One of the main purposes of home staging is to help potential buyers visualize themselves in your space. Though decorating your home and presenting it a certain way is great for making it look “lived in,” it’s more important to show off its potential if you really want to intrigue buyers.
Remember, when you’re trying to sell your home, it’s no longer about you and your tastes. It’s about what potential buyers might want.
Thankfully, there are plenty of tips and tricks you can use in your home staging endeavors. Not only will they make your space more appealing, but they can help anyone who walks through to see themselves building a life there.
Let’s cover a few of those tips you can use to show off your home’s potential.
Showcase Your Space by Clearing the Clutter
You don’t want your home to look empty and plain, but you also don’t want it to look cluttered. People want to be able to see themselves in that space. So, while having personal design choices laid out is a good thing, getting too personal might turn someone away.
One of the best things you can do to show off your space is to clear away any excess clutter and make your home look fresh. Taking a minimalist approach can be a great way to go. It makes your home look inviting and warm, but also offers somewhat of a clean slate to potential buyers. Some ideas for minimalist staging include:
Painting the walls warm, neutral colors.
Using live plants in each room.
Setting up streamlined furniture instead of random selections.
Replacing family photos with art pieces.
You can also make a point to show people how easy it is to keep your home clutter-free. If you have closets, a mudroom, or even an entryway, make a point to keep it clean and organized. Install a bench in the mudroom and have a pair of boots underneath it. Or, put a coat rack by the door and hang a jacket on it. If it works with your space, you might even consider setting up industrial-looking lockers to store everyone’s belongings. When a buyer knows there are things in the home that will make it easier for them to keep it clean, they may be more interested.
Know Your Neighborhood
Obviously, you don’t know who is going to be interested in your home. Nowadays, most people use the Internet to start their home-buying search. In fact, 93% of people look at homes online before going to see them in-person. So, someone from a completely different state could be looking at your home if they’re planning a move.
But, you do have an idea of the kind of neighborhood you’re in. Is your neighborhood attractive because it’s within a good school district? If so, you might want to stage your home to appeal to families. Is it in an area known to attract retired individuals who want to downsize and relax? If so, consider selling to senior buyers by adding luxurious touches and staging the home to look as comfortable as possible.
It’s also a good idea to make your home accessible to everyone. No matter who you end up selling to, people have different needs. If a potential buyer comes into your home and immediately feels like the space won’t work for them or someone in their family, they’ll move on. So, focus on universal design when you’re setting things up. Universal design focuses on functionality and making the most of the space that is provided. The benefits of setting things up this way include:
Inclusivity for everyone
Adaptive flexibility
Safety
Contentment
Independence
Universal design is meant to be helpful and make things comfortable without going over the top. So, no matter who you think might be interested in your home, make sure it’s a space where people can see themselves living and working without discomfort or distraction
Don’t Forget First Impressions
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is spending so much time on the interior staging of your home that you completely ignore the outside. Remember, your home’s exterior is the first thing buyers will see. So, make sure to stage it in a way that looks appealing from the moment they first pull up.
Though you don’t necessarily need to repaint or get new siding, it’s important to make sure that your home exterior looks clean, with no obvious signs of wear, tear, or damage. Adding a few tasteful decorations to your front porch, maintaining the landscape, and power washing your home before putting it on the market are all fantastic ways to boost its curb appeal and show potential buyers how creative they can get with the exterior.
It can even be worth it to stage your garage. People use garage spaces for a variety of different things. Some simply want to store their cars. Others want to use it as a workshop, or even transform it into something completely different. To effectively stage your garage, there are a few things to keep in mind, including:
Maximizing the space
Making sure it’s clean
Showing off storage space
Making sure the door works
Staging your home to show off its potential means putting yourself in the mind of a potential buyer. If you’re not sure where to get started, consider what would feel welcoming to you if you were looking for a new place to live. You know your home’s potential better than anyone. So, don’t hesitate to show that off in as many ways as possible once it’s on the market.
Author Bio: Noah Rue is a freelance writer.
