When it comes to selling your home, staging is an aspect of the home selling journey that is often overlooked. According to research from Homesandgardens.com, a home that has been staged will sell three times faster than a house that has not been staged. The same research also revealed that 70% of estate agents stated that staging your home can help to increase the offer value on a house by up to 10%.
But what actually is home staging? And how do you about staging a house for sale?
In this blog post, we will be covering our home staging tips, as well as looking at the advantages of a staged home, and our guide to home staging.
Looking for a quick answer? Check out our menu below for a quick navigation option!
- What is home staging?
- Benefits of home staging
- Do I need a professional home stager to sell a house?
- Home staging tips
- Room by room guide to staging a house
- First impressions
- Hallway
- Living room
- Kitchen
- Dining room
- Bathrooms
- Bedrooms
- Garden
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What is home staging?
Before we get into our room by room to staging a home, we should first take a look at what property staging actually is. Home staging, or property staging, is the process of setting up your home in a way that impresses new buyers without being too obvious about it. A well-staged home can be the difference between getting the sale price you want, and the sale price you will settle for.
Benefits of home staging to sell
There are many benefits to staging your home, not only will staging your home help it to sell faster by ensuring a quick sale, but it will also attract more viewings. According to a survey done by Movewise, 94% of those surveyed stated that staging a property increases the number of viewings it gets and 100% agreed that it leads to higher-quality photos. Another reason to consider staging your home is that it can help you achieve a higher sale price in comparison to those who have not staged their homes.
Do I need a professional home stager to sell a house?
Absolutely not! Whilst professional home staging is easier than staging a home yourself, using a staging service is often quite pricey. The services of a professional home stager are useful however there are plenty of ways you can save yourself the money and stage your home yourself. Even simple steps such as deep cleaning your home, decluttering rooms, and applying fresh coats of paint can be enough to impress buyers.
Home staging tips
The idea of home staging can be nerve-wracking, with so much ground to cover it is easy to feel overwhelmed. Here we have collected our most basic house staging tips that will give you an idea about where to start and can be applied to every room in the house!
Freshen up rooms
A cost-effective way to give your home a freshen-up and a quick facelift is through a coat of paint. It’s amazing the difference a new colour can do to walls. It is advisable to go for a neutral tone such as beige, grey, white, cream, or camel.
You should also try taking a critical look at the rooms in your home and deciding out of the furniture you own, which you want to keep, and which you will put in storage for viewings. You should remove any furniture that makes a room feel small and cramped as buyers will be looking for open space that they can mould into their own.
Another aspect worth considering when it comes to freshening up your rooms is how they smell. Pets, smoking, cooking, bins, and damp can all create unpleasant aromas which can negatively affect your chance at a sale. In order to avoid these smells, you should empty any bins in your home before the viewing, and invest in some scented candles, reed diffusers, or flowers to help your home smell fresh and clean.
Neutralise
In order to cinch the best deal for your home, you should neutralise your home. Whilst this phrase can sound quite scary, it is nothing to worry about. It simply means removing any personal items from sight in your home in order to give the buyer a completely blank canvas to work with.
You should aim to make rooms feel as though it is part of a show home, so the following items should be hidden:
- Collectible items
- Holiday souvenirs
- Family photos
- Children’s artwork
- Trophies and certificates
Declutter
Another way you can help the home staging process is by de-cluttering your home. What this means is getting rid of anything that is not absolutely necessary, either by putting it in storage, donating it to charity, or throwing it in the bin. It will help to bring a sense of order to the house and will help you avoid bringing unnecessary items with you in the move.
Deep clean
One of the most effective tips when it comes to staging to sell your house is to deep clean each room. No matter how insignificant you may think the room is to your house sale, it is important that you clean every square inch. Whilst it may not be the most exciting job in the world, it is crucial to the staging process. Make sure to clean every cushion and leave no surface unpolished.
If you have any unfinished DIY projects or breakages in your home then now is the time to break out your toolbox and get them fixed. No one wants to be looking around a house and see half-finished projects and breakages throughout. You can say goodbye speeding up your sale and achieving a higher sale price. A house that is well maintained is a house that is well loved. It shows potential buyers that this is a home that is well-valued by its owners and should be by them.
