Home Staging Made Simple

June 19, 2023

When selling a home, owners often seek ways to increase their financial return. While high Return on Investment (ROI) improvements are nice, they are not always possible when preparing a home for sale. Home staging has become more important than ever with today’s market-to-sale timeline shortened so dramatically. By working from the inside out, home staging can become less overwhelming and benefit both the sales cycle and financial return positively. Not only does a properly staged home look great, but it also allows potential buyers the ability to imagine their own belongings in each space.

Curb appeal counts when selling a home as it is the first thing that catches buyers’ eyes when they arrive. A nicely manicured lawn, freshly mulched gardens, and a sparkling mailbox are all very welcoming features. Brightening all entry points with a new coat of paint draws interest and framing doors with plants or neutral decor beckons buyers to keep exploring.
Defining backyard spaces is equally important when preparing a home’s property for showings. At minimum, outdoor furniture should be clean, free of debris, and placed in a way that creates gathering areas. Set up a conversation area with an enticing view. Design an al fresco dining table that will encourage buyers to picture garden parties once they’ve planted roots in the neighborhood.
As patrons enter a showing home, they should be greeted with a pleasant, neutral scent such as vanilla or sandalwood. This not only touches on an additional memory-making sense, but it will also alleviate any lingering odors left by pets. Place a small table near each exterior door stocked with bottled water, a small bowl of candy, bottled water, and realtor one-sheets.

The most cost-efficient way to prepare a home for sale is to declutter and depersonalize by bringing the home to a neutral pallet. An additional benefit will be opening up sight lines by creating clean sights that will show off the size of each space.

Remove all items that reference personal tastes, such as favorite sports teams or vacation spots.
Place photos of family or friends in storage.
Empty countertops and tables of all but the essential items.
Purchase small bins or baskets to house those items that will quickly return to visibility. when a showing is over (they will also be easy to tuck away for the next appointment!).
Don’t forget to declutter in less trafficked rooms, such as bedrooms or offices.

Furniture placement is an important factor when selling a home as it can create a variety of gathering spaces. The key is not to overload rooms with too many pieces, leaving ample room for traffic flow. This may mean relocating furniture to different rooms. Opening up space in one room while creating a secondary function in another is a great way to pique interest. In the case of furniture, less is the most visually appealing when staging.

Nearly every home has awkward spaces such as a room under the stairs, an oddly placed nook, or a dark corner. Before going to market, get creative with those spaces by offering a hint of their potential. Under-stair storage can be achieved by adding shelves. A forgotten corner can be turned into a favorite reading nook. Don’t leave buyers searching for solutions for awkward spaces. Instead, point them in creative directions.

Many home sellers feel pressured, when preparing for today’s competitive real estate market, to make significant updates to main rooms, such as the kitchen or bathroom. While this is an interesting idea, it is not necessary. A better approach is through offering mini-facelifts to those most popular places.

Replace cabinet hardware for an inexpensive update that doesn’t require a great deal of time, stress, or investment. This can be done on cabinets throughout the house, not just in the kitchen!
Show off storage in the kitchens and bathrooms by removing any partially used containers to create more space.
Replace branded containers with aesthetically appealing ones, such as pouring soaps or shampoos into glass-pump bottles.
Invest in new loofahs, sponges, and neutral, plush towels.
Check faucets for signs of corrosion and swap them for new, multi-functional ones.
Many appliance manufacturers now sell replacement panels. This offers a much more affordable way to create a fresh look on refrigerators or dishwashers!
Raise curtain rods to create height in each room. Splurge on long, sheer curtains to create a floor-to-ceiling look that also maximizes natural light.

Selling a home is a daunting task, and spending time staging it may seem like a low-priority item. Speak to your realtor to decide, together, which tweaks are essential in preparation for the home sales market. The Rodney Carroll Team educates itself regularly on trends that enable each of our realtors to offer guidance tailored to your home sale. In a hot market, buyers will zero in on homes that meet their needs, and proper staging may just be what closes the deal.