The real estate season is upon us. When selling your home or property, attracting full price offers is top priority, and a properly staged home can be your best asset in drawing as many offers as possible. The following are staging tips to assist you in preparing your home for the market.
Enhance Your Entry
It’s the first thing buyers see, and will serve as the first impression of your house. Utilize the entry by changing the front door color, update the door hardware (or clean and polish the current hardware). Make potential buyers welcome with a clean mat and some lovely potted plants or flowers.
Clean Out Clutter
We all tend to have too much stuff, and clutter is a huge turn off for potential buyers. Be ruthless pertaining to clutter — if you haven’t used it in three months, box it up. If you haven’t used it in a year, get rid of it. Do one room at a time. It’s acceptable to have empty space. If you just can’t get rid of something, be creative on how to store it. Rolling bins that fit under beds are perfect for storage and getting things put away. Too much furniture will also make a home look cluttered and smaller than it is. The goal is to create space — ask what you can live without. Every square foot is prime real estate.
Move or Float Furniture
Once the clutter is moved out, turn to the remaining furniture. Furniture doesn’t have to be pushed against the walls. Moving and floating pieces can help rooms look and feel larger. Move pieces around, even from other rooms, but try to keep perimeters clear with clear pathways.
Let the Light In
Natural light does wonders for a home and makes rooms more inviting. Remove heavy drapery and replace with gauzy and airy fabrics. If you have views, play them up! Look into roman shades, which assist with privacy but at the same time let light in. Airy fabrics like cotton twill or translucent linen simple curtain panels will let the light in during the day and still keep you with privacy at night.
Re-purpose Rooms
Do you have a junk room? Re-purpose rooms that have lost their identity. These can be considered fantasy spaces by most designers: an exercise room, art studio, den, etc. Re-purpose a clutter/junk room into something that will add value to the home. You could also consider loft spaces, stairwell nooks and other areas not utilized or gathering dust as possible areas for increased space.
Light It Up
Many homes are poorly lit, making rooms too dim or hard on the eyes which can deter buyers when they walk into your house. Try for a total of 100 watts for every 50 square feet. Don’t be afraid of dimmers, and replace light-switch covers that are old, dingy or broken. Uplights also help add depth to a room, more so when positioned behind a plant or piece of furniture.
Add Some Color
Color on the walls or as an accent can really make a room stand out. Painting is an inexpensive and simple way to give your house a fresh new look. Neutral colors doesn’t have to mean beige or off-white; warm tans, honey and soft blue-greens all attract the eye and help to make a room feel warmer without going overboard. Accent walls can also add a burst of color. If painting is too dull, add bright colored accessories, such as pillows and throws for subtle bursts of color.
Add Art and Accessories
De-cluttering is important, but so is playing up what you have in the house. Adding art to a drab wall can also add character to a room. Try breaking up the art by patterning and grouping pictures or images together. Add a small touch by accessorizing your room — layer accessories in threes, with varied heights and widths. The eye automatically reads a room from left to right, so adding a large or striking object in the far right corner will draw the eye to it and make the room seem larger. Another accessory not to be overlooked are plants. A vase of fresh flowers, branches, twigs or greenery will add depth and character to a room.