Home Staging Secrets

As seen in January's issue of RE/MAX Alliance's Economic Outlook. Click here to view issue.

Highlight your home’s strengths and appeal to the greatest possible group of prospective buyers with these home staging tips. Start with saying bye bye to clutter and depersonalizing your home. Of course your home reflects your personality, style and taste, however it is about creating a blank canvas that is ready for a new home buyer to visualize their dream space. One of the major contributors to home clutter is too much furniture. When I am staging a home to be prepared for market I often whisk away half of the owner’s furniture. This way the home looks much larger. So take a hard look at your furniture groupings. Is everything pushed against the walls? Try to furnish your space by floating furniture away from walls. Reposition sofas and chairs into cozy conversational groups, and place pieces so that the traffic flow in a room is obvious. Not only will this make the space more user friendly, but it will open up the room and make it seem larger.

Part of this is giving yourself permission to move furniture, artwork and accessories among rooms on a whim. Just because you bought an armchair for the family room doesn’t mean that it won’t look great anchoring a sitting area in your master bedroom. Transform your current spaces that gather clutter, and repurpose them into something that will add value to your home. The simple addition of a armchair, side table and a small lamp in a stairwell nook will transform it into a comfy reading spot. You can also place an inexpensive table in front of a pretty window, top it with buffet lamps and a few other accessories.

Lighting is also one of the things that make staged homes look warm and inviting. Many homes I see are improperly lighted. To remedy this problem I increase the wattage in lamps and other fixtures. Make sure you are using a bright white light and aim for 100 watts for each 50 square feet of space. Also make sure that each room has three types of lighting: Ambient (general or overhead), Task (pendants, under cabinet or reading lamps) and Accent (table or wall lights). This will highlight your rooms and more light will make the room seem larger.

You can also make a room seem larger with paint. Paint the kitchen and the dining room the same color for a seamless look that will make both rooms feel like one big space. Another design trick is to paint the walls the same color as the drapery. This will create the illusion of more space while giving the room a seamless and sophisticated look. A fresh coat of paint will always help to update a space. Make sure you are selecting neutral hues, but take a chance and steer clear of off-white. These days, neutral extends beyond beige, try a warm honey or tan to make your space richer. Also don’t be afraid to use darker paint in a powder room or dining room. A deep tone can make a space feel more intimate, dramatic and cozy.

When it comes to art and accessorizing, mix it up. Try hanging pictures and paintings in a creative pattern rather than the stereotypical spots that make them almost invisible. When accessorizing, odd numbers are always preferable, especially three. Think about the scale to vary the height and width of the objects with the largest item in the back and smallest in front, in a triangular pattern. Also make sure you group accessories by unifying color, shape and texture. Accessorize bathrooms with rolled up towels, decorative baskets and candles. One last thought, bake fresh cookies right before a showing to give your home that warm, cozy welcoming aroma. The bottom line is that a homebuyer wants a home in move in condition, that they can visualize their family in.

- Kristen Terjesen