Home and 3 Mistakes to Avoid
Selling a home can be tough. With these tips for staging your home you can rest assured that your house will put its best face forward.
Are you looking to get your home off the market quickly?While there are a lot of tactics you can employ to sell your home quickly, one of the most important things to do is to properly stage your home. In fact, 81 percent of homebuyers say that a staged home makes it easier for them to visualize the property as their future home. And, 45 percent of homebuyers say that if a home is decorated to their tastes, it will positively impact the value of the home. But, if you're new to the home staging process, it can be tough to figure out how to stage your home in a manner that's appealing to buyers. Luckily, with the right know-how, you can stage your home like a pro and get it off the market in no time. Check out this guide to learn the top tips for staging your home, as well as the top mistakes to avoid.
1. Get Rid of Clutter
The staging process all begins with a thorough decluttering session. A decluttered home not only looks cleaner, but it also looks larger. Here are some top tips to keep in mind when decluttering your home:Declutter one room at a time before moving on to the next roomMake piles with your belongings: A trash pile, donation pile, and keep pileIf you have time and the process seems overwhelming, declutter in small chunks of timeAfter you finish decluttering your home, it's time to move onto the deep cleaning. If you have room in your budget, we suggest hiring a professional cleaner to take care of this portion of the project.
2. Stage Where It Counts
When it comes to staging your home, you don't need to take pictures of every single nook and cranny for potential buyers to see. The point of staging your home isn't to get buyers to make a decision about your home on the spot, it's to entice them to come and check out your home in person. This means that when you're staging your home, you should focus your efforts on the rooms that have the biggest potential to influence a buyer's decision. And, you should spend less time staging rooms that won't have a huge influence on them. Typically, the rooms with the most importance are the living room, kitchen, and master bedroom. The rooms that aren't as important (but still deserve some attention), include the laundry room, dining room, study, bathrooms, and other spare bedrooms.
3. De-Personalize Your Space
Personal items are a big part of what makes a house a home. But, when you're trying to sell your home, these personal items can actually work against you. This is because when buyers are shopping for a new home, they don't want to imagine the sellers in it, they want to imagine themselves in it. In order for buyers to be able to visualize a space as theirs, you need to de-personalize it.Remove personal photos, antiques and collectibles, magnets, trophies, and awards. Keep personal bathroom items such as toothbrushes, contact solution, and feminine hygiene products stowed away. And, keep your clothes stored and out of sight. You should also stow away anything that's overtly religious or political — anything that reflects your personal beliefs. While de-personalizing your space may feel a little weird, it's essential if you want buyers to connect with your property.
4. Improve Your Home's Curb Appeal
Many homeowners focus so much on staging the inside of their homes, that they forget about outside staging. However, outside staging is a big deal, as it's the first thing that potential buyers will see. In order to get buyers in the door, we recommend doing the following:Power wash your walkways and homeMow the lawn Clean your windowsMake sure your house number is visible and easy to readPlant flowers and trim overgrown shrubsPlace potted plants and a welcome mat on your front stepIf you have a porch, add some outdoor furnitureIf your home has large windows, highlight them by adding some warm lighting inside your homeBy employing these curb appeal tips, you'll start buyers off on the right foot.
5. Focus on Furniture
Furniture can make all the difference when it comes to home staging. If you have the budget, we definitely suggest renting furniture for staging. While this may seem excessive, rented furniture comes with a lot of benefits, including:It allows you to keep up with the trendsIt costs less than buying new furniture at full priceIt allows you to focus on designing and planning your home staging, as most furniture companies take care of the delivery, assembly, and pick-upKeeps your home looking show-room readyIf you can't afford to rent staging furniture, then you should at least rearrange it so it's more appealing to buyers. We suggest using the "floating furniture" technique, in which you position couches, chairs, and other items away from the walls to make the space look bigger.
Home Staging Mistakes
Now that you know what to do to stage your home, let's talk a bit about what you shouldn't do. Here are the top home staging mistakes to avoid:
1. Not Considering Your Target Audience
Many sellers completely forget about their target audience when staging their homes. In real estate, your target audience refers to anyone who is likely to buy your home or the demographics of your neighborhood. For example, if your neighborhood is made up of mostly young families and young professionals, then it's best to stick with modern decor and a modern color palette.
2. Not Including Some Contrast
You don't want to get so caught up de-personalizing your home that you forget to add some contrast. When it comes to adding contrast, remember the 60-30-10 rule. This rule dictates that primary and secondary shades should make up 60 and 30 percent of your home, respectively, and 10 percent of your home should be composed of accent shades.
3. Taking Low-Quality Photos
A perfectly staged home means nothing if the photos you take of it are low-quality. If you're not great with a camera, we suggest hiring a professional photographer to take care of the staging photos.
Tips for Staging Your Home: Are You Ready to Stage It?
Now that you have these tips for staging your home in mind, it's time to begin the process. Also, if staging your home seems completely overwhelming, check out this guide to learn if selling your home as-is is a good idea.