Thinking of selling your home? Here are some staging tips

Home staging might seem like a strange concept to you.  It makes it sound like you should put on a performance or create a beautiful backdrop to a play.  Although not quite this dramatic, you are going to try to use your home to present the life that buyers hope to live.  You are going to dress your house in such a way that the people visiting will aspire to live in its walls.

A definition

The basic premise of home staging requires you to showcase any strengths and try to hide any potential weaknesses.  Simply, it could mean hiding your dirty washing, dabbing a bit of paint on the walls and making sure the kitchen is clean.  On a more sophisticated level, you are using your house as a prop and creating the sense of a lifestyle for the buyer most likely to want your home.

Remember, you are trying to persuade a complete stranger to part with hundreds of thousands of pounds.  Therefore, you should expect to have to put in a little effort to impress them.  With all this in mind, let’s introduce you to some of the essential tips of home staging that will help you drive forward to a sale and completion.

Knowing your market

Your home is not appealing to everyone.  There will be a set of criteria that will appeal to a defined portion of the audience.  It may be that you are perfect for a young family looking to take the next step on the property ladder.  You may be the ideal choice for a couple in retirement who are looking to downsize.  Maybe yours is the home for those willing to see the potential in a luxury home that might need some investment.

If you know your audience, you can stage your home to appeal to the lifestyle they want.  If there are likely to be children moving in, you could show how your conservatory has made the perfect games room.  If you are aiming at a couple from the city who are looking to retreat to the countryside, then you can emphasize those rural details of your home.  You are hoping to show the buyer the life they wish to live.

Declutter up to a point

The buyer needs a perception of space.  Your day to day clutter may make your home your beautiful relaxation space, but it might be a stealer of size.  Therefore, you need to go around and clear anything that looks messy or takes up too much space.  However, don’t go too crazy.  Estate agents are not fond of selling empty homes because the rooms do not evoke emotion.  The buyer must imagine the room filled with furniture, and this usually takes a lot more effort.  Therefore, box up what would distract but leave enough to suggest your home.

You might even want to add some homely touches.  A rug here and there, maybe, or some squishy cushions on the sofa a bed could make all the difference.  The idea of these items is to suggest relaxation and the sinking into relaxation at the end of a busy day at work.

A deep clean of your bathroom and your kitchen significantly increases your chance of a sale.  It also increases the amount people are prepared to offer for your home.  It might feel like too much of investment; however, the return on the money you spend could be as much as 900%.

Refresh floors, walls, and windows

First impressions are gained from large surfaces when viewing a home on that initial visit.  Therefore, your walls and floors need to be bright and clean.  You should make sure you have the carpets cleaned and dab some paint of scrapes on the walls.

Cleaning the windows offers two benefits.  1) They are a large surface where it is easy to see the accumulation of dirt, which suggests you have neglected the home a little.  2) It will let more light into the rooms, which in turn will increase the sense of space.

Demonstrate how to use odd spaces

Finally, you need to demonstrate how the buyer could use spaces.  You may have an alcove area under the stairs that looks wasted.  You have used it to chuck your shoes for years.  However, maybe its time to use some imagination for the buyers who come to look.  Maybe put a wine rack under the stairs and a lovely lamp. Perhaps you could turn this area into a mini office, with a desk.  Whatever seems to work for your target audience.  Remember the art of home staging is emphasizing strengths and masking weaknesses.

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