Think about the qualities that drew you two together. Was it a sense of style and sophistication? Or was it openness? What about just plain old-fashioned functionality? Of course, I’m talking about what made you fall in love with your house. How did you know that it was the right one for you? Possibly, you looked at pictures of it online and imagined yourself relaxing in its inviting spaces as all the troubles of the world simply melted away. Then you took a walk-through and were swept off your feet at the future possibilities you could imagine if you two got together! You see, what really sold you on the idea that this house was the one was in fact the staging.

Let me explain.

Real estate staging is a method of inviting prospective buyers to see the best features of a house and imagine what their new lives would look like if they bought the property. It is neither an art nor a science. But more so a practice in psychology. It’s not simply about enhancing the aesthetics of a home. It is about getting buyers to mentally move in and imagine themselves living in the home before they’ve even bought it! I’ve found that many buyers will look online at photos of houses that are professionally staged and fall in love with the house before they get to see it in person. The open home becomes a nice cherry on the cake, confirming the buyer’s conviction to purchase the property.

How to use real estate staging to help sell your home for more

“All homes need staging! There is no price range where it doesn’t work and no price range that doesn’t want more money!” So said real estate guru and author Barb Schwarz. And I couldn’t agree more. When done well, staging benefits everyone: buyer, seller, and real estate alike.

Buyers will be impressed at the professional way the house is presented. Its neutral, de-cluttered styling will help them visualize what living in the property would look and feel like.

Sellers will be rapt when their home sells faster and for higher amounts. In fact, the research shows that professional real estate staging helps sell homes 87% faster than non-staged homes, and for 17% more profit!

And real estate agents’ lives just get a whole lot easier when they know that the home is to be professionally staged before showing.

So, when it comes time to sell your beloved home, real estate staging can help show it off in the best light so that you aren’t the only one who will fall in love with it.

What are the 3 best ways to use staging to sell your property?

#1 Give the place a good clean

Properly cleaning a house makes it look newer and better maintained. An unkempt house will make buyers feel uneasy and skeptical. Whereas a very clean home helps assuage concerns buyers might be feeling and gets them to place their trust in the house itself. I told you it was a practice in psychology, didn’t I?

As the saying goes: “If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.” Seriously, if you want to positively influence the sale of your property, one of the best ways is to give it a really good clean. Go ahead, get stuck in. Or pay someone else to do so. The entire property should be cleaned from top to bottom. Also, fix any nagging issues like cracked walls or peeling paint. In fact, don’t be afraid to splash on a new coat of (tastefully chosen) paint. And when it comes to floor coverings, steam-cleaning old carpets is a must. I also like to use area rugs to distract the eye from old flooring and update the overall feel of the property.

#2 Use décor and furniture that is fitting

I help sellers to know what to declutter. Taking out oversized or undersized furniture and bringing in furniture that fits the space, simply lifts the whole room. Yes, that is an amazingly huge corner sofa. And I’m sure it’s very comfortable as well. But if it doesn’t allow potential buyers to move freely about the space and imagine where their own furniture might go, then it is not serving a purpose. A smaller sofa could do.

It’s also important that the furniture being used to help stage the property is classic, minimalist, and neutral in style. We don’t want to fragment the field of potential buyers into who does and doesn’t personally ‘get’ your penchant for interior design. Professional real estate staging puts the best features of a property on full display for a majority of buyers.

Avoid divisive decor choices. Clean, sophisticated, light and sleek. These should be your go-to words when describing how the staged décor of a house for sale looks. Anything that is dated, niche, or tired really needs to go to make way for the new and chic. I find that a few well-chosen pieces of art works wonders to entice buyers to find the whole layout of the space more appealing, and more inviting.

#3 Renovate to accumulate

You may have heard some in the industry say it’s not wise to undertake extensive renovations just to sell a property. And, for the most part, this is true. If your budget allows it, you could opt for such things as new kitchen hardware and updating kitchen countertops. The trick is to make your kitchen look modern and fresh. It is true that kitchens sell houses, after all.

Is the lighting in your home leaving something to be desired? Alongside replacing light globes with new ones, you could bring your home’s lighting up to speed by installing some modern fixtures. There are some very affordable lighting choices that can give buyers a brighter outlook on your home. And if your budget stretches far enough, you could invest in replacing old floors with newer, contemporary flooring. Again, the whole feel of the space will just lift once the new floor is in, especially if there is also new paint on the walls to give a fully renovated fresh look.

I think you will find the investment you put into real estate staging will offer very good returns.

Final thoughts

As the leader of Helen’s Team, I know the importance of staging before selling. Yes, there are costs involved for sellers who decide to go down the path of real estate staging. But I prefer to see it as an investment. First, talk to me before purchasing new flooring and picking your paint colours. I will guide you based on the colours your house naturally has in it and help you to spend as little as possible while trying to yield the highest return.

I want as many buyers to fall in love with your house as possible. Together we can use staging to make your house as appealing as possible in whatever budget you can afford.

At Helen’s Real Estate Team, we would love to talk with you about how we can realize the potential of your property when it comes time to sell.