by Brandon Cornett, editor of the Home Buying Institute
This tutorial on home staging was created to give sellers a competitive
advantage in their respective real estate markets. By using the home staging
tips and advice offered below, you will have a much greater chance of selling
your home quickly and for maximum price.
If you're here because you want to stage your own home prior to listing it, then
we have plenty of helpful tips for you as well. The staging tips that follow
will help you evaluate your home one room at a time, while making note of "hot
spots" that are in need of home staging. Enjoy!
Part 1 - What is home staging?
Before we
dive into home staging tips for a quick sale, we first need to define what
exactly staging is — just so we are on the same page.
Definition: Home staging is the act of preparing a home (and
the contents of the home) for sale, with a special emphasis on presentation and
appearance.
It's important to realize that preparing a home for sale and staging a home is
not always the same thing. For example, as part of your pre-sale preparations,
you might go through the home to make small repairs where needed. This is an
essential step in preparing your home for the market, but it's not the same as
home staging.
Staging a home for sale normally involves things of an aesthetic nature, such as
design, organization and overall appearance (as opposed to mechanical or
functional improvements).
The goal of home staging then is to improve the home's
appearance in the eyes of potential buyers, with the ultimate goal of selling
the home more quickly and for the highest possible price.
If you are selling a home, then you've obviously been on the other side of the
process as a home buyer. Think back to your home buying experience. Try to
recall the difference between the homes you thought were "just okay" and the
homes that made you say "wow!" Professional home staging can help you turn your
"okay" house into a "wow" house.
So to sum up our introduction: You can think of home staging as presenting your
house in a way that appeals to the largest possible audience, in order to ensure
a quick sale for the best possible price. It bears repeating. The key to this
whole thing is appealing to the largest audience — that's what it's all
about.
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Part 2 - Benefits of staging your home
Why
should I bother staging my home? What do I get back for all the time and effort
I put in? This is one of the most common home staging questions among sellers,
especially those who are selling in a seller's market.
Here's the bottom line: Staging your home can benefit you regardless of what
type of real estate market you are in.
In a buyer's market, you will need every advantage you can get in order to sell
your home for a decent sale price, so it's extra important to stage your home
effectively. But even in a seller's market staging can help you achieve a quick
sale for the maximum sale price.
So no matter what kind of real estate market you are in, it's always wise to
stage your home for the market.
Here are some of the primary benefits you will get out of it:
Home Staging Benefits
- Staging forces you to think like a buyer. When you set out to stage
your home for the market, you will be looking at the home as if you were a
buyer. Adopting this perspective early on will help you in many ways when
preparing your home for the market.
- Staging forces you to organize and de-clutter. Clearing away shelves,
closets and cabinets is a big part of the home staging process. It also helps
with moving, because you'll have to pack things away at some point anyway. So
when you stage your home, you will also get a head start on packing to move.
- Staging increases likelihood of a sale. When selling your home, you
must do everything within your power to increase your chances of selling — and I
mean everything. These techniques can give you an extra edge in selling the home
quickly.
- Staging reduces the home's time on market. When you put in the extra
effort to stage your home effectively, you will move closer to a quick sale.
Anyone who has sold a home before can attest to the fact that the least time the
home is on the market, the better. This is especially important if you will be
paying two mortgages until the home sells (as is the case when you buy a new
home before selling the old one).
- Staging helps justify the asking price. If you are in a seller's market
and you price your home correctly, you probably won't have to haggle over the
asking price. But in a market that leans toward the buyer, you need everything
in your favor to justify the asking price. Proper home staging can help you
justify the asking price by positioning the home more favorably in the buyer's
mind.
- Staging can be fun! It may sound like all work and no play at first.
Granted, you will certainly be putting some elbow grease into the process. But
staging a home can be a creative process as well, and many people find they
enjoy it once they've begun.
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Part 3 - Staging the exterior for maximum curb appeal
When most
people hear the phrase staging a home they immediately think of
preparing the home's interior — painting, arranging furniture and the like.
While the interior is certainly important, the home's exterior is an equally
important (but often overlooked) home staging hot-spot.
Curb appeal is exactly what it sounds like. When potential buyers pull up to the
curb in front of your home, you want the home to appeal to them as much as
possible. This gives a good first impression, so it should part of your home
staging checklist.
Here are some tips to help you stage your home's exterior for maximum curb
appeal.
Staging the Exterior
- Start by creating a list of items needing attention. Go out to the curb in front
of your house with a notepad and pen. Jot down anything that "leaps" out at you.
- Have a friend perform the same type of inspection. It will only take them 10 or
15 minutes to spot areas that need attention. Add their list to your list.
- If the home's paint is chipped or faded, give it a fresh coat. Pay particular
attention to shutters, doors and trim.
