If you’re looking to sell your home, you might have heard how important it is to stage it when showing it off. If you’ve never done any kind of home staging before, you might not be totally sure what you’re doing. What you should know is that staging is definitely important, but you should also be careful not to overdo it. These are a few tips that can help you set the right tone without going too far.
Don’t Overdo the Décor
First of all, be careful when setting up furniture and adding decor. You will want to add enough to make the house feel like a home, but you won’t want to add so much that it makes the home feel small and cluttered. Additionally, you’ll want to avoid adding so much furniture that each room looks busy, which can detract attention away from the beauty of the house itself. Make sure the bare bones are able to be seen and visualized by guests. Use larger statement pieces like your couch, tables, and windows to frame the whole space and work around it naturally to make everything else more visible.
Keep it Clean
The last thing you want potential buyers to see is grime, dirt, clutter, or general inorganization in a new house. Keep things clean and easy to see. Do a sweep every time you have visitors coming over and do a deep clean at least once a week. Use rugs and other floor coverings to protect carpets from wear and tear that happens with lots of traffic in the house.
Keep Colors Somewhat Neutral
It’s true that bright and bold colors can grab attention, but they might not get the type you want. There is certainly nothing wrong with adding a few bright pops of color here and there to focus attention and bring out a theme. But overall, you may want to stick to neutral-colored walls and furnishings. After all, even though some people might like the look of bright colors, they might not actually be able to picture themselves living in a home with a lot of bright colors. Use neutral curtains, rugs, and furnishings and use little bits of color in décor, picture frames, pillow covers, and other places.
Add a Nice, Light Scent
Adding a little bit of a scent is a good way to make your home inviting, which can make it more appealing to potential buyers. Instead of relying on strong air fresheners or commercial candles filled with chemicals, you may want to go with something a little more natural. For example, you can diffuse a few drops of your favorite essential oil. Scents like lavender, vanilla, and citrus can be refreshing and fragrant. Use a standing bowl of potpourri which you won’t have to switch out as often. You can also leave a few windows open in nice weather to give a more open space feel and to give an idea of the home’s versatility to buyers.
Offer Information
There’s nothing worse than potential buyers leaving your property without having any kind of lasting impression. Use this opportunity to hand out cards, house information, or other fliers they can use. Buyers should have everything they need to contact you again, or pictures to remind them of the house. They will probably visit a lot more so keep your fresh in their mind however you can. Make sure you have a link to the house listing online or to the real estate site. Update home pictures online as you can, and give visitors a good refresher or different rooms and features when they visit virtually.
As you can see, there are quite a few ways that you can focus on staging a property without going too far. If you follow these tips, you should be able to make the home look nice without overdoing it. Keep things simple and remember to use colors, smells, and space wisely to give a good impression. You might find that it’s easier than you thought to find a buyer when you do all you can to keep the property fresh in their minds.