What is Staging?
It's the process that homeowners go through once they decide to put their house on the market. Before showing the home to possible buyers, one should make sure the home presents itself in the best possible light to guarantee a sale at the seller's asking price. Appealing to the five senses is crucial when preparing to sell your home. The home should illustrate the potential for enjoying life and entertaining guests.
Don't Lose Touch
In appealing to the sense of touch, the design should involve a good selection of soft, silky or textured materials. Indulge the senses by creating a plush and comfortable seating arrangement in your living room, den or bedroom. Since the living room is typically the rest area, you don't want to feel like you're laying on a bed of coal. If you have a leather sofa, accent it with some suede, velvet or chenille cushions. Another comfy alternative is hanging a soft quilt or blanket over the couch while you curl up by the TV. Take the chill off cold hardwood floors and give your pets and children a nice warm retreat by adding an area rug to bare floors.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind
The element of design that draws the eye in most is colour. Without it, the space looks bland and too much of it can look bizarre. Certain colours excite, calm, inspire, and even annoy or anger us. A colour may be guilty by association. Whether it's a bad prom dress or a traumatic experience with mustard, certain colours evoke bad memories. To create a colour scheme you'll be happy with, decide on a theme or a feeling you want to convey throughout each space of your home then plan your colours accordingly. To get you started, check out Behr's Colour Inspiration page.
Odor Order
When you walk into the door, you don't want to smell last night's dinner. Instead,
you want to be welcomed by the fresh smell of flowers or citrus, or the comforting aroma of vanilla and apple cinnamon. Fish or curry? Not so much. To avoid the lingering smell of leftovers, be sure to give your counters a good wipe and spray around the cooking area and underneath the sink.
Keep Your Ears to the Ground
Music can provide ambience to your home, but if it's death metal you're blasting, others might find it hard to 'swoon'. Tap into your comfort zone and figure out what environment you relate best to. If you're the social type that likes the company of others, you might find it hard to live in complete silence. Leaving the TV or radio on in the background, is a good way to liven up the space around you! If you live in a high-traffic area or the first floor of an apartment, you might want to invest in double pane windows to block some of the street noise. There's nothing like a barking dog or a honking horn to wake you up in the morning.
In Good Taste
Don't worry, you don't have to clean out the fridge. It may seem a little odd to incorporate taste in interior design, but the insinuation of food can stimulate your sense of taste. The fake fruit bowl is always such a tease, but it actually does more than mock you between meals. It adds a splash of colour and makes your kitchen seem like an authentic place where good things are made.
If it Ain't Broke...
The more the buyer can visualize themselves in the home, sans renovation, the better. Small repairs are expected, but in general homes that are 'live-in-ready' sell faster and at a higher price point. The more the buyer has to repair or replace, lowers the value of your home at the point of purchase.
Better Keep it to Yourself
While it's important for prospective buyers to feel at home, they shouldn't be surrounded by pictures of your family or other personal items. Keep the knick-knacks to a minimum and allow the space to remain neutral so they can visualize their own décor plans.
Front to Back
A house is often judged by its cover, so don't neglect the front and back end of your home. The entrance is the buyer's first impression of the home. If the lawn is full of weeds and the entrance is lined with cobwebs, there's going to be a lot of pressure on the foyer. If you've got a patio, it's a prime location for staging. Set the table and create a faux bbq. It will give them more insight into the potential of the home.
Watch a Pro
Not an interior decorator? Not a problem. Check out open houses or visit a presentation centre for condos or apartments and see how the pros do it. You never see a presentation centre with 4 empty walls. Realtors and developers know that buying a home is emotional and an experience that has to appeal to the senses. Potential buyers want to imagine themselves in the home and living in the surrounding environment. If the house which you are selling is completely empty, you may need to call on a professional stager. They can help you decorate and prepare the home for viewing.
