Chapter 6
Staging Your Home to Get Top Dollar
In This Chapter
◆ The power of good staging and its effect on sale price
◆ Room-by-room staging tips and ideas
◆ Increasing curb appeal
◆ Creating outdoor rooms
When your home goes on the market, the most important factor, aside from the way you price it, is the way you stage it. The goal is not just to make it look better, but to make it look bigger, as well. Aside from price, buyers consider three things in a home: size, condition, and location. Staging affects two of these factors and will therefore have a huge impact on the sale price.
If the sale of your home were a Hollywood film production, the house would be the star. Like the star, it’s the structure that buyers have come to see, not your personal belongings. Don’t take it personally! Your décor might be lovely, and it’s true that good décor helps sell a house. But what buyers need most is a clear and unobstructed view of floors, walls, ceilings, windows, and countertops. If they cannot envision their own things in your home, they won’t buy it.
Staging is a process that transforms your home into peak selling condition. We’re going to teach you how to stage it to get tens of thousands of dollars more on the sale than if you had not staged it at all.
In this chapter, we share over 100 staging ideas and concepts, including our “fast fixes.” Don’t panic—you don’t have to adopt every single idea. The purpose is not to overwhelm you with checklists. What we’re hoping is that, after reading these suggestions, you will look at your own home differently and be inspired. You’ll have the confidence to make some of these improvements when you realize how easily the eye can be fooled through good staging.
The First Impression
Buyers make a major judgment about your home as soon as they open the front door. Make the most of that moment. When buyers single out your home and schedule a showing, they are already on your side. They’re hoping to fall in love. When you have impressed them as they come through the door, it’s amazing what they will overlook as they walk through the rest of the home.
Of course, the home, as a whole, needs to fulfill their needs. But, at this moment, they’re thinking about the impression that their friends and family will get when they first walk inside. This is why homes with magnificent entry halls have an advantage over those that don’t. In the absence of a dramatic entry, you want the first impression to be a strong one.
To catch a buyer’s eye, try to create something visually attractive or welcoming. It could be something as simple as a small bud vase on a table with cut roses or tulips, or more dramatic props such as a piece of art, an area reception rug, topiaries, or a large floral arrangement.
Room-by-Room Staging
We are about to take you through each room in your home and share loads of staging ideas. We understand that sellers, for whatever reason, cannot implement all the ideas that we have to share. In this case, if you can do nothing else, the three most important staging goals are to declutter, let as much light into the house as possible, and make the home completely clean.
To stage the interior, most sellers need to begin by taking things out of the house—even pieces of furniture! Too many items in a space make it appear smaller than it really is. Having fewer pieces opens a room up.
We find that this is the hardest thing for a seller to do. Once items such as family photos, ottomans, unnecessary side tables, and even some rugs are removed, the house may appear to you to be empty, cold, or unlived in. What’s important is to not confuse decorating for everyday living with staging to sell your house. They are very different! Good staging showcases the architecture, space, and amenities—the things that buyers are really interested in.
The Living Room
Living rooms are so important because they are usually the first room that a buyer sees and they are particularly susceptible to having too much furniture. A sofa and a loveseat together are often overkill and can really shrink a small- to medium-size living room. So is having one too many armchairs. Ottomans should almost always be removed, as they take up too much valuable floor space. End tables and floor lamps should be used sparingly. The good news is that the items you take away can possibly be repurposed for use in another room in the house.
Trick of the Trade
Every home gets tiny paint nicks all over the trim from everyday wear and tear. Grab a Dixie cup with paint in it and walk around your house using a small brush to repair chips in moldings, stair risers, balustrades, doors, and windows.
Here are some of our favorite living room “fast fixes” that make a difference, cost little or nothing, and have a big impact on the home’s look.
◆ Mirror magic. It’s very expensive to buy good-quality artwork. Instead, try using a large decorative mirror over the fireplace or above a couch. It’s a terrific substitute and a much less expensive way to create a focal point in the room. The side benefit is that the reflection makes the room look bigger.
◆ Turn furniture on an angle. Most of us put pieces of furniture straight or flush to the wall. Try turning things on an angle to make the floor space around them seem larger. You’ll open up the room in the process. (This works for beds, too.)
◆ No need to reupholster. Take an old, dated couch or armchair and place a neutral or solid slip cover over it. Add a splash of color with modern pillows or throws.
◆ Give the fireplace an instant face-lift: borrow or buy new fireplace tools to place beside it. This really raises the bar for the whole mantle area. For a clean look, place new firewood inside—or candles for a fake fireplace.
Trick of the Trade
Yard sales are fantastic places to pick up vintage brass or wrought-iron fireplace tools, decorative mirrors, vases, and planters—for just a few dollars.