Room by room guide to staging a house
If you fancy doing a bit of DIY room staging but are unsure where to start, then look no further as we present our very own room by room staging guide:
First impressions
The first area you need to consider when staging your home is the front door. First impressions count, and the front of your house will be the first part of your home that prospective buyers will see. Whilst it may not seem like a big deal to you, it is important to paint your house in the best possible light from the get-go.
If your front door looks tired, a quick, inexpensive fix is to give it a fresh coat of paint. If your door handle is looking a little dull giving it a polish will do it the world of good, but if it’s broken or dated, you may be better off getting a new handle altogether.
You should also take great care to wash down your windows to remove any grime, clear any moss and rubbish from your drains, and if you have any broken roof tiles, you should be sure to replace them before the viewings.
Another aspect you should consider when it comes to the first impressions of your home is the kerb appeal. In a survey done by HomeOwners Alliance in 2019, they revealed that more than 68% of potential buyers considered kerb appeal to be an important factor when choosing their next home. Whilst it may feel like a mammoth task, staging your garden doesn’t mean you have to go full Alan Titchmarsh.
In order to stage your garden correctly and boost your kerb appeal, you just need to start off simple. Mow the lawn, weed the garden, plant some flowers, and clean the patio! Making these small changes can completely transform your garden and get the house viewing off on the right foot.
Hallway
The next stop on our room by room guide is the hallway. The hallway is a potential buyers first and last glimpse into the interior of your home so it is important to impress. Whilst it is usually easy to let your hallway become cluttered and messy with shoes, letters, umbrellas, and more, when it comes to staging, your home needs to be pristine.
You should aim to be able to walk through your hallway with ease, so make sure you properly declutter and store possessions neatly and out of the way. If you have a narrow hallway in your home, you should remove any furniture such as coffee tables in order to make it appear more spacious.
Many hallways do not have a mirror in them so it can be easy for them to feel dark, however, there are steps you can take to quickly lighten up your front hallway.
One simple change you can make is to repaint the walls in a neutral colour such as beige or cream, and the ceiling white. This can help create a feeling of light and can really open a hallway up. Another aspect of your hall you can change is swapping out your light bulbs to halogens. This can create much more light and brighten up your hallway in no time.
You can also try hanging a large mirror either to one side of the door or to the end of the corridor to reflect light and brighten the hallway up.
Living room
The living room is one of the key rooms when it comes to staging a home. It’s important to have a clean, clear, and tidy living space to show potential buyers. The first step towards achieving this is to declutter. Start by packing away any magazines, toys, souvenirs, trophies, and personal photos. When a buyer looks around your home, they are trying to imagine themselves living there, so it is vital that you depersonalise your property in order to help buyers do that.
You should next look at decorating your living room in neutral tones. Neutral tones can help make your home look more open and bright and can also help to depersonalise your space. It creates a blank canvas, so buyers can really picture themselves living in your home.
If you have a carpeted living room, be sure to give it a deep clean, either yourself or get it done professionally. As living rooms get a lot of use, the carpets will take the majority of the flack, so it’s important to have it looking its best when it comes to staging the living room for sale.
Curtains are another key area to look at when it comes to staging your home. Curtains can either elevate or distract from your living spaces so it’s important to get the balance right. If you have dark, heavy curtains, they can make your home look small and dark. If this is the case, you can make the most out of your living space by replacing your curtains with:
- Roman blinds
- Neutral coloured curtains
- Curtains that match the colour scheme within the room
- Children’s artwork
- Modern slatted blinds
You should also look at creating a focal point in your living room, something for everyone in the room to focus on. Whilst the TV may seem an obvious choice, according to The Advisory, buyers are more interested in living spaces that are not TV centred. If you have an open fireplace or perhaps a view of the gardens then these can be great focal points to highlight in your living room. Other focal points can be a piece of art, a unique piece of furniture, or even a cleverly placed mirror.
Another important aspect of staging your home to sell is ensuring that the home smells fresh and clean. Some fresh flowers or a reed diffuser can go a long way to add a light fresh scent to your living room and spaces.
