10 Foolproof Tips to Successfully Stage Your Home

 

Staging a house is all in the little details–it’s the arrangement of the furniture, the accessories, the lighting, and the overall flow that makes a property more attractive to prospective buyers. Homeowners have the option of staging their homes themselves or hiring a professional, but no matter how you choose to go about it, staging your house is always an essential step in making your home stand out on the market.

When you stage your home effectively, the property will often sell faster and for a higher price. On average, staged houses sell for 20% more. Furthermore, they are likely to sell significantly faster than unstaged houses. Also, effective staging helps buyers visualize the home as their own, which entices them to make an offer. In fact, more than 90% of realtors believe that home staging will help you sell your house. To make your property look its very best, here are 10 excellent tips to successfully stage your Austin luxury home.

 

The front yard is the first thing any homebuyer will see, and it is important to make an excellent first impression. Most strategies to spruce up the yard are simple. You should mow the lawn, weed the flowerbeds, paint the front door, and clean the windows. Some additional methods to make the front look more inviting are hanging baskets of flowers on the porch or setting up plants suited to the location and style of the home on either side of the front door.

If you have a backyard or any other outdoor space, you should stage this area as well. Whether it is a tiny back patio or an expansive porch, it should look nice, welcoming, and attractive. Use brightly colored flowers or garden decorations to add to the space, and make sure the yards are in excellent condition. If you have a porch or patio, add a couple of chairs and a small table. When staging a home, you should maximize every space you have, including the outdoors.

If the front yard is the first impression of the property, the front entrance is the first impression of the inside of the house. Make sure the entrance is clean and brightly lit. Consider adding a potted plant or a nice table. What you can do here depends on available space, but you do not have to go overboard. The simplest things can make it look attractive and inviting so that it stands out on the Austin real estate market.

When showing a house, you should always have a clear and singular purpose for each room. Clean out the office of storage stuff and stage it as a home office, ready for productivity. Furnish the living room to look warm and welcoming, perfect for family get-togethers. Many buyers will have a difficult time visualizing what a space could be, so it is up to the homeowner to demonstrate each room’s promise and potential.

Buyers pay attention to the floor. If it is chipped, worn out, or stained, it will make the whole room look cheaper. If you have wood floors, refinishing or painting them is an easy way to make them look brand new without spending money on replacing the whole floor. Making the floor shine will add to the beauty and charm of the house.

Similarly, dirty, stained, or chipped walls bring down the overall ambiance of the home. Also, if your walls are painted in too dark or bright colors or covered with busy wallpaper, it can make the space look smaller or turn off a buyer who does not like the color. It is usually best to choose a neutral or pastel color because lighter colors will brighten the room and make it look more spacious. A freshly painted room in the right color can make a big difference.

 

The best choice for the walls is a more neutral tone, but you do not want the house to look bland. Color works great as an accent. Add some dark or bright colors through pillows, blankets, rugs, curtains, or even a chair. Just make sure the pops of color work well with each other and the rest of the furniture and decor.

Sometimes, you will need to get creative with the layout of a room, especially if an open-floor plan combines multiple rooms. Professional stagers will set up a room so it looks the best it can be. They will rearrange furniture so that each space flows together well. The room’s balance is important; all of your rooms should project an air of comfort and beauty.

 

As one of the most important rooms in the house, the kitchen should look sleek and gorgeous but not lived-in. You should put away all food and appliances, leaving the counters clear, except for a single bowl of fruit or small plants, to add color and depth. Consider spray painting the cabinets and replacing the handles so that they shine.

Decluttering is one of the most essential steps in staging your home. Clutter will make rooms look untidy and smaller and is distracting for prospective buyers who want to imagine themselves living in the house. Make as much free space as possible on counters, shelves, and tables. You especially need to store away any personal items like family pictures or trophies.

However, on the other side of the spectrum, you do not want the space to look overly bland, either. The house should still have some personality. As you are removing excess clutter and personal items, keep or add decorative pieces like candles or coffee table books.

If you are looking to sell your home on the Austin real estate scene, Jenny Dicker and Lana Morin Pierce are top-tier agents in the area who can get you where you want to be. The Dicker Morin Group combines passion and excellent service to get positive results in both the buying and selling process. Both agents are Accredited Luxury Home Specialists and have a wealth of experience in the industry. Contact Jenny or Lana today to get started selling your home.