Many resources exist for proper home staging techniques. Home staging is defined as the preparation of a home for sale with major emphasis on presentation and visual appeal. This goes above and beyond expected repairs to the home and actually crafts a visual appearance so that potential buyers will not be distracted by clutter or personal belongings, will feel comfortable and envision themselves living in the home.
Not only is a quicker sale one of the desirable outcomes, but sometimes also the ability to get a higher price. Your home is made to appeal to the largest possible audience and give it optimal chances for a quick and profitable sale. How many situations have there been, where a buyer is distracted by items in the home or off-putting wallpaper and colors to simply dismiss the house in favor of the next showing they go to. Although we think rational people will not behave this way, there is a subtle appeal of a staged home that presents the home in it's best possible light and somehow feels more move-in ready. In the current buyer's market, you need every advantage you can get to sell your home for the best possible price.
Usually when home staging is brought up the focus shifts to wall color, interior decor and decluttering, but in addition to there being much more to be done on the interior, there is the often overlooked curb appeal factor to consider. Yes staging a home also applies to the exterior. Curb appeal means making a good first impression may allow potential homebuyers to be more open minded on their first walkthrough of your home.
In our Oakville home, we had a friend offer an impartial look at the front exterior and that creates an alert to upgrade items such as painting doors and shutters, lawn repair or even fresh sod in this case, add fresh mulch to garden beds and around trees, add a few potted flowers, yellow plants near a home's entry are a good choice. Dispose of weeds, front yard clutter and rake up any leaves. Trim bushes and hedges and in general make the yard look well kept. You can add outdoor furniture such as a bench or even a couple of sitting chairs if you have the layout for it. There was room for a single bench that was implemented.
The next area to have a closer look at will be the entry area of your home once the front door is opened. Simply decluttering this space and cleaning it will go a long way to improving first impressions. There should be plenty of light and invest in a new welcome mat if you don't have one or if the old one is worn.
There are many more helpful home staging tips to share ranging from which are the current and trendy color schemes to decluttering advice, the necessary removal of all personal photographs and trinkets from the staged home, and even renting furniture if necessary to give a particular room a more upscale or neutral appeal.
A local Oakville home staging company can help Southern Ontario residents and real estate agents turn the ordinary into extraordinary.