Making a Lasting Impression with 13 Home Staging Tips

Staging a home properly can make a huge difference in the number and quality of offers you get on your house, with a staged house selling up to 80% faster than an unstaged house. The process of preparing a house for prospective buyers through renovations, accessorizing, and arranging furniture allows sellers to get buyers’ attention. Staging gives the homebuyer a great first impression and helps them envision themselves in the space. Thereby increasing the chances the buyer will make an offer. A professional home stager will ensure your home appeals to today’s homebuyer. Here are 13 easy home staging tips that will help you prepare and give your home a lasting impression.

Most people have many personal items, knick-knacks, papers, and pictures scattered about their houses. These can distract home buyers and make the room look smaller and untidy. All family photos should be packed away, as buyers want to envision their own life in the house, not the current owners. Counters, shelves, and tables should show significant surface area. However, it is possible to take this advice too far, and the space becomes barren. Remove personal items but keep some decorations to add personality.

A clean home with open curtains or blinds and natural light coming in feels welcoming and fresh, creating the atmosphere you want. Dirt, mess, and smells do not encourage homebuyers. Make sure the whole house is well cleaned, dusted, and free from odors and small issues like leaky sinks and cracked walls are fixed. Evidence of pets should also be removed.

If your hardwood floors have seen better days, you should consider refinishing them or giving them a coat of paint. Scuffed, dirty, or worn floors can lower the feel of the entire room, and refinishing or painting the floor is an affordable way to make them look brand new without replacing the whole floor.

The walls can often use a fresh coat of paint as well. Pick a softer, lighter color, such as neutrals, pastels, or naturals, which will brighten the room and make the space look bigger. If you already have walls in a dark, bright, or bold color, consider painting over them with something more neutral. While dark colors can work, lighter shades are the safer option.

However, you do not want the space to feel bland either. Lighter wall colors work best when there are pops of darker or brighter colors elsewhere, such as in the furniture, pillows, or curtains. Many people gravitate naturally towards blue, but what color you pick may depend on the style of your house or what is in fashion in your area.

While many people have multipurpose rooms in their homes, when trying to sell a house, each room should have a single, clear purpose. Many people find it difficult to visualize what a space could be, so it is your job to show them. Bedrooms are the rooms that add the most value to a house, so any room legally considered a bedroom should be furnished as one. However, in today’s market, many people are looking for a home office, so consider staging a room as one.

When laying out a room and arranging the furniture, it is important to arrange it so it looks its best, rather than for practicality. It does not matter if the TV can be seen from every chair; it matters that the room looks attractive and feel spacious. Open floor plans especially lend themselves to creative staging.

Potential homebuyers need to be able to see themselves living comfortably in the space. Sometimes this means sectionals instead of a couch, or up-to-date, comfortable furniture. The room can feel small if the furniture is large and bulky. However, if the furniture is too small for the space, the room can look off. Balance is more important than comfort when staging your home.

The kitchen is one of the most important rooms in the house. Clear the counters and dining room table of food and appliances, unless it is a decorative bowl of fruit. Give the cabinets a fresh coat of paint, and consider replacing the door and drawer handles. Adding these small touch-ups can make a huge difference.

As making the best possible first impression is a large part of staging, it is important to stage the front yard and the front entrance as well. Paint the front door, mow the lawn, clean the windows, and weed the path and garden. If you have a front porch, include a couple of chairs and a small table, and some plants. Fresh flowers in the garden, on either side of the door, or in a hanging basket can go a long way in creating a positive effect.

The little details can make a big difference. Big pillows on a couch add volume to a room, and also can add color. However, throw pillows with loud and busy patterns should be avoided. Placing a book, candle, or decorative piece on the coffee table can make the room look less bare. Bed sheets and bathroom towels should be white, and scented candles or oil diffusers can create a welcoming atmosphere.

Mirrors serve a variety of purposes when staging a house. They add depth and brightness to the room and can make it look significantly bigger than it is. Mirrors also work as focal points and statement pieces. Consider hanging a mirror on the wall, putting one on the mantel, or utilizing a reflective art piece.

Large potted plants work great as a way to fill the empty spaces in a room, as well as add some color and help clean the air. All plants in the house, from the large ones in the corner to a vase of flowers on a table, should ideally be live plants. Be aware of faux plants that feel cheap and give the vibe of a hotel instead of a prospective home.

If you are selling your house in the Austin area, consider choosing a realtor from the Speed and Neuren Group. This team of experienced professionals, which includes Jamie Tisdale, Desiree Gutierrez, Candace Comer, and other real estate experts, provides a relationship-focused approach to selling a house.

Learn more about what the Speed and Neuren Group can do for you or contact them today.