Expert Staging Tips

Home staging is the act of preparing a house for the real estate market. The goal of staging is to make a house appeal to the highest number of potential buyers, thereby selling a house more swiftly and for more money. And which seller does not want this?

Web appeal and Curb appeal are now equally important in getting some interest during the tough selling time of a Pandemic.

Let’s look at the difference between decorating and staging. Decorating is the act of making a house a home, while staging is making a home a house – this might be a difficult concept to grasp at first, as you have probably spent lots of time, energy and money to create a homely house for your family. Staging is actually un-decorating – it is a deliberate and systematic process to de-personalize your home and to create a house that would appeal to a wide and high number of buyers. The purpose is to present a lifestyle – a lifestyle that can be easily be imagined by a potential buyer. They should be able to walk into your house and imagine themselves and their belongings in your home.

MY TOP 5 STAGING TIPS!

Most buyers, regardless of budget, age or lifestyle are looking for same things in all properties, here they are:

1.        Lighter, neutral walls

While it is a fine to have an accent wall colour here and there, we suggest that 90% of your home should be painted in neutral colours. For most family homes a light grey and white palette is recommended. Steer away from creamy and yellow tones. Unless you have amazing wooden doors and trims, we suggest that all doors and trims be painted in a crisp, white. All ceilings should also be painted in a crisp white. If you are not sure which colours to choose, then consider our Paint consultation – we take all the guesswork out of and will choose classic colours that will sell your home.

This living area looks bright and airy with the neutral wall colours being chosen. Image: Chao Techin

2.        White Cabinets and Modern appliances

The white kitchen is here to stay – it always looks fresh, will appear brighter and bigger and will appeal to young families as well as the older generations. If your kitchen hasn’t been updated for decades, then consider having your cabinets painted, or you could even just replace your doors and hardware. The kitchen is the heart of the home, and you need to show prospective buyers that is true for house too.

White Kitchen cabinets and Stainless appliances appeal to all generations, Image Erica Whitlieb

Updating counter tops and back splashes can make a tremendous difference too. You might not even have to re-tile – simply removing outdated tile back splashes will give your kitchen an immediate face lift.

So many nice kitchens are dragged back in time by dated appliances, It might a bigger expense, but updating your appliances is one of the most important items to address. Replace your fridge and stove and you will see the offers pouring in.

3.        Flooring

 Old, tired flooring needs to be replaced. Make sure you have flooring that is consistent throughout the house and that there is not a mixture of colour and type of flooring. There is currently a trend to have vinyl or hardwood flooring rather than carpeting. So if you have old, stained carpets and need to replace the flooring, it would be advisable to not put down carpet again. This way you will appeal to a bigger market.

Beautiful flooring throughout a home creates continuity, especially in open plan concepts Image: Oggie flooring

4.        Good lighting

Bright and airy homes sell! Make sure you make the most of your natural light exposure. Open curtains and blinds to its fullest to expose more window area - it makes such a difference. The style and type of lighting also directly influences the mood and atmosphere in your home. If you have outdated fixtures, this will certainly put potential buyers off – update lighting in all areas, especially in the living areas and in all bedrooms. While most viewings will occur in daytime, you also need to be prepared for rainy and cloudy days. Therefore the colour and intensity of your light bulbs are also important. Choose warm white colour temperatures for living rooms and bedrooms and choose bright white colour temperatures for kitchens and bathrooms. Below are examples of beautiful table lamp options to enhance your lighting.

5        Low maintenance properties

Unfinished home projects only gives out warning signals to potential buyers that there is too much work to do and many are daunted by projects. On the other hand it might be best to not even start some projects (rather than do them badly or not complete them). There are still some buyers out there who are interested in a Fixer - Upper, but that should then be reflected in your price. In conclusion – if a buyer sees project after project in every part of the house, they will generally just walk away, apart from the few DIYers. If you have unfinished projects and need assistance, why not consider our Designer on Call service - you can use our expertise and advice to help you with those difficult desicions.

Here is how we can help

If you find that you need some expert advice on getting your home ready for the property market, then why not consider our Online Staging consultations. These virtual consultations can be done anywhere in the world, read more about how it works here.

What are the best paint colours for staging?

Keeping your home neutral is the best way to present your home to future home buyers. Having a colourful accent wall is great here and there, but keeping your wall colours to a neutral tone is best. If you are not sure which colours to use, then download our handy paint colour guides to help you choose the best colours for your home.

Shop for great lighting here

DISCLAIMER: my ‘Shop the look’ posts contain affiliate links! if you buy something through these links, you won’t pay a penny more, but I will get a small commission. Thanks!