How to Stage Your Home to Set it Apart from the Crowd
Whether you’re selling your home reluctantly because you have a growing family and need more space or because you no longer love it like you once did, if you want to get top dollar for your home, you likely need to put in some work.
You want to put your home’s best foot forward to attract buyers and get them excited about their potential new life in your house. This is where home staging comes in.
Staging is an umbrella term and covers a wide range of preparations for getting your house ready to list. It can include anything from cleaning and rearranging furniture to completely redecorating or doing major aesthetic-focused repairs. It can be very affordable or costly, depending on what you want to put into it and how much of a return on investment you hope to get.
With so many options, let’s look at some of the best ways to stage your home to set it apart from the crowd and get it the attention it deserves.
DIY or Professional Staging
The purpose of staging your home is to highlight and draw attention to the best features. It’s a popular strategy. Just look at Courtice real estate listings, and you’ll see plenty of houses staged to varying degrees.
If your home is outdated or older and there have been little to no renovations or upkeep, you might want to consider professional staging. Professional stagers will usually have a large inventory of furniture and decor they can bring in to get a house looking its best, but it comes at a cost.
Otherwise, there are plenty of strategies you can employ successfully yourself. Plus, your Courtice real estate agent will likely have some tips and suggestions.
Curb Appeal
Don’t think you have to choose between curb appeal or home staging; they’re one and the same. Curb appeal is the appeal your home has from the curb, and improving it usually refers to aesthetic-based improvements. It’s the exterior part of home staging.
Staging your home’s exterior can include many projects that can be done at a low cost over a weekend. They include: painting the front door, pressure washing the house, adding outdoor lighting, filling empty flowerbeds or including container plants, and fixing cracks in the driveways or walkways.
The Interior
First impressions matter, but so do second ones. Once you have your curb appeal in order, focus on the inside. Similarly, there are many different avenues you can go down with your staging strategy, but some of the best options include the following:
- Declutter knick knacks and personal items
- Reduce the amount of clothing and belongings in closets and organize what’s left, so they look neat and tidy
- Paint walls in neutral tones
- Declutter furniture to make your home look bigger and more spacious
- Do a deep clean of your home, getting into every nook and cranny
- Scrub windows and keep coverings open to allow for excess light
- Make any minor repairs like fixing leaky faucets, loose door knobs and more
- Add mirrors to make your home brighter
Implementing these tips will help set your home apart from the crowd and grab the attention of buyers, which is the ultimate goal when selling a house.
