Staging a home refers to making it inviting and beautiful for potential buyers.
In many ways, staging a home is similar to creating a set for a beautiful play or movie – the script is where a buyer comes through the door, feels at home, and buys your house.
Here are five secrets from the stage that will help you sell your home quickly:
1. Clearly Define Each Room
A set has clearly defined spaces, even if many scenes are pictured on one stage.
When staging your home, think of it as a movie set. You need to define each space. This means removing the toys in the media room and the exercise equipment that has migrated into the dining room.
Make sure each space is clearly shown for its primary purpose.
2. Make Clear Paths
Actors need a straightforward way to navigate the stage, and a buyer must have a clear path inside their homes.
- Is the walk from the living room to the main suite straightforward and easy to maneuver?
- Can you effortlessly walk from the dining room into the kitchen?
Arrange your furnishings so that the home has clear paths through which the potential buyer is moved through the house. These lines give the space “flow,” which contributes to a warm, inviting feeling that can help the buyer feel “at home” in your home.
3. Use Color to Draw Attention
A stage set will use color to draw the eye to the essential features.
Specific colors, like reds and yellows, draw immediate Attention. These colors should be placed in areas you wish to highlight. Use colors like blues and greens that deflect Attention to those areas you want to draw attention away from.
4. Lighten the Space
No play could be put on without proper lighting; the same is valid for staging a home. Your home’s lighting plays a vital role in making it feel inviting.
- First, draw Attention to natural light whenever possible. Window coverings that are attractive yet allow light in are essential to this process.
- Then, ensure all home areas are lit with lamps and overhead lighting, adding lighting to dark corners to make them shine.
When leaving the home for a showing, turn on the lights, even if the natural light is streaming in. Your goal should be 100 watts of warm sunshine for every 50 square feet in your home.
5. Make an Entrance
If your home is a stage, the entrance is the most essential part of the showing. Make it inviting, and use color and potted plants to draw the eye to the front door.
Ensure that the first things the eye is drawn to inside the front door are appealing. The buyers who see your home should feel “at home” when they pull into the driveway and open the front door.
Remember, staging your home is to make the buyer feel comfortable, like the star actor on a beautiful set.
With these tips, you can set the stage for a great showing and a fast sale.