Home Staging: Tips for Staging a Home for Sale

What is home staging?

Home staging is the act of preparing a private residence for the real estate market. If you want to sell your home, and sell it fast, staging is what you need to do. Here are some tips and tricks for you.

Bathrooms

1. Get Rid of Grimy Bathroom Walls

Grimy bathroom walls aren’t just not pretty to look at, but they can end up being a major red-flag for a buyer. But don’t fret: there’s an easy way to get rid of surface mold. In a spray bottle, mix together one part bleach and one part water. Spray it on the wall and watch the mold disappear. A fresh coat of paint will make your bathroom look like new again.

2. Avoid Dated Tile by Painting

Replacing tile is expensive. Instead, paint the tile. To begin, coat tiles with a high-adhesion primer. Afterward, paint on a ceramic epoxy covering.

3. Don’t Replace a Grimy Shower Door

Instead of replacing a shower door, clean it. Mix together ten parts water to one part muriatic acid.

4. Pedestal Sinks

Pedestal sinks show off the square footage your bathroom has to offer. First things first, your vanity has to go. Then all you have to do it hook up your new sink. A quick and easy fix that can bring in the big bucks.

Bedrooms

1. Master Bedroom

A master bedroom should appeal to everyone. Paint the walls a neutral color and choose bedding that matches. Afterward, accessorize with items that complement the color scheme.

2. One Purpose Rooms

Do you have any extra rooms? Be sure to make the room only have one clear purpose. To avoid this, clear away clutter and paint the room a neutral color. You can then stage it to show a possible room idea. It can be anything from an exercise room to a home office. For more ideas about what to do with a spare room, check out our article all about it!

3. Storage Space

Home buyers love to see that their new home will have plenty of storage space. When staging a home, pack up any unnecessary items and furniture. Any clutter will just take up space, and that’s the opposite of what you want to show buyers. Organize your shelves and closets, and leave closets open, to show the buyers how much space you have.

Kitchen

1. Stain Dated Kitchen Cabinets

Instead of paying to replace dated kitchen cabinets, all you have to do is stain them. To stain your cabinets, all you have to do is apply the stain in even strokes, painting with the grain of the wood. Add on new hardware, and your cabinets will look up-to-date for a fraction of the price that it would take to replace them.

2. Stainless Steel Appliances

Stainless steel appliances cost a lot of money, but there are ways to get the stainless steel look without having to empty your wallet. First, you can use a stick-on covering. All you have to do is remove the front panels and apply the stainless steel stick on covering and cut it to size. In addition, you can also use stainless steel paint to cover your older appliances and give them a new look.

3. Fill Existing Hardware Holes

If you have removed any kitchen hardware, you may have some unsightly holes left in your walls. Fixing this is easy! Just dip a toothpick into glue and put it in the stripped hole. Afterward, cut off the remaining piece. Once the glue dries, you can add new hardware.

4. New Kitchen Appliances

This is, of course, more costly than the other options, however, studies show that new appliances bring in high return from buyers. If your appliances are really dated and make the rest of the kitchen look dated, consider replacing those appliances.

Other Rooms/General Home

1. Overpowering Fireplace

If you think your fireplace is overpowering, consider painting it to tone it down. Using a rag or brush, put a light coat of paint on the bricks one at a time. This allows them to take on a new tone without having them get completely covered. If your screen is old, update it by using a can of heat resistant spray paint. Hold the can about eighteen inches away from the screen and spray using long stokes.

2. Pack up Unnecessary Items

Clear away clutter! Start to pack up any unnecessary items or furniture and move them to your garage or a storage facility. To a buyer, seeing items scattered around your home indicates a lack of storage space.

3. Strike up a Balance Between Clean and Lived-In

Bring in some personal touches once you’ve decluttered to make your home seem more lived-in. Small vases of flowers scattered throughout the home, baskets of produce, or other such items help to set the scene of a lived-in home without it seeming cluttered.

4. Style your Dining Room Table

Many people forget to style their dining room when staging their home. Style it with visitors in mind. Set the table up as if you’re having a dinner party. Down the center of the table, place small vases of flowers.

5. Look at Your Floor

Clean your floors and steam clean your carpets. After making your home look beautiful, the last thing that you want is for your floors to be dirty! If you have wood floors, you might want to consider refinishing them if they are in poor shape.

6. Rearrange Furniture

Symmetrical arrangements work well when staging a home. Pull furniture off the walls and use pairs of items, such as sofas, chairs, or lamps, to create a conversation area.

7. Entice People to Explore the Home

Place things that draw the eye at the top of stairs, in hallways, or around corners to create interest from potential buyers to entice them to walk through the whole house. Consider a piece of artwork, a window seat, flowers, or a small colorful rug to catch the eye.

8. Show How to Use Awkward Areas

If you have awkward areas in your home, such as space under your stairs, find a unique way to show it off. Try setting up a small work station, a bulletin board, or shelving to make the spot a selling point for your home.

Outside

1. Stage Outside Areas

Do you have any balcony areas? If so, consider staging these as well to show how functional the entirety of your house can be. Add a small table and chair to create a small eating area to add value to your outdoor area.

2. Think Seasonally

If you have any extra features, such as a pool or fire pit, make sure that they are cleaned. Keep your garden in good shape. During the winter and fall, have a fire burning in the fire pit.

3. Curb Appeal

Curb appeal gets a person to stop and look at your home. It is equally as important to have the outside of your home in just as great of shape as the inside of your home is. For more information about how to improve your curb appeal, read our article about it!