Tips on How to Stage a Home for Sale in Alberta

Staging your home is one of the best ways to increase its value, receive more offers, and sell it faster. But home staging can feel like a huge, confusing undertaking if you don't understand the process. 

If you are wondering how to stage a home for sale, we'll teach you everything that you need to know in this guide. We'll go over what home staging is, why it matters, and six tips for staging your home in Alberta, Canada. 

What Is Home Staging and Why Is It Important?

Home staging is the process of getting your home ready for potential buyers to come and tour. The objective is to make your home look like a clean, functional space that prospective buyers can envision themselves living in. 

Home staging is not the same as decorating. How you decorate is determined by personal preference and style. Home staging is more like an advertising strategy. 

The goal is to make your home appealing to as many potential buyers as possible. That means drawing on different interior design strategies and current trends. 

Good staging allows potential buyers to imagine themselves in the home. It shows off a property's good features, hides its flaws, and makes the home look better in photos and videos. 

Home staging is important for a few reasons. 

One, a well-staged house will garner higher offers than a house that isn't staged. If a potential buyer tours a property and sees problems that they will have to fix after moving in, they're going to drop their offer price. Staging tackles those problems before buyers arrive. 

Staged houses also spend less time on the market than non-staged houses do. They receive offers more quickly and have to host fewer potential buyers before getting an offer. 

Finally, most buyers are looking for a space that will improve their lifestyle and fulfill their dreams. Propper staging can inspire buyers to make a more emotional purpose, which ultimately results in higher offers and more money made by the seller. 

How to Stage a Home for Sale

The National Association of REALTOR®s reports that the most popular rooms for staging are the living room, kitchen, dining room, and master bedroom. If you don't have the time or budget to stage your entire house, focus on these four areas first. 

Here are some home staging ideas that go a long way towards making your house a marketable space. These home staging tips will help you create a space that potential buyers can envision themselves living in. 

1. Clean, Clean, Clean 

A clean home is a cared-for home. It shows potential buyers that you've taken excellent care of the property. 

When staging your house, you can never clean it too much. Start with the four key areas we mentioned above; the living room, kitchen, dining room, and master bedroom. 

Vacuum each room thoroughly, scrub off stains on the wall, and clear the cobwebs out of ceiling corners. Everything from the floor to the ceiling should be spotless. Make sure that your kitchen appliances are spotless as well.

Take the time to clean grit and grime out of your bathroom. Scrub down tubs, sinks, toilets, and mirrors until they sparkle. Your goal should be to make everything in the house look fresh and new. 

2. Declutter 

Decluttering your house is also hugely important in home staging. Clutter distracts buyers from your home's good features and makes the house feel like it has less space. 

Start decluttering by boxing up any items that you don't need on a day-to-day basis. This should include knickknacks, papers, games, seasonal clothes, and any messy hobbies. Store them somewhere out of sight on your property, or consider renting a temporary storage unit to get them out of the way. 

You should also throw out anything that you don't need. This includes those expired cans of soup that have been sitting in the back of the cabinet for years and toys or clothes that your kids have outgrown. Try to free up as much surface space as you can on shelves, coffee tables, and kitchen counters

3. Depersonalize 

This one can feel a bit weird if you're still living in a house while it's being staged. But one of the most important goals of staging is to make buyers envision themselves in a home and imagine that it's already theirs. 

To do that, all of the family photos, keepsakes, and fridge art need to go away. This makes buyers feel like the home is already theirs and doesn't belong to another family. 

Keep all clothing in closets and out of sight as much as possible. You should also make sure that bathroom counters are devoid of personal hygiene products. Put the toothbrushes, face wash, and any other personal items under the sink until the prospective buyers are gone. 

Put away any toys or other items that are evocative of the current homeowners. Make the space feel as neutral as possible so that potential buyers can envision themselves as the property's owners. 

4. Tackle DIY Maintenance Projects

As we mentioned above, if a prospective buyer sees a maintenance or renovation job that has gone undone, they will lower their offering price to account for the money they will need to invest in repairs. This is why it's important to inspect your property thoroughly for any repairs that need to be made. 

Repair holes in the walls left behind by decor and re-caulk around your bathtubs, windows, sinks, and baseboards. Deep clean your flooring and repair any damaged or squeaky doors. 

Don't forget about outside jobs as well. Pressure wash your driveway and pathways, then repair any cracks or stains. Make sure that your lawn looks lush and green by replacing bald patches in the grass and removing weeds. 

Make sure that your mailbox and front door don't look weathered. Hit them with a fresh stain or coat of paint and make sure that your house number is clearly visible. 

5. Time for a Paint Job

After you've gotten the stains and dings off the wall, it's time to give your space a fresh coat of paint. This is especially important if you have wallpaper, which has, by and large, gone out of style. 

Tear off your old wallpaper and paint the walls with a neutral color. Beiges and warm whites are good choices that help your space feel more open and airy. Never paint over wallpaper, it looks shabby and cheap. 

Put warm, neutral colors over any custom paint jobs as well. You might love your pink bathroom, but not all potential buyers will. Neutral walls will help you market your house to the largest possible amount of prospective buyers. 

Looking at pictures of your home staging before and after a fresh coat of paint will emphasize the way it makes the space feel more personable and inviting. 

6. Freshen Up Your Space

You want your home to feel fresh and inviting to potential buyers. One way to do this is to let in as much natural light as possible during viewings.

Natural light is something that many buyers are looking for. So open all of the blinds to make the space feel light and roomy. 

Potted plants also work miracles when it comes to freshening up a space. Place them strategically as decoration to add a pop of life to rooms. Make sure any plants you use look healthy and well-tended. 

If you're struggling with how to place decorations like live plants, look at home staging pictures for inspiration. 

Another way to make your home feel fresh is by getting rid of odors. Use air purifiers, beeswax candles, and other chemical-free odor eliminators. Avoid air fresheners, as they can sometimes trigger asthma attacks and allergic reactions. 

Don't forget to take out the trash and clean your garbage disposal.

What Should You Not Do When Staging a House

Here are a few common mistakes to avoid when staging your house. 

First, make sure that you take high-quality well-lit photos of your house. Nothing turns a potential buyer off more than poor-quality photos with bad lighting. Consider having a professional photographer with real estate experience take your pictures for you. 

Don't leave any maintenance issues unattended. Fix as many things as your budget allows for and make sure potential buyers know about any issues that they will have to deal with after moving in. 

Don't be inflexible with viewing times. Try to accommodate anyone who wants to come in and view your house. You never know which one is going to be your buyer. 

Lastly, the biggest mistake you can make when staging a home is not hiring an agent. Using a good agent speeds up and smooths out the selling process. They can also provide an objective opinion on pricing and offers. 

An agent's years of experience mean that they can handle paperwork, negotiation, and get you a much better deal. 

Use Home Staging to Get the Best Possible Offer

Home staging is an incredibly important component of selling a house. It makes your property more appealing to prospective buyers and helps them envision themselves living there. 

Now that you know how to stage a home for sale, you'll be able to get the best possible offer on your home. 

Want more free real estate resources? Check out our free market analysis today to calculate your home's estimated value. 

Post a Comment