When a home has a good curb appeal, it can sell for 7% more than its competition with little to no curb appeal. A home's exterior is the first thing buyers will see, whether it's online or in person. As a realtor, you want to make an ever-lasting first impression to attract as many buyers as possible.
You want buyers to approach the house for sale and immediately want to see more of it. How can you improve an outdoor living space? The right home staging tips for outdoor spaces can help you transform a home's entire exterior, including both the front and backyard.
Are you ready to sell some houses? Continue reading our guide below for a list of tips on staging an outdoor living space!
Start With a Deep Clean
Before you start piling in the design plans and rearranging outdoor furniture, start by cleaning the entire area. You want to deep clean any front porches, patio spaces, or decks. To begin this process, remove any clutter.
If there are items you don't plan to use in the staging setup, then you want to find a new home for them. If the seller has a storage facility, then this would be ideal. Hire a professional to come and pressure wash decks, patios, and walkways.
Stain the deck if needed to give that fresh, new appearance. You should also prepare to sweep these areas as needed if leaves and other debris tend to fall on them often.
Remove Personal Items
Now that you have a clean space to work with, it's time to personalize it. When staging a home for sale, you want to present a blank slate for potential buyers. You want them to see that space and be able to imagine their own items or personal touches.
This is difficult if the space is overwhelmed with the current owners' personal items. Some items to consider putting in storage while waiting for a buyer are as followed:
- seasonal flags
- personalized mailboxes
- garden gnomes and other garden accessories
Gently explain to the current owners that these items could steer some buyers away, so it's best to keep them safe in storage for the new home.
Hire a Landscaping Team
As you begin to clean and depersonalize, don't forget to focus on landscaping details as well. Trees and shrubs should be trimmed. Grass should be mowed, and all debris (leaves, branches, mud) should be removed from the yard.
If you want, then you can even apply fresh mulch to the gardens and plant new colorful flowers. Placing window boxes on the home's front windows can also improve the curb appeal and create a welcoming atmosphere. To ensure the landscaping is kept up with while the home is on the market, don't hesitate to hire professional landscapers.
Have them come out on a set schedule or as needed.
Define Different Spaces
Once you're ready to design some outdoor living spaces, make sure you're ready to define each of these spaces. For example, if you're tailoring to families, then you want to define a play space in the backyard for children while also defining an outdoor living room area. There are a few ways you can define spaces and show buyers the potential a home's yard has.
If you want to create a cozy outdoor space for enjoying a cup of tea or reading a book, then you can lay an outdoor area rug down. Tie it together with outdoor sofas topped with pillows and an outdoor coffee table. Border a play area with rubber blocks and use bricks and fresh mulch to define the garden.
Create a Warm and Inviting Space
It's easier to create warm and inviting indoor spaces, but this doesn't mean it's impossible for the exterior. You can still make a space feel warm, even if it's outdoors. To do this, bring color and texture to the area when staging an outdoor living space.
Soften exterior walls by hanging up outdoor artwork of plants or flowers. Install outdoor curtains and place a few outdoor throw pillows on the sofas. Use a portable fire pit as the centerpiece.
Think about what would make a living room feel inviting and cozy, and then incorporate those ideas into the outdoor living space using outdoor furniture.
Make Things Cozy
If you want to create a super warm and cozy outdoor space, then be sure to use natural materials. Rather than using all furniture made of metal, which can be cold, incorporate some natural furniture pieces. Use natural finishes and textures such as wicker, rattan, and wood.
Mix these materials in with your metal or glossy pieces for a good balance. You should also be sure to use neutral tones as well, which can also help make a space feel cozier.
Add Lots of Seating
The more seating you create in these outdoor areas, the more buyers will realize that there's enough space for the entire family plus more. Many homeowners enjoy entertaining or spending time with the family outdoors. You want to make sure you show potential buyers that this home's yard has enough space to do both.
Place two or more outdoor sofas/loveseats in a defined lounging area. You can also place a bench by the garden and another bench or bench swing by the play area. If there's enough room by the front door, then consider placing two rocking chairs and a small table on the front porch.
Designate a Dining Area
Outdoor kitchens and dining areas are becoming more popular as many homeowners are looking for ways to spend more time outside. Even if the home doesn't have an outdoor kitchen, you can still create a designated outdoor dining area sure to draw buyers in.
Find an open area on the deck or patio and place an outdoor dining table there that can seat at least four. Place cushions on the chairs to ensure they're comfy. You can also keep a grill or wine bar nearby to tie it together.
Hang Up Outdoor Lights
Don't forget to stage the outdoor space for the evening hours also. Once the sun goes down, you still want the yard to attract buyers. Adding outdoor lights shows buyers that the space is useable no matter what time of day.
There are several ways to light up an outdoor space at night. You can hang up fairy lights in the trees or along the top of screened-in patio spaces. You can use tiki torches to illuminate walkways and garden stake lights to border the garden.
Light up the fire pit or use outdoor space heaters for cooler nights.
Decorate Based on the Season
Are you struggling to decide what colors or patterns to use for your staging furniture? A good rule of thumb is to use patterns and designs based on the season. As seasons change, so do outdoor decor styles.
Consider the season you're in. Then, find furniture pieces that compliment that particular season. It's also important to consider the type of weather conditions this area is subjected to regularly.
Try to use outdoor furniture that's ideal for those specific weather conditions.
Repaint the Front Door
There are plenty of do's and don'ts that come along with proper staging techniques or selling a home. Some updates and repairs are simply not worth making because their ROI (return on investment) isn't high. However, there are other simple and inexpensive updates you can do to attract buyers that'll produce a high ROI.
One of those updates is repainting the front door. This is simple to do and won't take much time. When deciding on a color, don't hesitate to go bold.
For example, a bright yellow door against a white brick house will look stunning. Take the house's exterior color into consideration, and then choose something that'll stand out!
Use These Home Staging Tips to Attract Buyers
You're not an average real estate agent. You go above and beyond to make sure you attract as many potential buyers as possible and sell houses for more than the competition. One aspect of doing so is using these home staging tips for outdoor spaces listed in our guide above.
Keep all of these ideas in mind when staging your next client's exterior living space. When you take your time to incorporate all of these tips, you'll be sure to attract numerous buyers!
Then, contact Hommati to become a featured agent. We provide agents with the technology they need to stay competitive in today's real estate market. We'll use augmented reality and dynamic visual content to help you stand above the rest.
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