Home Staging Tips to Update Your Space
The ultimate goal of home staging is to sell a property more efficiently by making the house more attractive to buyers. You want to set the home up to be welcoming and spacious in order for the buyer to see themselves living there. Only 10 percent of buyers can envision a space on their own (National Association of Realtors). That is a really low percentage.
I am going to give you some tips on how to update your space, whether it is for you to sell your home or you just want a new look on the space for yourself!
Use what you already have on hand. This is one of my favorite tips! Before you rush out and buy NEW, look around your home for things that just might work! I always look at using what I have on hand as going “shopping”. I “shop” throughout my own personal things and am constantly finding things that could be relocated and served in another area. It’s fun to rediscover an item in a whole new light and use it for a different purpose or in a new space!
Rearrange the furniture and wall decor in a room. Just by rearranging what you already have in the room can create a whole new room! For the living room, you want the space to feel open and spacious. Not having furniture or items blocking walking paths.
Declutter the house. This is something with 4 kids at home, I am constantly doing! I think also all the moves my husband I have done over the years has also given me that “declutter bug” to throw out or donate things that are not being used much anymore! Make three piles. Keep, Donate and Trash. If you haven’t used it in the past year, pitch it. In the kitchen, one of the most popular rooms of a home, my advice is to go minimalist. Having lots of clear counter space will make the room appear larger because the counter is not cluttered with appliances and decor.Home staging also works for refreshing a space and using the space the best way possible. Overall, you want the room to be less crowded.
Depersonalize the house. Take down all the family pictures and personal items such as your Star Wars figurine collection and your children’s school pictures on the wall. Buyers want to see themselves in the home as if it was their own. If your personal items are out, it makes it more of a challenge
Repairs. A well maintained home that has had the necessary repairs done, indicates to the buyer that they won’t have a lot of surprises and expenses if they were take over the home. You will also get a lot more buyers interested in the property because they will feel like it’s been taken care of in the past.
Update. Updates can be as little as changing out a bathroom faucet fixture to one that is newer and on trend to repainting a room. Updates also are an indication to the buyer that you invested time and money into the home to bring it more up to date.
There are also a few common room problems that can use staging and redesign consultation. A lot of these are very common and having easy solutions!
Showcase architectural details. Show off the highlights of what makes the property! For example, the exterior has shingles for the siding, emphasize this in the photos and description of the property. If a home has some amazing windows or french doors leading out to an exterior space, this can help to captivate a buyer.
Establish focal points. If a living room has a fireplace that is the focal point of the room, or if there is an amazing view from the master bedroom windows, show it off! Make it stand out to draw the eye to it when you first enter the room! If a room doesn’t have anything, then you can create one for that space!
Space Planning. If a room is not being used as what it was originally intended to be used for, it’s hard for a buyer to envision themselves living there. For instance, a lot of homes are gaining home offices since covid. Some living rooms or guest rooms may be converted to a home office and are not being used for what their original purpose was intended.
Lift or lower a ceiling. We touched on this back in February in one my posts where you can hang curtain rods almost to the ceiling height to create the illusion of the room being taller and larger. If a room is massive and not warm and inviting, you can lower the celiing by having lower curtain rods and window treatments that trick your eye to thinking it’s a much smaller space than what it was originally.
Lighten or darken a space. Lighting a room can easily be done by painting a room a lighter, more neutral color. Having lighter colored furniture with throw pillows with pops of color can also make a space appear lighter than what it really is. Choose light colors over dark ones. It goes a long way in the future!
I hope these tips will help you with getting your home ready to go on the market or to just make a space more inviting, utilized better or livened up!
Next week’s blog we will be discussing how to best style bookshelves!
