The real estate market is crazy right now! Houses are going quickly and for over asking, with multiple offers. THIS is music to a seller’s ears! You might be thinking that skipping the home staging process altogether is doable in this market. And you could be right, depending on the home. However, you’re probably leaving money on the table if don’t invest in some level of staging.
Here are 5 staging tips that are guaranteed to help get buyers’ attention, even in a competitive seller’s market…
1. Find Focal Points and Emphasize Them with Home Staging
Buyers are shopping online for homes first! They’ll take a digital tour of the home, mentally counting up bedrooms, living spaces, and unique features. In an empty house, whether looking online or walking through the space in person, these features all sort of meld together.
Buyers need to have unique features “shown” to them. A home with lots of bedrooms, for instance, can seem both a benefit and a bit of an overwhelm. Staging smaller bedrooms as a home office, home gym, or even a craft room can show your buyer the potential for use.
Similarly, a gorgeous view can be showcased with great staging or even some simple drapery panels.
2. Remove Objects that Rub the Buyer the Wrong Way
Showing your buyer where the television goes is useful as well, but try having only one big black box! Feature how a room might be used, other than for watching television.
Also, you’ll probably have buyers from all sides of the political aisle, so avoid blasting them with your strong views on anything! Political posters and strong religious imagery are best left off the walls in favor of bold, simple art pieces. Overly thematic décor that showcases your favorite animal, comic, or character are also best left out.
Rather than thinking about what YOU like, when home staging, focus on coffee table books, accessories, and art pieces that depict the lifestyle of the home and the use of the specific room.
- Mountain cabin? Some beautiful books on mountain trails in the area are appropriate and some earthy accessories would be a good choice.
- City living? A book on the 100 best local coffee shops or the best hidden gems of your city will set the mood.
- Luxury kitchen? Set a gourmet cookbook on a stand in the kitchen, surrounded by some high-end utensils, for a beautiful display.
3. Make Sure Furniture Matches the Magnitude of the Home
A higher-end home will be shown best with higher-end furniture and accessories to match. Luxurious touches such as throw blankets, extra toss pillows, and a beautifully composed coffee table vignette will make your home look expensive. But don’t ignore the luxury look in smaller scale homes either. Remember, it’s all about balance in home staging!
4. Search for Furniture and Decor in the Right Size and Scale
Be sure that the furniture also matches the scale and quality of the room. A big room needs to have some larger scale pieces to provide balance.
For example, two large sofas and a large coffee table in a very large room will photograph better than several smaller pieces of furniture.
In a small room, don’t fill it with lots of little pieces either. Stick with simple lines but in sizes scaled appropriately for the space.
5. Decide on a Design Aesthetic and Stay Consistent in Home Staging
When staging your home, strive for a consistent feel throughout. This does NOT mean that each room should look the same. On the contrary, each room should have enough of a personality to be easily identified in the pictures.
However, the style of the rooms should flow together seamlessly. If you have a sweet little ranch house, having some glamorous styling won’t flow, just like a large prestigious property will be downgraded with a lot of kitschy, trendy items.
Selling a home is about telling a story. You’re setting the scene for your buyers to live their best life in your home. Thoughtfully staging the home, including preparing the property from curb to backyard, is almost guaranteed to net you the best asking pricing in the quickest amount of time.
If you still have questions about home staging, feel free to contact us or leave a comment below!
Xoxo,
Pamela
