Do-It-Yourself Home Staging Tips for Homeowners

Did you know that staging your home is statistically proven to help sell your home faster and for more money? To be competitive in today’s home sales market, you almost have to have it staged for it to do anything worthwhile. While hiring a home staging expert will alleviate you from the guesswork and the stress, there are things that you can do to improve the appearance of your home. What you don’t want to do is to ignore home staging entirely. Try these do-it-yourself home staging tips to help boost the saleability of your home: 

 

Home Staging Tip #1: Repair That Crooked Cabinet Door

We understand that life gets hectic, and sometimes little things like a squeaky door or a loose cabinet knob or a missing door stop get pushed to the wayside. Often, when we are at the store, we have more on our minds, like feeding the family or even buying moving boxes than picking up WD-40. The truth is, these minor repairs can make you thousands of dollars in a home sale.

 

When a potential home buyer sees blown light bulbs and other repairs left unfixed, they immediately begin wondering what more significant repairs went neglected? Should they expect a hole in a roof? A leaky door? Who knows? Don’t give your potential buyers reason to begin listing the negatives. One of my top-suggested home staging tips is this: fix all the minor repairs before the home hits the market to make the best first impression. 

Staging Tip #2: Add a Fresh Coat of Paint

 

Painting can single-handedly improve and change the character of an entire space! If you do nothing else, painting the room will give it a fresh, clean look that your buyers will appreciate. 

 

Not sure what color to choose? Stay away from white! Many buyers are subconsciously turned off by white walls. They don’t feel welcomed and invited into the home and have a hard time picturing themselves in the space. Another no-no is red in a kitchen. Although it trended for a few years, now it nearly always chases potential buyers out of the room.  Opt for a neutral color palette. Different colors for different spaces are okay, as long as it isn’t a pink bedroom. According to Zillow, color choices that are selling for more in 2019 and 2020 include: 

 

• Greys and blues work well in kitchens, dining rooms, and bedrooms; 
• Light blue for bathrooms; 
• Light beige or a grey/brown color for the living room; and
• Navy blue for the front door. 

Pro Staging Tip #3: Size-Up (or Size-Down) Your Furniture

 

Your space needs to appear spacious and livable for any potential home buyer to envision themselves in your home. If you find yourself and your guests having to maneuver carefully around your furniture, there is a good chance that your furniture is simply too big. Swap out oversized couch sets for a smaller sofa and accent chair, or split a room into two spaces, if possible, to show just how big the place is. Having the right-sized furniture makes your area look livable and larger. 

 

Another for your list of home staging tips: make sure your furniture highlights the key focus – which should not be your television (unless it comes with the home.) Gather chairs around a fireplace or a bay window, if one is available. If you can, remove the tv entirely to create a better visual flow for clients walking through. Above all, do not put bulky furniture in front of a key selling feature. If they can’t see it, they won’t know it is there. 

Expert Tip #4: Accessorize Like a Magazine

 

In our visually-driven society, you need to market your home for someone who would like to live in. If you choose just one room to focus on, the master bedroom and bathroom should be at the top of the list. Okay, so maybe that is two rooms, but it is worth it! As a general rule of thumb: if you wouldn’t put it on social media for scrutiny, don’t put it on the market yet. Social media is just one of the many avenues your realtor will use to sell your home. 

 

Here are some of my favorite staging go-to’s: 

 

• Add a cute lamp and a green LIVE plant to the nightstand. 
• Place a breakfast tray full of coffee and a muffin on the bed with a cozy blanket. 
• Add candles, rolled up washcloths, and a live green plant to the bathtub with fancy shampoos. 
• Buy a new shower curtain and towels to make it look even cleaner. 
• Remove all gadgets and storage from the kitchen counter except maybe one, and include a plant or a tray of baked goods or cut vegetables.

Call in a Home Staging Expert for Backup

 

In many home-selling situations, the amount of money you make on your home is more than the cost of hiring a professional Utah home staging company. If you find yourself overthinking colors and placement among your the sea of moving boxes, call Our Nest Designs. We will sit down to discuss your goals and get to work in a timeframe that fits your schedule. Don’t let the stress of selling your home get to you! Call us today at 801-913-8962.