Like many homeowners looking to sell a property, you probably feel a sense of angst when reading about the latest economic forecasts, such as rises in interest rates and fluctuations in property prices, to name two troublesome problems.
Is there anything you can do to weather a future storm? The answer is yes, you can, by staging your home.
Did you know that staging is one of the best actions you can take to sell your home quickly? A staged home sells faster than the average proper, and most sell in under 30 days.
Before you start preparing your home for selling, read on to learn about the ten essential tips for effective house staging.
1. Invest in a Professional Clean
Most of us can do a reasonable job tidying a room in our houses. But you must turn to a professional if you want a deep clean to stage a house.
A professional cleaning company will have the right equipment to help you get a flawless finish, such as industrial-standard carpet cleaners.
They will also do a great job of ensuring all those hidden, dark corners are kept in check and don't become resting places for dust and cobwebs.
And make no mistake: when it comes to staging a house, a spotlessly clean appearance should be number one on your priority list.
Don't forget to clean the house's exterior too, such as cleaning the external walls and hiring a window cleaner. You might even need to pay someone to remove debris from gutters.
2. Understand Buyer Psychology
If you want to create a perfectly staged home, it's worth understanding how house buyers think. This is commonly known as buyer psychology.
Here's something that might surprise you. Though houses are the most expensive investment we will make, most of us let our hearts rule our heads.
In other words, a property can have practical downsides that should theoretically rule it out, but if the buyer falls in love with it and can visualize themselves living there, you will get that sale.
So how do you appeal to people's hearts? The simple answer is that you need to make your home unique. If a property looks like a dozen other properties, nothing will act as that "pull" for buyers.
That's an important rule to remember when staging. You might feel tempted to create a minimal, neutral design. However, if you go too far, you'll make it hard for buyers to feel any affection for your home.
3. Remove Personal Touches
While identikit houses might be a no-no, you also don't want to go too far in the other direction and create a house that reflects your personality. Remember: buyers want to see how they will live in the house, not how you live there.
So, one of your first tasks when staging your home is to declutter and remove items with a strong personal link. That includes:
- Family photos
- Unusual artwork
- Ornaments
- Children's crafts and artwork
- Children's toys
- Pet toys
- Hobby items (e.g., a telescope) - unless it's a dedicated hobby room
- Fitness items (e.g., weights) - unless it's a dedicated fitness room
Walk around your house with a critical eye and ask whether an item adds style and character to your home or reflects your taste. If it's the latter, it's time to put it in storage.
4. Create Flow
Flow is about the layout of a house and the arrangements of each room within a house. When you walk around a home, your environment should feel natural and coherent.
Rooms must be what you expect, and you should be able to explore a house without feeling like you're standing in the wrong place or squeezing into a corner to make room for others.
That is what flow means, and it's critical to a house sale because when buyers walk through your house with an agent, poor flow is evident early on.
To create a house with flow, make sure doors and hallways remain clear.
A buyer must be able to open each door and move from room to room effortlessly. Remove any bulky and oversized furniture and put it into storage to help you improve your layout.
5. Maximize Natural Light
Natural light is one of the best assets any home can have. That's because it helps create a feeling of beauty and space, adding plenty of appeal to your home when taking photographs.
Your first task to improve natural light is to trim back any trees or hedges next to windows. Once you've done that, replace heavy or dark curtains and blinds with a style that lets in light.
Your best blind options are Roman, Sheer, or Venetian. Go for light colors and ensure they stay open in the daytime before you have a house viewing.
If you genuinely want to impress potential buyers (and you have a generous budget), try electronic blinds. Your realtor will have the opportunity to show these in action and offer the perfect opportunity to open the blinds and show the room in maximum light.
6. Define a Purpose
If you want your buyer to visualize living in your home, you must provide a helping hand. Rooms without a clear purpose will leave potential buyers feeling uninspired and not seeing that space's value or opportunity.
Assess each room in your home and ensure it has one defined purpose. If it's a bedroom (and you've listed it in your seller description as a bedroom), then make sure the room has a bed and furniture.
If it's a downstairs living space, choose one purpose for that room, whether it's a study, dining space, or living room.
Avoid rooms with a multi-purpose space unless you have an open-plan house. If it is an open-plan room, try to create different "zones" for that space to separate the living, dining, and work areas.
7. Draw the Eyes Upward
Here's a clever and subtle trick to help potential buyers fall in love with your property: draw their gaze to the upper half of a room. That means adding features to help buyers tilt their eyes in front or above them.
Doing so will give any room a feeling of space because when you look in front or above you, you get a better sense of size than when looking down at your feet (as many of us have a habit of doing).
Some tricks you can employ to help you master this trick include adding bright artwork, floating shelves, or beautiful wall or ceiling lights. Keeping floors neutral colors and uncluttered will also help you achieve the same effect.
8. Make it Green
There is a reason why well-being experts recommend having plants in the home when you want to reduce your stress levels. The vibrant color and oxygen boost make us feel more relaxed.
You can also use those same principles when staging a house to make a room have a calming atmosphere. The extra oxygen will also help create the sense of a more spacious and clean room.
When choosing plants, opt for a range of styles and sizes, and take the time to put them in beautiful, neutral-colored plant pots. Don't forget to add some to higher shelves, too, to help raise the eye level.
9. Add Luxury Splashes
Buying a home is aspirational, so you can show your buyers that you have their dream home by adding a touch of luxury.
A few carefully chosen luxury accessories can help give your home the edge and help your house stand out from similar properties in your neighborhood.
For example, add a fashionable coffee machine to your kitchen or invest in a designer shoe rack for your fitted bedroom wardrobe. A state-of-the-art shower fitting could impress your buyers, as could mood lighting.
You don't always have to opt for premium prices to add luxury to your house. Little touches like a vase of fresh flowers or a scented candle can give your home a premium feel without the added price tag.
10. Know Your Market
Our final staging tip when selling your home is all about research. Before you plan your staging design, you need to know a little about the people most likely to buy your house.
For example, let's suppose you have a family home. In this case, you'll mostly want to design your home staging to fit the needs of families with children.
The priorities for this demographic will be ample bedroom space, open-plan living, and a bright and sunny garden.
In contrast, suppose you have a property that's popular with the young, single professional demographic.
In this case, you'll want to consider staging that will appeal to that type of buyer. Gardens and child-friendly bedrooms won't be a priority, but stylish designs and high-tech accessories might be more appealing.
Always research your target market before starting your staging work. It will help you secure that all-important asking-price offer.
Use House Staging to Sell Your Property
If you want to sell your property fast in an uncertain market, house staging is the wisest strategy. Use these ten essential tips to ensure maximum impact from your staging budget.
Before you can get your house on the market, you'll also want an up-to-date valuation. So, head here for our valuation tool to determine what your property is worth.