If you are a first-time home seller, the first thing you need to come to terms with is the multitude of moving parts that go into selling a home. And when you want to ensure your home sells in a good timeframe, at the right price, these moving parts play a key role in this process.
Just one of these fundamental moving parts is home staging. Think of it as showing off your home in its best light, at its best angle, at the perfect time of day, curated for the perfect audience.
Why stage your home, you may ask? This blog breaks down the importance of home staging and offers a few helpful tips you ought to know.
Why Is It Important to Stage Your Home?
Selling your home is, essentially, a major financial transaction. It is a huge milestone in your life too, and often, it might become shrouded by stress if your home sits on the market too long or you have to lower your selling price.
These two factors alone are enough to encourage home staging and drive home its importance.
At the end of the day, the lucrative end-deal you could get out of selling your home in the right timeframe, at the best price far outweighs the process and cost of home staging.
Most realtors will tell you that home staging is 100 percent worth the investment and is one of the smartest things you can do to help sell your home.
But what are the other reasons home staging is so important?
- Staging your home helps potential buyers make an emotional attachment to it, improve your odds of selling
- It shows off your home in its best light and demonstrates the full potential of the space
- Home staging is a chance to show off your home's best assets, rather than the flaws
Ultimately, it is these flaws that could encourage a homebuyer to deduct their price offering or completely bypass the sale. With home staging, you have a great chance of avoiding this.
Not only this, but home staging has a proven impact on the offering price. According to a 2019 study by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), staging your home can increase the price offering by between 1 and 5 percent.
The same study also states that 83 percent of home buyers find it easier to visualize their own lives/future in a property when it is staged.
Simple Yet Effective Home Staging Tips That Work
So, is it necessary to stage your entire home, or are there key rooms that you should concentrate on? Most of the time, your real estate agent will tell you to focus on these key spaces: your kitchen, living room, main bedroom, dining/outdoor area.
However, home staging depends on your budget and the amount of available time you have. Also, you don't have to hire professional home staging expertise if it is not in your budget—you can save money and do it yourself.
Here are a few proven tips to prepare these areas of your home:
1. Focus On Cleaning
While it sounds like a no-brainer, you do not want to underestimate the power of a clean and sparkling home. And we are not just talking about wiping down your countertops and vacuuming your carpets.
It is important to do a thorough clean from top-to-bottom in all the rooms you want to stage (and even the others, too). Focus on cleaning parts of your home that you would not normally pay attention to.
This includes areas such as your skirting, door frames, behind your appliances, and other small nooks and crannies. If you can afford it, it might be worthwhile hiring professional cleaners for this task as it can be quite time-consuming.
Otherwise, this is an affordable task you can do yourself to prepare for home staging.
2. Clear Out the Clutter
Clutter is not your friend when you are trying to sell your home. This is for two key reasons. The first is that clutter distracts homebuyers from seeing your home for what it really is. The second is that it makes your home look crowded—like there is less space than there actually is.
For these two reasons, it is imperative that you take the time to declutter key areas of your home. Clear out overcrowded shelving units. Box up and store away things that you do not need or use on a daily basis.
Clear out your pantry, cupboards, and countertops to create an accurate representation of how much space and storage your home offers.
3. Forgo Personalization
It may be tempting to add décor bits and pieces in an attempt to spruce up your space. But in reality, this is a form of personalization that can also be distracting to potential home buyers.
The ultimate goal is for potential home buyers to envision themselves (and their stuff) in your home. So, make an effort to de-personalize as much as possible.
Remove family photos from your walls, clear out shelves and your mantelpiece of personal knick-knacks, streamline your wardrobe storage, etc.
4. Make Each Space Feel Fresh
Another great way to entice potential buyers is by creating the impression that your home is new, well-maintained, and inviting. You can do this by ensuring each room has a fresh and open feel (even if your home is on the older side).
Do not underestimate the power of fresh flowers or potted plants in key areas of your home. If you are already a houseplant collector, space them out strategically throughout your home. Just make sure your plants are alive and well-tended!
It is also important to create an odor-free space. Smell has a significant impact on the overall impression of your home. Make sure you open up your windows, use an air freshener, or light a candle in each room to create the right ambiance.
If you have smokers in your family, you might want to begin transitioning to smoking outdoors to give your home a chance to air out a few weeks before it goes on show.
5. Give Each Room a Purpose
Next up, you want to ensure that each room in your home is well defined. This is a good way to show off the square footage of your home and how new homeowners can use each space to its full potential. But be careful not to overcrowd each room, either.
For example, if you have a finished basement, try and set it up in a way that shows how functional the space is. If you have a spare bedroom that acts as more of a dumping ground, clear it out and set it up as a guest bedroom.
It is important for a potential buyer to visualize how they can utilize each room.
6. Create a Neutral Palette
It does not matter how much you love a particular printed wallpaper, there is a chance that other home buyers might hate it. The same goes for the paint color within your home.
If you have made quirky, unique, or personalized changes to any specific room, it is a good idea to remove the wallpaper or re-paint it in a neutral color.
Basically, this strips the room back to its original form. It gives home buyers the chance to see the room for what it is and envision their future (and furniture) in it.
7. Focus On Your Flooring
There is nothing more off-putting to a new homeowner than stained, smelly, or dirty carpeting. The same goes for flooring that looks old, worn down, and cheap. This includes linoleum flooring, tiles, vinyl, and even hardwood floors.
Now, this might be one of the more expensive tasks when it comes to home staging, but improving your home's flooring can make a world of difference. In fact, it could be the difference between a home sale or not.
Consider re-flooring in key areas of your home such as the kitchen, dining room, main bedroom, and living room. If you can afford it, opt for hardwood flooring or vinyl tiling that mimics the look of hardwood floors.
8. Light Things Up
If your home receives a good amount of natural light, you want to make the most of this wherever possible. Natural lighting has a way of illuminating your home in the most flattering way, and it will not cost you a penny, either.
Open up your curtains and blinds to let the natural light stream in. And if your home does not receive a good amount of light, you want to make an effort to illuminate as best you can.
That might mean installing new light fixtures, brighter light bulbs, or even just cleaning your light fixtures. The brighter your home, the more inviting it will appear.
9. Create an Enticing Exterior
Finally, if there is one area of your home that requires a good amount of attention when it comes to home staging, it is your front entranceway.
This is because your home's entrance has a direct impact on its curb appeal. And most of the time, potential home buyers judge a home by its exterior. First impressions really are everything in real estate, so it is wise to invest some time and effort in sprucing up your front yard.
If you do not have a front yard, make an effort to clean, repaint, and organize your front porch/doorway. Make sure to wash all of your exterior windows, repaint over chipped or peeling paint. Replace your home's siding and fix up your gutter systems where needs be.
If your garden looks ratty and overgrown, take some time to trim back your shrubbery, trees, and hedges. Some freshly potted flowers and new outdoor light fixtures can also make all the difference.
Thinking About Selling Your Home?
Whether you want to find out the value of your home, the homes in your area, or find a top real estate agent to help with your home sale, Hommati has you covered.
With our online service, you can find out the true value of your home and a trustworthy real estate agent who has the best advice on home staging. Get the right team on your side to help you sell your home in the best possible timeframe.
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