◆ Give your rugs a haircut! If the fringe on the ends of your area rugs is irreparably dirty or frayed, have your local rug dealer remove and bind them. You’ll instantly have a modern, updated rug. And by the way, bare floors are better than bad rugs. Use rugs only if they are currently in style, in very good condition, and sized proportionately to the room. Rip up and remove wall-to-wall carpeting if it is badly stained or has an odor to it from smoking or pets. Any kind of floor, even subflooring, is better than having a foul smell in the house.
◆ Keep their eyes up. If your home has high ceilings or beautiful moldings, put a tall vase, plant, or piece of art on top of a cabinet or armoire to draw the eye upward.
◆ You’re selling a lifestyle. Display expensive-looking coffee table books or magazines about upscale living. A side benefit here is that this reading material will hide scratches on the table, as well.
Seller Alert
It’s very important not to overdo it with family photos while your house is on the market. An entire wall of snapshots distracts from a room. Use them to your advantage. Stick to black-and-white photos and display just one or two select shots. For an upscale look, frame them in silver or solid black. These not only look great, but blend well with any décor.
The Dining Room
Formal dining rooms are used less and less for everyday meals. When buyers stand in yours, they are actually visualizing themselves at a special family event or holiday gathering. Therefore, the dining room table is important for staging because its size affects how the buyer perceives the scale of the whole room.
For example, bigger isn’t always better. An overly large table can really shrink the room. If your table has too many leaves in it, remove one. Do the same with chairs.
Also remove wall clutter such as hanging dishes, too many framed photos, and other adornments. Don’t forget to remove the nails and picture hangers and touch up the holes. We see leftover nails in walls all the time, and it’s a very unfinished and shabby look.
Sideboards and china cabinets can work nicely in a dining room as long as they are not too big, either. You should be able to walk the perimeter of the dining room table without having to turn sideways. If it’s cramped, extra furniture should be removed and stored. In fact, fine china is one of the items that we recommend prepacking (as discussed in Chapter 19) so you can kill two birds with one stone.
We think that dining rooms are actually one of the easiest rooms to stage quickly. Mainly, the buyer’s focus is on the size of the room and the table.
◆ Hide the flaws and dress it up. Drape an old or scratched dining room table with a crisp white or cream-colored cloth and place a beautiful centerpiece of silk or fresh flowers in the center. A runner can work almost as well if the flaws happen to be in the middle of the table.
◆ Centerpieces on a budget. Dining room tables need a focal point. If fresh or silk flowers are out of the question, substitute with something equally impressive, such as an heirloom silver or china soup terrine or a large bowl of vibrantly colored seasonal fruits or vegetables, fall gourds and nuts, or even glass holiday balls or Easter eggs.
◆ Brighten and expand with paint. Paint can actually make a room look larger than it really is. If your dining room is small, stay away from dark hues, which will make it appear even smaller. And, like clothes and accessories, paint colors go in and out of style. Choose modern, soothing, and neutral colors, as they will appeal to a wide portion of the buyer pool. Remember that just because the paint isn’t chipped or peeling doesn’t mean that it’s not dated and tired looking. Repainting is one of the most dramatic improvements you can make to affect sale price. If you’re on a budget, save money and do it yourself. By the way, sometimes walls just need a good washing. You’d be surprised how many wall stains can be removed with soap and water.
The Kitchen
The kitchen is the most expensive room in a home. Upgrades made to it are worth tens of thousands of dollars and, in some luxury homes, they are worth hundreds of thousands. Staging the kitchen well is imperative for getting top dollar on the sale.
Whether you have a state-of-the-art masterpiece or a circa 1972 special, our advice is the same. Take things away! If your kitchen is renovated, clutter distracts from your expensive upgrades. If it’s old, clutter makes it seem even older.
Start by removing everything from the countertops, even your toaster. This makes the counters look bigger and the whole kitchen look sleeker. (If you cannot live without a particular appliance while your house is on the market, tuck it away in a corner.)
What to remove and hide (or store away):
◆ All countertop appliances.
◆ All sink paraphernalia, including sponges, pot scrubbers, steel wool, dish towels, and dishwashing liquid.
◆ Everything from the outside of the refrigerator, including magnets, schedules, artwork, photographs, and calendars.
◆ Some chairs from kitchen table (if the area is at all crowded).
◆ Mismatched bowls and vases displayed on top of cabinets. These give a cluttered look. Collections work when the items fall within one theme (for example, wooden bowls or baskets) and are few in number.
Now that you have cleared off the countertops, it’s time to stage them with props. To create an upscale look, try something fun, like filling an oversized apothecary jar with fruit of any kind, such as oranges, Bosch pears, or limes. Or try to pair colors that you wouldn’t normally put together, such as lemons in a cobalt blue bowl. We also love the look of vine-ripe tomatoes on a rustic yellow platter. Accessorize the rest of the countertop with a couple of beautiful hardcover cookbooks.
