Home Staging 101

Presentation counts! We have all heard it. This week’s sMARt tip is perfect for the spring Real Estate market: Staging your home to sell quickly in a competitive market is all about creating space, ambiance, and drive-by appeal.  

SPACE: Remove furnishings in order to open up floor space and allow easy flow through the house and yard. Do what you can to limit the amount of furniture. Keep it attractive and strategically placed by not thinking about function, but for style and whether or not it looks inviting. For example: In your dining room, you may have space for a table that seats eight (and might have eight family members every night), however, a more intimate seating for four will show create the appearance of a more grand space because the furniture does not dominate the room.

AMBIANCE: Create an ambiance that makes the house feel its most welcoming. I believe that the “boutique hotel” theme is a great guide for creating an intimate environment while signaling a welcome. Think of what you would and would not see in this type of setting, then look at your own home; what could you add or subtract? For example, lighting candles in the rooms, removing personal photos, adding some extra fluffy pillows on the bed, leaving a bottle of wine and glasses on the coffee table, and perfectly folded towels on the racks.

DRIVE-BY APPEAL: Drive-by appeal sets a bigger tone than many realize. Here are the things I see people overlook on a regular basis: Paint your front door and make sure the house number is visible. Brass accents such as door knockers, kickplate, and any visible hinges must be polished and clean. The doorbell must work. Any plants in planters near the front door must look healthy and well-tended; a dead plant is a dead deal. Wash the windows — especially those that are visible from the front. And one last subtle detail: Oil your door hinges so any “old sounding” creaks won’t raise a flag that other maintenance might be lurking throughout in the house!