Our Top 10 All-Time Favorite "Staged for Selling Success" Tips
1. Kissable curb appeal! Remember – first impressions sell. Make sure you capture your buyers’ interest and excitement right from the curb. Well-maintained yards, squeaky clean driveways and porches, and seasonal color in the beds and pots near the front door will get buyers to say YES to that first date!
2. Foyers that whisper “welcome” offer a warm visual greeting to buyers. What does this space say about the rest of your house? House Dressings’perfect ingredients include a foyer table or chest, large vertical mirror, sophisticated rug or runner, edgy lamp, and fresh flowers or green plant.
3. Dinner is . . . sold! Let’s sell that amazing dining room/gathering space to buyers, inviting them to imagine sharing a holiday meal with family or hosting a festive dinner party for a happy crowd. To create interest and drama, we suggest foregoing a fussy and formally set table. Casual and comfortable work best for “dinner is sold” tables.
4. Seal. The. Deal. Living Rooms. The anchor space of the house not only needs to turn heads, but also tempt buyers to say – “I can see myself living here.” Keep furniture pieces to a balanced minimum – one sofa, two chairs, plus a smallish coffee table, and end tables. Trending accents are the key – pillows, lamps, art and a vibrant rug. And the real star of the show?! The fireplace!
5. Just say no to kitschy kitchens! Pack up collectibles, store small appliances and cooking knives and hide those dirty dishes and paper clutter. Kitchen are a great space to sell “lifestyle” as buyers imagine themselves entertaining, cooking meals and cozying up to a cup of coffee in your home’s “cuisine gallery”. Desirable features such as islands, spacious counters and updated sinks deserve those extra-special styling touches to make sure buyers take note.
6. What’s up with those mudrooms?! Besides being the organizational hub of the home, mudrooms are hugely popular with today’s buyers. From hanging coats, umbrellas, and backpacks to shoe and boot storage, this “transition” space facilitates busy lives as families come and go. Sure they’re practical spaces, but don’t miss the chance to make mudrooms super cute, too.
7. Laundry roomsnot your jam? Not a problem with a few simple House Dressingstips! One of the most overlooked spaces in the home when it comes to selling, laundry rooms have emerged from the dark, dull and boring dungeons of the 1980s. Think clean, tidy, clutter-free zones with lots of natural/enhanced light, sprinkled with a few charming accents. A colorful rug or inspirational framed quote on the wall, and a neatly folded stack of matching white towels placed on top of the dryer are the right-sized accessories to sell a room used daily by most families.
8. How many bedroomsdoes your house have? Did you know that’s one of the top searches when buyers are looking for a new home? Our favorite advice for getting top dollar for your home: make the bedrooms “hotel ready,” especially the master. House Dressingssuggests neutral color schemes with a few pops of color to create a serene, stress-free mood. Natural fabrics and textures, a minimalist approach to furniture and art, and fresh flowers or live plants will be sure wins with potential buyers.
9. Top-notch hotels have a bunch to teach us about hospitality and how best to present our bathrooms– fresh white towels, white shower curtains, simple but elegant decorative accents, and essential toiletries (fresh bars of soap, lotion, Qtips and cotton balls). It’s the little thoughtful and intentional touches that make all the difference to buyers when it comes to creating that spa-like “gotta-have” vibe. Above all, keep it simple - clean, neat, tidy – and clutter-free!
10. “Stage to amaze” those outdoor living spaces! Staging your outdoor patio and kitchen will create coveted extra living spaces that invite buyers to “come and sit a spell” outside. We love neutral patio furniture and cushions mixed with pops of color and patterns using accent pillows and accessories. Consider adding an outdoor rug for even more color and to help define your patio area. How to get started? Pretend you are having people over for an outdoor BBQ or pool party and visualize all the key ingredients to make your outdoor space energetic and fun.