- If the door and shutters are different colors, you may want to make them the
same color. Choose the color that's the more neutral of the two and standardize
the color scheme.
- Keep the lawn mowed and neatly edged. A nicely mowed lawn does wonders for curb
appeal, so you might have to mow every few days while the home is on the market
(depending on where you live, season, etc.).
- If your lawn is in really bad shape from years of neglect, you might have to lay
down fresh sod. Do this at least a month before listing the home, so the new
grass has some time to grow in and look nice. Here's a
video tutorial on laying sod.
- Mulch is your best friend when trying to boost your curb appeal. Adding fresh
mulch to your existing flower / plant beds can make a big difference in
appearance. Best of all, it's cheap and readily available at your local garden
store, Home Depot, etc.
- Weather and season permitting, plant or pot some fresh flowers outside the front
door. For simplicity, you might want to stick to potted plants. This will allow
you to place them wherever you need them, and with less effort. Bright plants or
flowers do a lot to enhance the entry.
- Think "yellow" when adding accent plants to your home's entry. Yellow is a great
color for this purpose. It draws the eye and makes people feel at ease, which is
exactly how you want them to feel when entering your home.
- Check your flower beds and lawn for weeds every day while your house is on the
market. Remove any weeds you find. It's important to check daily, because weeds
can literally sprout up overnight.
- In the fall, be sure to rake leaves from your lawn and also from flower beds. Do
this every couple of days, or as needed to keep the lawn free of leaves.
- Trim bushes and trees as needed to give a tidy appearance. In particular, make
sure they are not blocking windows or doors.
- Speaking of windows, make sure they are spotless. This includes the frames
around the windows, as well as the shutters. This adds a lot of sparkle to your
overall curb appeal.
- If you have vinyl railings outside your home's entrance, give them a good
washing. All you need is a bucket, a hose, and some concentrated car wash
liquid.
- You might want to rent a power washer if you have a lot of dirt and grime. It's
an easy way to clean everything at once -- the siding, sidewalks, doors and
shutters, etc.
- If you have wood railings, consider giving them a fresh coat of paint.
- Do you have a large porch that's ideal for sitting? Add a nice bench, or a pair
of chairs, to help people see themselves relaxing on the porch.
- You'll find more tips and ideas for creating curb appeal in
this related
article.
Remember, people will see the outside of your house before they see the inside.
Unless, of course, you escort them in with a blindfold. :-) If the home's
exterior makes a bad first impression on potential buyers, they will carry that
negativity inside the house with them. So when you stage your home prior to
listing, work on the outside as well.
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Part 4 - Stage the entryway for maximum effect
Your home's
entrance is part of its overall curb appeal, because people will see it when
they pull up to the house. But the entrance is doubly important because it marks
a threshold — literally and figuratively — between the outside world and what
could possibly be the buyer's new home.
So you can consider the entryway another home staging hot-spot that deserve
special attention. Here are some tips to help you stage the entry area of your
home.
Staging the Entry
- The "entry" includes those areas people see when they first open the front door.
This picks up where curb appeal leaves off. It's a critical area, because it
represents the potential buyer's first impression upon walking into the house.
- Keep the entryway open and free of clutter. This will make the house seem
larger, right from the get-go.
- Clear away all of those spider webs and any other "natural touches" to the entry
area. It's a dirty job, but it must be done.
- Make sure the entry has plenty of light. This is for safety reasons as well as
general appearances. A bright entryway gives the initial impression of a warm,
inviting home.
- Get rid of that worn welcome mat and buy a new, high-quality welcome mat. It's a
home staging essential ... and well worth the $20 you'll spend.
Remember, professional home staging focuses on the house as a whole, but also on
key "hot spots" that have a bigger impact. Your home's entryway is a natural
magnet for people's eyes, so give the entry some extra attention when you stage
your home for sale.
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Part 5 - Staging living rooms and family rooms
People
spend a lot of time in their living room and family room areas, especially when
they have children. The family room / living room is also an entertainment area
of the home.
So when buyers walk through the living room or family room area of your home,
they will want to envision these two activities — spending time as a family and
entertaining guests.
Stage the living room / family room area with this in mind. Make it warm and
inviting, with good use of space and a conversational arrangement.
Here are some specific tips to help you stage this key area of your home.
Staging the Family Room / Living Room
- Clear the room of family portraits and other items that say "you don't live
here" to buyers.
- Arrange the room in a conversational way, if it's not that way already. Try
different furniture arrangements until you get the best fit.
- Choose a nice and warm paint color for the living room. Use neutral tones in
this space. That doesn't mean you are limited to beige. There are plenty of warm
colors that will neutralize the space, while also adding visual interest. These
include the softer shades of green, blue and brown.
