Professional home staging tips are a major part of selling your home fast. And at the highest possible price! Properties that aren’t well-staged, remain on the market longer and end up selling for less than they are truly worth.
Don’t let this happen to you.
Great home staging can take your ordinary, ho-hum house and instantly make it feel more spacious, warmer, brighter, and more welcoming! So, let’s jump right in.
Professional Home Staging Tips
Professional staging begins on the outside of your home. Potential buyers scrutinize your house as they drive up, park and exit their vehicle. First impressions are huge!
We are talking about everything they see. From the trees and landscaping to the roof, windows, and even walkways, all will be carefully critiqued as these real estate clients walk up to your home.
#1 Make Your Front Door Inviting
Your home’s front door is the single most powerful element of a potential home buyer’s first impression. Buyers have extra time to assess your home as their agent uses his/her technology tool to gain entrance to the property… sometimes up to 60 seconds!
Pay extra attention to the cleanliness and condition of your front door and the immediate area around it. There should be no cobwebs, the windows should be clean and the door’s hardware should be in great working condition. Front doors are a great place to put that splash of color as well. Make a great first impression!
#2 Declutter, Declutter, and Declutter Some More
Having a clean home is mandatory, that’s why I didn’t include it on this list because you’ve already done that, right? But while you clean, also declutter. If you want to sell your home fast, this is the tip that’s going to make it happen.
I’m sure you love your knick-knacks, trinkets, and tsotchke but I promise, potential home buyers will be far less impressed. Pack it up, move it out and you can thank me later.
#3 Eliminate Personalized Items
Now that we’ve decluttered, it’s time to remove personal items like photographs, plaques, and other items that remind potential buyers that someone else lives here. Instead, we want them to picture themselves in this space.
Rather than a beloved child’s art project, use a modern vase and flower arrangement. The goal is to make the decor less personal and more neutral, like an upscale hotel or a photo of a beautiful room in a magazine.
#4 Highlight Your Home’s Beat Features
Does your home back up to a lake? Draw the visitors outside with welcoming furniture. Maybe your home has an incredible fireplace. Light it for showings and instantly set the mood.
The same goes for any special, custom feature that puts your home above the competition. Maybe those are the features that initially drew you to buy this home. Promote these features, you never know what might “hook” the buyer.
#5 Less Furniture, Strategically Position
The bigger the home, the more it’s worth, right? You can’t increase the actual size of your home, but you can enhance its perceived size!
Begin by removing all the largest pieces of furniture in each of them increasing the feeling of space. Then move furniture away from the walls and into warm vignettes. If a room has two large sofas and three chairs, remove one sofa and one chair then rearrange the remaining pieces for a functional yet more spacious space.
#6 Picture Perfect Exteriors
Don’t forget your outdoor spaces! We’ve already talked about the importance of a great first impression on your home’s front door, but you should also pay close attention to how your backyard appears to potential buyers.
Backyards are huge to today’s home buyers. Staging your home’s landscaping is actually quite simple and less expensive than most other updates. Don’t miss out on this incredibly simple but one of the most powerful professional home staging tips.
#7 Appropriate Use of Color
We want your home’s largest spaces (walls, floors, and ceilings) to feel warm but neutral. Using outrageous colors on the walls is a universal turn-off. But, this doesn’t mean that the whole space should be bland. Bathrooms are great places to utilize today’s trendy colors.
Add additional color via throws and pillows on beds or sofas. This instantly adds a feeling of warmth and comfort to the rooms of your home. Include eye-catching “pops” of color to a space with accessories for shelves, wall nooks or tables. Less is more, but if done well, your home will give off that professionally staged vibe.
#8 Make It Fresh
Fresh is best! Change up your daily towels with beautiful guest towels. Replace artificial flowers with fresh flowers. It’s a simple tip, but it goes a long way to make a grand impression on your guests. Don’t forget about your outdoor spaces too!
#9 Set the Mood
Making sure all of your lights are on is the first step. You can go further by setting the mood with lightly scented candles or room fresheners. The key word here is light. If it’s too powerful, people won’t like it and may think your home has some bad odor that you are trying to hide.
Soft, modern music is another way to set the mood and invite your guests to take their time touring your Louisville home.
#10 Lights, Camera, Action!
How many times have you heard a visitor rave about a room’s “light and airy” feel? The key portion of that overused phrase is light. It’s almost impossible to have too much light when it comes to staging your home to sell.
Draw open all the curtains, pull up the blinds, and make sure all the lights are on before the showing. Do you have any burned-out bulbs? Don’t forget to replace them with new ones, trust me on this one.
Conclusion
Most of these professional home staging tips are simple. When you follow what the pros do, you are putting your home above the competition. You are increasing your chance to sell it faster and for more money.
Selling your home is an emotional process. It’s key to connect with potential buyers emotionally. A professionally staged home lets them see themselves in this space, essentially letting them come home.
