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Has your realtor mentioned home staging to get a better price on your house? Once considered optional, home staging is becoming increasingly popular – and necessary – when listing a house on the market.

Staging a home means presenting it in the best light possible to any potential buyers. The home will be decorated, cleaned, and styled to showcase its standout features, while less desirable aspects are minimized. A properly staged home allows buyers to picture their new lives in the house, and will more often than not fetch a higher price tag for offers.

So how does staging work? It’s really pretty simple: focus on the best, and hide the rest. It doesn’t have to cost a fortune, but keeping the following rules and tips in mind could make the difference between no interest and multiple offers.

Declutter: Is your home full of knick-knacks and other non-essential items? This includes furniture, too! What’s cozy to you could be cramped to a potential buyer. Walk through your home and note what can you put into storage, donate, or sell.  Clutter will take up space, and space is one of the most important things a new buyer will be looking for.

Furniture placement: Think your home looks bigger with furniture against the walls? Think again; that placement can make a room look smaller and congested. Create groupings of furniture that allows each room tell a story and allows traffic and energy to flow freely.

Lighting: We may not always notice lighting, but we certainly notice when it is lacking. Proper lighting will make a house warm and welcoming. To get the most of yours, increase wattage and aim for ambient, task, and accent lighting in every room.

A fresh coat of paint: You’d be surprised how many buyers can’t look past a distracting paint colour to see the potential a home has to offer. Warm neutral shades are best, and can also make rooms look bigger. For more of an accent in bedrooms and bathrooms, a deeper neutral tone (purple, blue, or grey) can give a space a cozier vibe.

Art and accessories: If you don’t have some, get some! But don’t just hang it around the room. Be creative in placement, focusing on high and low locations to get the best results. Keep accessories in odd numbers and keep an eye on different levels, textures, and colours. Even better: add a vase or two of fresh flowers to give the room a bright, fresh appearance and pleasant scent.

Drawer and cabinet makeover: Not everyone can get new cabinets, but there is a cheap alternative. Change the fronts and knobs for a quick facelift that will leave the room recharged. Potential buyers will see a clean, new space, and not a kitchen full of much-needed renovations.

Keep things clean: No one wants a rundown, dirty, home – especially if it’s the previous owner’s mess. Professionally clean curtains, carpets, and anything else that may be stained, discoloured, or holding odours.

Keep a budget: Set an amount you can comfortably spend on staging and stick to it. Focus on highlighting your home’s features while minimizing the less desirable aspects for the average buyer.

Depersonalize: Your home has kept your memories for the duration that you’ve lived there, but now it’s time for the buyer to envision their life in your home. Pack away sentimental items, pictures, and children’s refrigerator art to allow a clean slate for the next occupants.

Design with purpose: Storage room? Not anymore. Each room should come with its own mission. If there’s a room in your home where you gather junk, get it out and show prospective buyers the potential of the space. Small spaces can become office nooks, libraries, or game rooms. Is the living room for watching TV and playing games, or for relaxing with no media? Is that a craft and sewing room or a guest bedroom? Every part of your home should be displayed as usable to make it as appealing as possible to anyone looking through.

Don’t forget the exterior: There’s no point having a beautiful interior if the exterior doesn’t match. Lawn, hedges and trees should be well maintained, and paths, sidewalks and driveways should be kept clear and clean. Creating a comfortable patio space with a table and chairs can really sell the house, too.

When it comes to home staging, even a few minor tweaks around your house can make or break its appeal to buyers. Why not put your home’s best foot forward and dress it to impress? If you need a push getting started, we’re always happy to help. Give us a call, Your White Rock Real Estate Agent, or email or Call Demitiri at 604-961-1067.