As the saying goes, home is where the heart is. That is why whenever you are looking to sell a house, you want to prioritize the home staging and decoration of the property in order to capture that feeling for potential buyers. Many people look at their homes as an extension of themselves, so you want to create an environment that people can picture themselves in for the long-term. This is why home staging is so important to the selling process.
Understanding the psychology behind home staging can transform your property from just another listing into a must-see opportunity. The way you present your home can significantly impact how quickly it sells and the final sale price. Strategic staging helps buyers envision their future in the space while minimizing distractions that might otherwise detract from the property’s best features.
To help you create a home that people would like to walk through and buy, here are three home staging tips to get the job done, along with three critical mistakes you should avoid. By investing in careful home staging, you can potentially increase your property value and attract more qualified buyers to your property.
Book Your Strategy CallEssential Home Staging Tips for Success
Home staging is an art, which means it is greatly influenced by personal preference. However, there are proven strategies that appeal to the broadest range of potential buyers. Instead of trying to find a single style that suits everyone, these tips will help you create universal appeal without getting tied up with the specifics of individual taste.
Emphasize Family and Comfort
People want to buy homes that they can picture living in with their families. So, when you are staging your home for sale, you should arrange the furniture with that in mind. That includes focusing on open living and dining spaces and comfy-looking bedrooms that invite relaxation and family gatherings.
Try filling these rooms with things such as throw pillows and blankets to further increase the comfortable home-style feel in these spaces. Layer textures thoughtfully to create visual interest while maintaining that cozy atmosphere. Soft fabrics like cotton, linen, and wool can make spaces feel more inviting and lived-in without appearing cluttered.
You can even include small details such as books and boardgames on the shelves or a barbeque in the yard to provide the image of activities and life in the home. These touches help potential buyers imagine their own family moments happening in the space. A chess set on a side table, a cookbook displayed in the kitchen, or outdoor furniture arranged for conversation can all contribute to this welcoming narrative.
Finally, if you can consider including a TV in the living space. You would be surprised but if you take a look at many homes on the markets, they are staged as if most people do not have TVs in their homes. A tastefully incorporated television helps buyers see the room as a functional entertainment space where their family will actually spend time together.
Focus on Curb Appeal
For most people, home staging stops the second you step outside of the front door, but that does not have to be the case. By taking the time to emphasize the curb appeal and fix up the yard, you can make the drive up to the home feel just as inviting as the interior. First impressions are formed within seconds, and the exterior of your home sets expectations for everything inside.
Think about it, if a home was dark and grey with a worn-down lawn would you feel excited about buying it? How about a house with a nicely trimmed lawn with flowers and lawn decorations? By taking the time to improve the curb appeal on the property, you can easily attract more potential buyers who would have otherwise driven by and never looked at your property in the first place.
Simple improvements like fresh mulch, trimmed hedges, a clean walkway, and a welcoming front door can make an enormous difference. Consider adding potted plants near the entrance, ensuring house numbers are clearly visible and attractive, and making sure all exterior lighting fixtures are clean and functional. A well-maintained exterior signals to buyers that the entire property has been cared for properly.
Consider Using Scents
One of the masterful marketing techniques employed by bakeries and retail stores is called scent marketing. By filling the air with smells like lavender, lilac or freshly baked cookies, people find themselves relaxed and more willing to spend their time and money in the store. The same trick can work in real estate, as scent is one of the most powerful triggers for emotion and memory.
By freshening up the scent of a home, you can create positive images for your buyers that will increase their interest in buying the home. This can be done with air fresheners, freshly washed fabrics, or other means. However, be careful not to overpower the space with artificial fragrances, as this can have the opposite effect and make buyers wonder what you might be trying to hide.
For example, if you want to highlight the kitchen and draw people in, you can get creative and bake a batch of cookies. Not only will the scent be pleasant and attractive, but you can also provide a snack at the open house which will entice people to stay longer. Other effective natural scents include fresh coffee brewing, citrus peels, fresh flowers, or even the clean smell of fresh laundry.
Critical Mistakes to Avoid When Staging Your Home
While home staging is a very personal part of the selling process, there are a few general guidelines you should consider to increase your odds of making the sale while turning away the fewest number of prospective buyers. Understanding what not to do is just as important as knowing the best practices.
Keep Your Home Staging Balanced
Regardless of how you like to live, whether you are a minimalist or prefer to fill every space in your home, you should always strive for balance when staging a home. Finding the middle ground between empty and cluttered is essential for creating broad appeal.