- "Neutral" does not have to be boring. You can liven up a neutral color scheme
with colorful accent items, such as pillows and rugs. Color-coordinate these
items for a professional and "put together" appearance.
- Let the room breathe. If it's crowded or hard to walk through due to having too
much furniture, remove some items and place them in storage.
- Consider renting furniture for staging purposes. If your family room ensemble
consists of that old couch from college days and a cheap table with wobbly legs,
replace them with some nice rental pieces.
- If the furniture is a bit worn but otherwise intact, use a slip cover as a
low-cost way to enhance the appearance of your couch and chairs. Slip covers can
also help you neutralize overly bright or "loud" fabric colors.
- If you have a mantle, make sure it's not overloaded with knick knacks. A couple
of well-placed items (like a vase or flower arrangement) are all you need.
- If you have a fireplace in this room, make it the focal point and the star of
the show. Arrange seating to face the fireplace. Remove the TV if it's too large
-- a huge television will draw attention away from the fireplace.
Remember, people want a living room or family room area that seems open and
inviting. Make the room airy and bright, and arrange furniture for the best
possible flow. Replace or cover worn furniture as needed. When people naturally
want to sit down and spend time in the room, you've achieved your home-staging
goals for the room!
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Part 6 - Stage the kitchen to wow buyers
The kitchen
is a key area of the home for many reasons. Kitchens have a lot to do with
resale value, so the buyers will want to be impressed with this area of the
home. People also spend a lot of time in their kitchens, so a nicely staged
kitchen will help them see themselves in the home.
All of these things will help you increase the likelihood of a sale, and that's
the whole point of home staging in the first place.
With that in mind, here are some ways to stage your home's kitchen in order to
wow buyers.
Staging the Kitchen
- Spend some extra time de-cluttering. Kitchens are notorious for being full of
clutter. So when you stage this area of your home, be ruthless about removing
unnecessary items. This includes countertop appliances, utensils, the coffee
pot, etc.
- Clean like the sale of your home depended on it ... because is does. Pay
particular attention to the sink, counters, stove, etc. "Clean and bright"
should be your motto for kitchen staging.
- Turn the lights on and open the curtains to showcase the sparkle. Shed some
light on the subject. If you have dark areas of your kitchen, you might even
consider adding supplemental lighting, such as recessed lighting around the
edges. Remember your kitchen staging motto — clean and bright.
- Consider making upgrades. If you're in a buyer's market, it might be wise to go
beyond cleaning and actually upgrade some of your kitchen features. Cabinets and
counters is the rule of thumb here. If your cabinets and counters are outdated
or ugly, an upgrade can make a huge difference in resale.
- If, based on your circumstances, it doesn't make sense to pour extra money into
cabinetry, you might try staining the cabinets. This can make a big improvement
at a fraction of the cost. In addition to staining, you could also paint the
cabinets.
- If your cabinets are in decent shape, you can modernize them simply by updating
the knobs and handles, or adding them if you don't have any. This is a low-cost
way to improve a kitchen, and that's what home staging is all about.
- The same goes for your kitchen faucets, lights and other fixtures. You can make
the entire space more modern just by updating these items.
- Give the walls a fresh coat of paint, following the paint tips mentioned
previously. If the kitchen is connected to the family / living room, use the
same color paint -- or one shade lighter or darker. This will make the eye flow
from one room to the next, making the entire place seem more spacious.
- Do you have an eat-in kitchen? If so, accentuate it by setting a small table.
This will showcase the fact that the space serves double duty. Don't leave it up
to the buyers to envision the eat-in kitchen — show it to them!
Remember, people spend a lot of time in their kitchens, and most people realize
that they are a resale value item of importance. If you spend some extra time or
money anywhere while staging your home for sale, the kitchen is probably the
place to do it.
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Part 7 - Staging bathrooms for function
"Kitchens
and baths" ... that's the expression used by real estate folks to indicate the
areas of a home that carry the most resale value. Kitchens and baths. We already
talked about staging your kitchen. But what about those bathrooms? How do you
carry your home staging efforts in there?
I can sum up your bathroom plan-of-attack with two simple words — cleaning and
updating. If you remember, "clean and bright" was our motto for staging the
kitchen area. That same motto applies to the bathrooms. Bathrooms should be
sparkling clean and well-lit (but not overly bright).
If you add "luxurious" onto that motto, you'll score extra points with home
buyers. Clean, bright and luxurious. Those are the keys to staging a bathroom.
Here are some specific tips for carrying your home-staging efforts into the
bathrooms of your house.
- If your bathroom fixtures (handles, spigots, etc.) are outdated, replace them
with sleek and modern fixtures. Stay away from brass fixtures — they bring the
1980's to mind.
