How To Stage Your Home When Selling Property

When estate agents talk about staging your home, they are talking about the process of getting your house ready for the market. Staging a home is intended to highlight its best features, excite potential purchasers and sell it promptly for the highest price. If you decide to go the extra mile and stage your property, it will work to your benefit. The most common rooms that are staged are the living room (90%), kitchen (80%), the master bedroom (78%), and dining room (69%).

Your home is your most precious immovable asset, therefore it only makes sense that you present the complete house, inside and out at its finest when the time comes to sell it. Here are some ideas on how to do that.

The Psychology Behind Home Staging

Purchasers peruse innumerable property listings and decide in a split second whether to continue looking or to view the property. A prospective purchaser must feel at home in your house for it to stand out. 

Naturally, all practical considerations are important but allowing a purchaser to have an emotional connection to the home is also crucial. The scene you create should be neutral yet personal so that a potential purchaser can picture how they might live in their new house. A fundamental idea in home staging is visualisation. Purchase interest will increase potential buyers can envision themselves residing there.

With the help of these home-staging suggestions, you can emphasise your home’s positive attributes, minimise its negative ones and appeal to the largest number of potential purchasers.

The Living Room

The living room is the most popular room for staging. This may be because living rooms are one of the most frequently shared spaces in a home. People want to be able to envision their family relaxing in front of the TV, having guests over, or spending quality time together.

Here are some ideas to stage your living room:

• Take out unused furniture to make more room
• Replace any dark drapes with neutral ones
• Update any low lighting
• Keep wires and cords hidden
• To allow for more natural light, raise the blinds
• Consider painting the walls with a lighter, neutral colour if the walls are dark
• Take down personal decorations and photos
• Including cosy elements such as flowers or eye-catching decor (vases, throw pillows, candles, coffee table books)
• On your largest wall, hang the largest work of art
• Declutter (store books and magazines, remove personal stuff from surfaces)

The Dining Room

While a dining room is used less often than other spaces in a home, sellers shouldn’t neglect staging the space because purchasers want to picture themselves enjoying all areas in a home, including the entertainment areas.

• Open blinds
• Hang light-coloured drapes
• Adjust lighting fixtures to improve lighting
• Declutter
• Add indoor plants, a fruit bowl, or a floral arrangement
• Set the table (but only if it enhances rather than detracts from the mood)
• Use the correct sized rug

The Kitchen

Staging a kitchen is an art form. A kitchen is the heart of the home and is often cited as one of the most important features to potential buyers.

• Clean the refrigerator from top to bottom. If you are using your kitchen, clear and tidy it first before temporarily emptying it
• Clean up and organise the counters
• Clean the oven
• If cabinets are outdated, update or repaint them
• Appliances (toaster, coffee maker, kettle) should be cleaned or removed
• Replace worn-out knobs, hardware, or faucets
• Organise the cabinets
• Repair any leaks

The Bathrooms

Staging the bathroom before you place your house on the market can often mean the difference between a fast home sale or having it linger for months.

• Repair any leaks
• If the faucets and a shower head are outdated, replace them
• Hang fresh, spotless towels in a simple colour
• Dispense fresh soap in a lovely jar
• Towels and other personal things should be removed from the space around the sink
• Clean out and organise any drawers, cabinets, or closets
• Put the trash can away or empty it
• Clean the toilet, the floor, the shower, and the mirrors
• Shower curtain should be cleaned or changed
• Do not raise the toilet seat

The Exterior

Your home’s outside is equally as significant as its interior. Increasing the curb appeal of your home will make potential purchasers fall in love with it before they even enter.

• Mow the lawn and nature strip
• Plant fresh flowers 
• Clean up garden beds
• Prune the bushes and trees
• Remove any dead leaves
• Get new plants to fill in any bare spaces.
• Deck, patio, pool area, and home exterior should all be pressure washed
• If required, touch up or paint the home’s exterior
• Fix the sidewalk cracks
• Remove any trash
• Declutter (remove garbage cans, toys, rusted and outdated outdoor furniture, pool and grill equipment, and other items)
• Improve the doorknobs and lighting
• Accessorise your patio, deck, or porch by placing eye-catching furnishings 

Depersonalise

Last but not least, remove all the family photos, mementos, and refrigerator art so that potential buyers can see themselves living in your house. As far as you can, keep your garments tucked away, and make sure the bathroom counters are clear of anything but hand soap. Put away all the toys and other items that are very sentimental or indicative of the current occupants of the property.

Ready to move on? Contact AWD Law for professional property advice.

Kindly be advised that AWD Law does not enter into litigation on behalf of clients. Our conveyancers specialise exclusively in the development of vacant land, property transfers, bond registrations, administration of deceased estates and notarial practice. Should you require assistance with a litigation, kindly contact The Legal Practice Council.