If you keep the home too sparsely decorated and empty, you leave a lot of room for the buyer’s mind to wander. While this can be useful to help them imagine their own belongings in the space, it can also give them more time to notice smaller flaws in the home that can detract from the overall appeal. Empty rooms also tend to appear smaller and less functional than properly furnished spaces.
On the other hand, if you over-decorate the property, it can feel lived-in and cramped which can deter people from buying the home. Too many decorative items, personal collections, or furniture pieces can make rooms appear smaller and prevent buyers from imagining their own belongings in the space. Aim for a curated look that showcases the room’s potential without overwhelming the senses.
Keep a Neutral Tone
You may love bright colours and extravagant and unique decorations, but it is not for everyone. Instead, try to strive for a neutral tone when staging your property. This does not mean your home needs to be boring or sterile, but rather that you should create a versatile backdrop that appeals to diverse tastes.
Bold, heavily saturated colours can draw people’s eyes but if overdone, they can make rooms feel smaller and distract people from the real charm of the home. By primarily using muted colours and neutral tones, you can create a relaxing feel that can act as a blank canvas for buyers to paint a mental picture of how they would like the home to look once they move in.
Neutral does not mean you cannot add pops of color through accessories, artwork, or textiles. The key is to use these accents sparingly and strategically to add visual interest without overwhelming the space or imposing your personal style too heavily on potential buyers.
Avoid Offensive or Controversial Decorations
Regardless of your own personal stances, you should always strive to eliminate offensive or potentially controversial elements in your home staging. This can include political messaging, religious symbols, or vulgar images. Remember that everyone comes from different backgrounds, and you do not want to alienate any buyers by offending them or making them feel out-of-place.
The goal of staging is to create a welcoming environment for the widest possible audience. Personal items like family photos, religious artifacts, or anything that might indicate your political affiliations should be removed or minimized. This allows buyers to focus on the property itself rather than the current occupants, making it easier for them to envision themselves living there.
Understanding the Financial Impact of Proper Staging
The investment you make in home staging can yield significant returns. Properties that are professionally staged typically sell faster and for higher prices than unstaged homes. The visual appeal created through thoughtful staging translates directly into perceived value in the minds of buyers.
Beyond the immediate sale benefits, proper staging can also potentially increase your property value on a refinance. The presentation of your home affects how appraisers and buyers assess its worth, making staging a strategic financial decision rather than just a cosmetic one.
What to Do About Your Mortgage When Selling
If you need help finding out what to do regarding your mortgage when you sell, take the time to speak with a qualified mortgage agent to look at your options. Sometimes you can port your mortgage to a new property, while others you may need a bridge loan to help you buy your next home while selling the first.
Understanding your mortgage options before listing your home can help you make more informed decisions about pricing and timing. Different mortgage products have varying penalties for early termination, and knowing these details upfront can save you thousands of dollars and prevent delays in your sale process.
Book Your Strategy CallFrequently Asked Questions
Professional home staging costs vary depending on the size of your property and the extent of services needed. On average, staging can range from a few hundred dollars for consultation-only services to several thousand dollars for full-service staging with furniture rental. However, the investment often pays for itself through faster sales and higher sale prices, with many staged homes selling for significantly more than their unstaged counterparts.
Ideally, you should begin staging your home at least two to three weeks before listing it on the market. This gives you adequate time to declutter, make necessary repairs, deep clean, and arrange furnishings properly. Starting early also allows you to take high-quality listing photos that showcase your staged home at its best, which is crucial since most buyers begin their search online.
While staging every room can be beneficial, you should prioritize the most important spaces that buyers focus on: the living room, kitchen, master bedroom, and bathrooms. These key areas have the greatest impact on buyer decisions. Secondary spaces like guest bedrooms, home offices, and outdoor areas should also be addressed but may require less intensive staging efforts.
You can successfully stage your home yourself if you have an eye for design and understand buyer psychology. However, professional stagers bring expertise, objectivity, and often access to furniture and decor that can elevate your home’s presentation. If your budget allows, even a consultation with a professional stager can provide valuable insights that you can implement yourself to maximize your home’s appeal.
While all staging elements contribute to success, decluttering and depersonalizing are arguably the most important aspects. Removing excess belongings and personal items allows buyers to envision themselves in the space rather than feeling like they are walking through someone else’s home. A clean, neutral, and well-organized space provides the foundation upon which all other staging efforts build.
