It’s no secret that when a home looks it’s very best it’s more likely to appeal to a wider variety of potential buyers and therefore is most likely to sell for a higher price! In our experience every dollar that’s spent on staging will elicit a return of $2-3 or more.

Potential buyers should be able to easily imagine living in your home and be mentally arranging their furniture while touring your property. Home Staging is all about illusion; it makes your home look bigger, brighter and warmer – and in many cases more contemporary.

Remember, your home is competing with every other property that’s for sale in your area in a similar price range. If your home doesn’t stand out you risk not only staying on the market much longer but selling your home for thousands – in some cases tens of thousands – of dollars less.

Here’s our home staging guide with our best tips to help you navigate staging your home to sell:

1. Decorate for your home’s target market

If you’re selling a four-bedroom house in a family neighborhood, decorate to appeal to families. Whether you really have children or not, one of the bedrooms should be shown as a kid’s room and one possibly as a nursery.
Create a comfortable and welcoming family room. Remember, you want buyers to imagine their lives in your home. If they can’t visualize where the kids will play, they’ll move on to the next listing.
Does staging really impact your home’s sale price? Read our blog here to find out. 

2. Don’t try to sell an empty house

A vacant house looks sad and desperate. Buyers will imagine a nasty divorce or financial trouble and wonder how low an offer they can make.
Furniture and accessories can be rented or borrowed to create the right environment to romance buyers. Professional home stagers will provide everything you need if you don’t have the time or knowledge to tackle this on your own.
Are you an investor thinking about selling a vacant home? You might not have a choice if the home is empty! Read our guide for selling a vacant home here.

3. Strategically use art

You’ve probably heard you should remove all family photos and diplomas when staging a home so buyers won’t focus on who you are instead of imagining your house as their home.
Replace these with art.
Avoid religious pieces, most nudes and anything else that could be offensive to prospective buyers. Use pieces appropriate to the size of the wall, and hang your art at eye level.
Thinking about updating your home before selling? Read these posts next: 

4. Use brighter lighting to boost sales

Lighting counts.
Keep drapes open for showings, use higher watt bulbs and if updating fixtures, keep them consistent with your home’s price point.
If your home will be listed for more than $300,000, don’t use $5 builder’s fixtures, which reduce your home’s perceived value. Using the same reasoning, don’t put an expensive crystal chandelier in a $100,000 starter home.
Thinking about doing the work yourself? Here’s a not-so-handy-person’s guide to DIY renovations vs. things you should hire a contractor for.

5. Update your home’s jewelry

Give a dated kitchen or bathroom an instant facelift with new cabinet hardware, taps and faucets. Try to be consistent with the type of metal used throughout the house, but especially within the same room. Oil-rubbed bronze hardware is well suited to a traditional home and works well in a space with dark countertops. Brushed or satin nickel or chrome work best with stainless steel appliances and in homes with a contemporary feel.
Since curb appeal is key, don’t forget your mailbox, house number and front door hardware, which help buyers form a first impression of your home.We hope that you’ve found our guide useful.
If you’re thinking of selling your home and would like a complimentary staging consultation, let us know, call The Christine Cowern team at 416.291.7372 or email us at hello@christinecowern.com. We’d love to work with you! 

Would you like advice on whether or not you should stage your home?

Call The Christine Cowern team at 416.291.7372 or email us at hello@christinecowern.com. We’d love to work with you!

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