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Are you looking to sell your house quickly? Home staging is a great way to make your home more attractive and appealing to potential buyers.
Professional home staging techniques can help you maximize the sale of your property, making it easier for prospective buyers to visualize themselves living in the space.
With simple tips and tricks, you can present an inviting atmosphere that will draw people in and ultimately lead to a faster sale. Fletchers Capital explores how professional house staging techniques can give your home a competitive edge on the market.
What is Home Staging?
Home staging is the practice of preparing a residential property, typically a house or an apartment, to make it more appealing to potential buyers or renters.
The goal of home staging is to present the property in the best possible light, highlighting its desirable features and minimizing any flaws or drawbacks.
A professional home stager, also known as a property stylist, works with the existing furnishings, decor, and layout of the home or brings in new furniture and accessories to enhance its visual appeal. The stager carefully arranges and organizes the space, strategically placing furniture, artwork, and decorative items to create an inviting and attractive atmosphere.
Here are 8 home staging tips to get you started >>>
- Create a neutral colour palette
- De-clutter and Depersonalise
- Use mirrors to make spaces feel bigger
- Brighten the space with greenery
- Furniture arrangement and space optimisation
- Maximizing curb appeal
- Artwork
- Staging props
Create A Neutral Colour Palette
A neutral colour palette is one of the most critical aspects of professional home staging. It appeals to a wide range of potential buyers, allowing them to easily visualize how to make the home their own with their personal touches. Neutral colours are timeless and will not appear dated in a few years.
When picking out colours for your house staging, select complimentary shades that work harmoniously and create a calming atmosphere.
Light beiges, greys, whites, and pastels work well when creating a neutral palette and act as a blank canvas for buyers. These colours reflect natural light, making rooms appear more open and spacious. This can be especially beneficial for smaller rooms or homes with limited natural light.
Neutral colours often convey a sense of cleanliness, freshness, and modernity that can make a strong impression on potential buyers. By using neutral tones, you’re conveying a well-maintained and move-in-ready vibe, which can increase the overall appeal and market value of the property.
Additionally, use pops of bright accent colours sparingly throughout the space to add interest without overwhelming buyers with too much boldness.
De-Clutter and Depersonalize
When it comes to house staging, it is crucial to keep the house clutter-free and depersonalized so potential buyers can feel comfortable envisioning themselves living there.
Clutter can be distracting and makes a space look smaller and less inviting. It also takes away from any features or updates in the home that the buyer may be interested in.
When buyers enter a home, they want to envision themselves living there. Cluttered spaces can be distracting and make it difficult for buyers to visualize the potential of the property.
By decluttering, you remove excess items, allowing the space to appear larger, more organized, and more inviting. Clearing countertops, minimizing furniture, and organizing storage areas help create a sense of spaciousness and cleanliness.
Depersonalizing is also vital in house staging, allowing buyers to make the space their own without working around someone else’s decor and furniture. Remove any family photographs or knick-knacks that are too personalized for the buyer’s taste.
Buyers are often attracted to homes that require minimal effort to move into. By decluttering and depersonalizing, you communicate to buyers that the property is well-maintained and ready for them to make it their own.
This can be a significant selling point, as buyers are more likely to be drawn to homes that appear move-in ready and require less immediate work or cleaning.
Use Mirrors To Make Spaces Feel Bigger
Using mirrors to make a space feel bigger is one of the oldest tricks in the book regarding home staging. Mirrors reflect light and give the illusion of more space, making any room appear larger than it is. Not only do they open up a room, but strategically placed mirrors can also add character and style.
One way to use mirrors for house staging is by hanging them on walls opposite windows or other natural light sources. This will create an inviting atmosphere that feels bright and airy atmosphere – perfect for potential buyers looking for an open and spacious living area.
Additionally, large wall-mounted mirrors are great for reflecting furniture pieces like sofas or dining tables, which can help draw attention away from smaller spaces or awkward corners in the home.
Another way to utilize mirrors during house staging is through floor-length designs leaning against walls or standing freely in rooms with limited wall space. These full-length mirror designs often have ornate frames that bring visual interest into any room while providing an expansive reflection effect.
Floor-length mirror placements can also be used as functional pieces near entryways, helping homeowners check their outfits before leaving the house.
Brighten The Space With Greenery
Adding greenery to any space can instantly liven up a room, making it more inviting and appealing to potential buyers. Placing house plants around the home gives off an effortless pop of colour while creating a calming atmosphere that makes people feel comfortable viewing the property.
Cacti and succulents are popular house plants for staging as they require minimal maintenance and can survive in almost any environment.
Additionally, larger potted plants such as ferns or palms add a touch of nature to any room. Place them strategically around the home so they become part of the overall design elements that help buyers visualize living in your space.
Furniture Arrangement and Space Optimisation
Furniture placement plays a crucial role in the perception of space within a home. The way furniture is arranged can significantly impact how spacious a room feels and can influence the overall impression it leaves on potential buyers. Here are some tips to make your rooms feel bigger:
- Proper furniture placement can contribute to a sense of flow and openness within a room. By arranging furniture in a way that allows for easy movement and clear pathways, you create a more spacious and functional environment. Avoid blocking natural walkways or arranging furniture in a manner that disrupts the natural flow of the room.