Kitchen
The kitchen is one of the biggest deal-makers or breakers when it comes to house viewings. In order to dazzle potential buyers you will need to make sure that your kitchen is clean above all other things. Whilst deep cleaning a kitchen is no ones idea of fun, it is a necessary evil to complete in order to get the sale price you desire.
Be sure to wipe down every surface, worktop, and cupboard. You should also sweep and mop floors and be sure to clean any sinks and taps in the room. To avoid unpleasant aromas you should also be sure to empty bins. Don’t forget to also clean the inside of air fryers, microwaves, ovens, slow cookers, and any other appliances you may decide to keep out.
Whilst you are deep cleaning, you should also start decluttering. A minimalist kitchen is the way to go as buyers want to see clean and clear surfaces with lots of workspace to use. To optimise this space you should clear away all appliances, cookbooks, washing up, and bottles. Once you have done this you should turn your attention to the cupboards and fridge and be sure to clear out anything that may be past its best, could smell, or you won’t eat. Then rearrange what is left so that it is tidied and ordered.
Once you have deep cleaned and decluttered it is time to decorate your kitchen with some well-placed accessories. Fresh flowers or potted plants make great kitchen accessories, as do fancy olive oil bottles, glass containers holding pasta, rice, flour, and other ingredients, and fruit bowls.
Dining room
One of the rooms that is often overlooked when it comes to home staging is the dining room. If you have a separate dining room, for the sake of staging make sure that it is dedicated to dining 100%. That means no signs of it being a part-time home office or gym. If you do not have a separate dining area then you will need to create a dining room elsewhere in your home. The living room is a popular choice as all you will need to add to your living space is a table and a few chairs (between 2 and 4 is ideal).
A good way to stage your dining room is to set it up as if you were about to serve dinner. This means a nice tablecloth on the table and your nicest crockery. You should also think about adding artwork to the walls around the dining room that compliment the colour scheme, as well as flowers, fruit, or candles to the centre of the table.
Bathroom
It is important not to underestimate the saleability a good bathroom has, as it is another room that can make or break a house sale. The first place to start is by looking at your bathroom and deciding if any major changes need to be made. If your bathroom is damaged, outdated, or looking tired, you will need to consider, retiring or maybe even remodelling. Whilst this can seem drastic, a new, modern bathroom can add value to your home and help achieve that all-important fast sale.
Being clean and hygienic are the two most important things a bathroom should be so before your potential buyers arrive, you should perform the mother of all deep cleans on all the bathrooms in your home. Make sure you clean the bathtub, shower, bath, and sink, being careful to remove any signs of mould or grime. Be on the lookout for limescale build-ups and any areas where sealant may be damaged or peeling.
If your shower has a curtain, you should ideally buy a new one for viewing, but if you don’t have time, be sure to give your old curtain a wash beforehand.
Be sure to declutter and make sure that everything is stored correctly and neatly in cupboards. That means no shampoo bottles, soaps, shower gels, or toothpaste on display. instead accessorise your space with freshly washed towels, a scented candle, or a few plants. You want to create a vision of cleanliness and luxury in order to impress any buyers who may be looking around your home.
And finally, make sure the toilet lid is down before anyone arrives!
Bedroom
The next step in the staging process is to stage the bedrooms. The key to staging a good bedroom is to keep it simple. You should aim to make the rooms feel calm, relaxing, and comfortable. Once again you should clear the clutter from each room and store everything you are keeping away neatly out of sight. In order to professionally stage a bedroom you will need a bed, wardrobe, and a bedside table. Everything else can be packed away. You can accessorise your bedrooms by adding lamps, fresh flowers, pillows, or throws.
Bedroom
If you are lucky enough to have a backdoor space, then you should be sure to utilise it. It is an asset that not every house comes with. Simple touches such as outdoor furniture, flower beds, and bird feeders can give your garden a bit of personality and help your prospective buyers to imagine the life they could have in your home.
This covers everything you need to know about home staging. If you have any questions, queries, or insight into the matter we would love to hear from you so please get in touch!
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Alexandra is a junior content producer who enjoys writing articles and finding out more about the property market. Read more about Alexandra here.
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