How to Stage Your Home Like A Professional

When it comes to selling your home, one of the most important steps you can take is to ensure that your home looks in tip-top shape as buyers begin coming through for open houses and showings. If your house doesn’t look its best, chances are potential buyers will be less than impressed and have a harder time imagining themselves in your home as the potential new owners. It’s important to stage your home in a way that sets it apart from the rest and allows potential buyers to envision themselves living there in the future.

Our best advice? Highlight the strengths and downplay the weaknesses; we promise it works! Small changes can make a big difference in the overall appearance of your home.

1. Boost Curb Appeal

As people begin thinking of how to stage their home, they often only focus on the interior and forget about the exterior. Remember, both are equally as important! If your house isn’t appealing from the outside, chances are that people may already begin losing interest. When selling in the warmer months, make sure your lawn is freshly mowed, and during the winter months, be sure to have your driveway cleanly shoveled/plowed, including main walkways and doorsteps.  Make sure the front windows are washed, porches are freshly stained, and that there’s a welcome mat inviting people into your home.

2. Make your House Sparkle

We don’t just mean to clean up a bit around the house. To do it right, you need to make sure your house is spotless. Vacuum the carpets, wash the floors, and wipe down anything where dirt and debris might build up. To finish off, make sure to fill your home with a pleasant aroma. Light a candle, spray Febreeze, or – if you want to go all out, bake some cookies and let the delicious scent drift throughout your house.

3. Declutter

Have you ever heard the expression, “less is more?” In the world of staging homes, that saying holds a lot of truth. Clutter can make your home appear smaller than it actually is, and if your home is already on the smaller side, this is one step you most certainly want to complete. Less stuff means more space, making your home appear larger and providing a more inviting feel.

4. Set the Dining Room Table

Sure, we get it – this one seems a little bit random. However, creating the idea of what your table typically looks like when you’re eating dinner allows potential buyers to better envision what it would look like for their family to be eating dinner in your home. And sometimes, that can make all the difference.

5. Re-arrange Living Room Furniture

One of the most popular misconceptions about staging your living room is that by pushing your furniture up against the wall to create a larger space you increase the appeal of the room. However, this can ironically make your living room appear smaller and more cluttered Instead, move your furniture more inwards to allow people the ability to walk behind the furniture. This helps in creating an open space and a more inviting feel.

6. Open Closets

We aren’t going to tell you to make your beds before a showing of your home because that’s something you should automatically know to do. Instead, we want to focus on the closet space within your bedrooms. Space and storage are important to people, and chances are, they’re going to take a peek inside your closets. When you’re decluttering your house, we recommend that you check out a local storage unit instead of shoving everything into your closet. Make sure to leave 20-30% of open space, as well as leaving your closet doors open so the storage space appears larger.

Feeling Like a Professional Yet?

If you follow these home staging tips, your home is sure to look its best and potential buyers are sure to fall in love. If you’re thinking of selling but aren’t sure what steps to take first, be sure to contact a professional at Red Post Realty today. And be sure to check out our First Time Seller’s Seminar to learn the ins and outs of all the steps from start to finish!