- Strategic furniture placement can help maximize the available square footage in a room. By using space-saving furniture or opting for smaller-scale pieces, you can make a room appear larger. Avoid overcrowding a room with oversized furniture, which can make it feel cramped and diminish the perceived space.
- Balancing furniture placement is crucial for a harmonious and visually pleasing arrangement. Consider the visual weight of each furniture piece and distribute it evenly throughout the space. Achieving symmetry by placing matching or similar-sized items on either side of a focal point, such as a fireplace or window, can enhance the overall balance and create a sense of order.
- Furniture placement is not limited to just the floor; it also involves effectively using vertical space. Incorporating tall bookshelves, wall-mounted storage units, or floor-to-ceiling curtains can draw the eyes upward, creating an illusion of height and making the room feel more expansive.
- Position furniture in a way that allows for pleasant views and highlights desirable features, such as windows, fireplaces, or scenic vistas.
Maximizing Curb Appeal
The exterior of a home is the first thing potential buyers see when they arrive for a viewing or drive-by. The saying “You never get a second chance to make a first impression” holds true in real estate.
A well-maintained and appealing exterior immediately captures the attention of buyers and creates a positive initial perception of the property. Curb appeal sets the tone for their overall impression of the home and in a competitive market, properties with high curb appeal have a distinct advantage.
To enhance curb appeal for home staging, focus on key elements such as:
- Maintaining a neat and tidy exterior.
- Ensuring proper landscaping and gardening by keeping the lawn well-manicured, bushes and shrubs trimmed and clearing any weeds or debris.
- Repairing or repainting any visible flaws.
- Enhancing the entryway by painting the front door an inviting colour and adding potted plants or hanging baskets.
- Paying attention to details like exterior lighting, the garage and the driveway. Keep them clean, well-maintained and in good working condition.
Investing time and effort into improving the curb appeal can yield significant returns by attracting more buyers, generating greater interest, and potentially leading to quicker and more favourable offers.
Artwork
Artwork plays a crucial role in home staging as it can significantly enhance the overall aesthetic appeal and ambience of a property. A strategically placed piece of art can draw the eye and create a sense of intrigue and curiosity for potential buyers.
It can also help highlight specific architectural features or unique design elements within the space.
Large pieces of art can make a space feel more expansive, while smaller pieces can create a cosy and intimate atmosphere. By selecting artwork that complements the size of the room and the furniture, you can create a harmonious visual balance that showcases the space’s potential.
While it’s essential to depersonalize a home for staging, well-selected artwork can add a touch of personality without overwhelming potential buyers. By opting for more universally appealing and neutral artwork, you can create a welcoming and inviting environment that allows buyers to imagine themselves in the space.
Staging Props
Staging props play a valuable role in home staging by adding depth, functionality, and a sense of lived-in authenticity to a property. These props can be furniture, accessories, or decorative items strategically placed to enhance the overall appeal of the space.
Empty rooms can leave buyers uncertain about how to utilize the space. Staging a house with props, such as furniture, rugs, and lighting fixtures, can define the purpose of each room and showcase its potential.
For example, a well-placed desk and chair in a spare room can demonstrate its potential as a home office, while a dining table set with dinnerware can showcase the dining area’s functionality.
Staging props help provide a sense of scale and proportion within a room. They can showcase how the furniture fits in the space and highlight its dimensions, helping potential buyers visualize how their own furniture would work within the layout.
By placing appropriately sized furniture and decor items, staging props prevent rooms from feeling empty or overwhelming. A strategically placed accent chair can highlight a cosy reading nook or a beautiful vase of flowers can draw the eye to a fireplace mantle.
Props can help buyers appreciate architectural elements, unique design features, or focal points within a room.
Fletchers Capital believes that home staging is a vital part of the real estate process, as it allows potential buyers to get an idea of how they would live in the house before making a purchase. Taking the time to de-clutter, depersonalize, and add thoughtful details like greenery or mirrors can make all the difference when selling a property.
These tips can help make the home more attractive and ultimately lead to a successful sale.
Frequently Asked Questions >>>
Q: Can I effectively stage my home myself without professional help?
A: Yes, DIY home staging is possible and can be successful with proper planning and execution. While professional home stagers bring expertise and experience, you can still achieve good results by following staging principles, researching effective techniques, and paying attention to detail.
Q: Where should I start when staging my home on my own?
A: Start by decluttering and depersonalizing the space. Remove unnecessary items, pack away personal belongings, and create a clean and neutral canvas. From there, focus on enhancing key areas such as the entryway, living room, kitchen, master bedroom, and main bathroom. These rooms have the most significant impact on potential buyers.
Q: How important is curb appeal in DIY home staging?
A: Curb appeal is crucial in DIY home staging as it creates the first impression for buyers. Focus on tasks like tidying up the front yard, trimming hedges, mowing the lawn, and adding some colourful flowers or potted plants. A well-maintained and inviting exterior can significantly enhance the overall appeal of your home.
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