I always stage my homes and the reason for that is that they have always gotten more money than asking when staged properly. Staging brings out your furniture and replaces it with modern chic stage furniture, paintings, and simple touches will help sell your home in the best possible way. It will likely cost the most out of your budget but it has always helped preserve and increase value because when you stage you are creating a new narrative for the home. Staging is an opportunity for your home to function differently than how you currently live in it and it might be more appealing to the current market and potential buyers. This can really help you get a great offer in the shortest period of time. I would suggest looking on Instagram at different local home stagers, view their capacity and also get different quotes. Not all home staging is created equally. You would not put ultra high end furniture in a modest home because it will be mismatched and it would cost you a lot of money. Find stagers that will appropriately stage your home for your market and area, and not be exorbitantly expensive or way too cheap for your area. You want to match the higher-end average of the homes of your area.
General Rules for Staging and Prepping Your Home to Sell:
- Whites, creams and neutrals for a majority of the home’s walls
- Remember that your home will be listed using online photos and dark colors close in a space, making it feel darker and potentially older and out of date.
- Lighter colors = Greater sellability.
- Maximize Light
- Just like plants, people love natural light. Make sure you open the shades, curtains, drapes, and let as much natural light flood the space as possible.
- Say more with Less
- There is a calming effect when there is less in a room. Taking down some photos, paintings or wall hangings, and taking out some of the furniture even if you have to store some of it in the garage or in a storage pod will help sell your home. It will allow buyers to move more freely and imagine themselves more easily owning your home.
You do not need to put a lot of money into staging, you only really need to make sure you stage the 3 most important rooms: master bedroom/suite, family/living/dining rooms, and the kitchen.
Kitchen:
- A clean kitchen is a happy kitchen. Clear off pretty much the entire kitchen and only place a few key items on the counter tops.
Master:
- Remove heavy patterns from the bed. Look for solid or light patterns and colors for the bed.
- Look to add balance to the bedroom:
- With an even number of night stands
- Removing heavy furniture that clutters the space
- Rearranging the room to better situate the flow of the room
Family/Living room:
- Most people want to see this space cleared out and simply have a coffee table, couch and a few key pieces of furniture + a space for mounting or placing a TV.