- Put some high-quality plush towels on the towel rack. Color-coordinate them with
the bathroom's color scheme (matching them to the rug, flower arrangement,
etc.).
- Fresh flower arrangements do a lot for a bathroom, both in appearance and aroma.
- Before showing the home, clean those bathrooms until they look like they're in a
model home. Signs of use, such as soap scum and recently used sinks, will turn
buyers off.
- Glass shower door a little gross? Remove it and take it outside for cleaning.
Use a solution of one part muriatic acid to 10 parts water (wear goggles when
mixing). Scrub it with steel wool, rinse it clean, and replace the door.
- If you have the budget and you really want to increase your home's appeal,
consider installing a pedestal sink. They are very popular with buyers right
now, and they make the bathroom seem larger by freeing up space.
Remember, when potential buyers tour your home their agents will probably be
whispering "kitchens and baths" in their ears. So when staging your home to sell
put some extra effort into those bathrooms. Your motto is clean, bright and
luxurious.
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Part 8 - Stage those bedrooms for comfort
When
potential buyers enter the bedrooms of your home, they want to see one thing
about all else ... comfort. Bedrooms do not have appliances or fixtures. Not
usually, anyway. So home staging in a bedroom usually consists of painting,
furniture arrangement and some light decor.
Think "neutral, comfortable and spacious" when you stage your bedrooms for
buyers. Keep those words in mind during your staging process, and you will be in
good shape.
Here are some specific home staging tips for the bedrooms.
- Use soft, neutral colors with paints and color schemes. Earth tones are always a
safe color that will appeal to the majority.
- Make bedrooms appear larger by limiting furniture to a bed, dresser and a couple
of small items. Too much furniture makes a bedroom seem cramped.
- Remove the bulk of your clothes from closets and pack them away in storage. You
will have to pack them soon anyway, and doing it early will make your closets
appear larger.
- Invest in some new and luxurious bedding (comforter, sheets, accent pillows).
You can take them with you when you move, and they will improve the look of the
current bedrooms while it's on the market.
- Remove personal items such as photos. Remember, you want buyers to see
themselves in the home ... not you and your family.
Remember, your motto when staging those bedrooms — neutral, comfortable and
spacious. Open up the room be reducing the amount of furniture items. Neutralize
the overall color scheme and add a little bit of "controlled color" with
accessories like pillows. Update your bedding if needed. Make your bedrooms
relaxing and tranquil.
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Part 9 - Home staging resources
StagingBug.com
This website offers
staging
advice in room-by-room fashion. It also has a
blog that will focus on such
topics as home staging, selling a home, and interior design tips for sellers.
http://www.StagingBug.com
Designed to Sell - HGTV Program
This show on HGTV is an excellent source of home staging tips. The host, Lisa
LaPorta, is a something or other, and she pulls off some amazing transformations
with minimal budget. The show's website below is also full of tips to help you
stage your home for sale.
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/shows_hdts/
Designed to Sell - The Book
Expert advice from Designed to Sell host Clive Pearse and interior designer Lisa
LaPorta on selling a home quickly and getting top dollar for the property.
Filled with clever and useful information for getting a home ready to sell or
for making the right improvement to increase the home's value.
Available at Amazon.com
Home Staging: The Winning Way to Sell
Filled with organizing tips and checklists, plus before-and-Staged photographs
that dramatically show how Staging can transform your home inside and out, Home
Staging has all the answers you'll need when looking to increase the sale price
of your home.
Available at Amazon.com
Part 10 - Videos About Home Staging
We realize that some people learn better by watching and listening, rather than
reading. So we went to YouTube and rounded up some of the best home staging
videos we could find.
Video #1 - This one offers a room-by-room guide to
staging, with plenty of before-and-after photos. It shows how small changes can
make a big difference.
Video #2 - This one is short but sweet. I like this
video because the narrator zeros in on the core concepts of home staging, and
why it's so important for sellers.
Video #3 - Another short video, but definitely worth
viewing. This one offers tips on using one of the most powerful (but least
expensive) staging tools at your disposal -- the sun.
Conclusion & Going Forward
This tutorial on professional home staging only scratches the surface. The
number and scale of improvements you make to your home prior to selling are only
limited by your time and budget. Just keep in mind that there is a fine line
between spending enough for staging and spending too much. After all, the goal
of home selling is to make money, not spend it.
Here's a financial home staging tip to take away with you:
You should only spend as much on home staging as needed to achieve the desired
effect. The desired effect, of course, is to sell the home quickly and for a
good price. In a seller's market, you won't have to do as much work to sell your
home. In a buyer's market, you'll have to do more work. The key is finding the
right balance.
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