Another simple and inexpensive trick is to use mineral water in colored-glass bottles. You can find these in most grocery stores. They come in green, cobalt blue, and even ruby red. Group them on the countertop or line them up above cabinets. If you happen to own one, another way to prop a countertop is to display one brand-new state-of-the-art appliance, such as a stainless-steel cake mixer or sleek espresso machine.
These suggestions have a powerful effect because they accomplish much more than making the room look larger and more attractive. They make the room look more expensive—and that’s what it’s all about in the kitchen!
◆ Cabinet face-lift. One of our favorite ways to make old cabinets look like a million bucks is to replace the hardware with modern, whimsical handles and pulls. You can find expensive-looking and unique pieces in most major chain stores now. They come in hundreds of styles in wrought-iron, animal shapes, and even jeweled. Have fun with it. Then repaint chipped or peeling cabinets, and you’ve made a real transformation!
◆ Countertop tip. A fantastic way to freshen granite or stone counters and make them gleam is to apply a high-gloss sealer just before you put the house on the market.
◆ Hit the floors. Any type of kitchen flooring can be truly made over. For a dull linoleum or wood floor, apply a couple of coats of high-gloss polyurethane finish to make it shine. For a ceramic-tile floor, use grout cleaner to make it look like new again. For the tiles themselves, use the high-gloss sealer that you used on your granite counters to give them new luster.
◆ Sink or swim. Sinks are often the focal point of the kitchen. Some of them, even in newer kitchens, can quickly look old and dreary. An instant face-lift is to install a new faucet, which gives the illusion of a new sink. To further brighten and lift your sink, we love to replace the old, dirty, or mismatched accessories with perhaps one brand-new tea towel and one matching hand lotion and liquid soap set.
◆ Pantry perfect. Clean and organize the pantry. Remove anything you can to make it appear more spacious. To a buyer, a crowded and disorganized pantry sends a message that there is insufficient space, or worse, that it’s dirty.
Trick of the Trade
Glass-front cabinets are pretty as long as the contents are orderly and not overstuffed. Remove some of the dishes to make it look as though the cabinets are roomy and spacious. Keep the dish colors to one palette for a clean look. Too many styles and colors look messy.
The Bathroom
As with the kitchen, updated bathrooms bring you big money when selling. Even if your bathroom is not renovated, there are things you can do to fool the eye and give a feeling of freshness.
For starters, cleanliness is more important in the bathroom than in almost any room in the house. Remove your toothbrushes, old soaps, toiletries, and any extraneous personal items. Sanitize everything and, if there is a window, let the light in. Fresh flowers in a little bud vase is a nice touch.
The bathroom may be where you’ll have the most fun staging. It’s not expensive, it’s fast, and the tiniest little touch can make all the difference.
◆ Money is tight? Go white! One of the best and cheapest ways to make an old, tired bathroom look crisp and fresh (no matter what color it is) is to use stark white towels, a white shower curtain, and a white window valance. This brightens and gives a feeling of cleanliness.
◆ Eau de Money. Toiletries can be terrific props, but they must be new or like new, and should look expensive. Replace your everyday lotions, soap, and shampoos with upscale ones and tell the family “hands off!” to keep them looking new.
◆ Floor fix-up. If the floor is old, lay a stark white bath rug to cover up and deflect attention from it. It’s also a nice anchor for the white towels, shower curtain, and window valance.
◆ Epoxy paint. This amazing product covers up a multitude of sins in your bathtub, including rust, chips, and discolorations. Apply it and save yourself from having to buy a new tub. Use with caution and in a well-ventilated bathroom.
◆ Reglazing. For a much more finished porcelain look than you’d get with epoxy paint, re-glazing wall tiles, tubs, and sinks is one of the most powerful things you can do for a bathroom without completely renovating it. The process is magical and will make these items sparkle.
Seller Alert
We cannot stress enough that reglazing is not a do-it-yourself job! It involves the use of acids, urethanes, and full-face respirators. Let a professional do it for you.
◆ Grouting and recaulking. Taking the time to bleach and clean the grout between shower wall tiles and to recaulk the perimeter of the bathtub makes it look very clean. Conversely, a dirty bathtub sends buyers running for the door.
◆ Replace fixtures. Toss out that rusty old faucet and gummy showerhead. New fixtures affect sale price because they give the illusion of having made upgrades. Replacing them doesn’t break the bank, either. Note: we recommend using a licensed plumber to avoid chipping or damaging the fixtures, particularly with vintage sinks and tubs.
The Bedroom
In most bedrooms, the first place that your eye goes is to the bed. It sets the tone for the whole room. In fact, the bed is so important that it would be okay if it were the only piece of furniture in the room—provided that it’s well styled.
This might seem obvious, but bed linens should always be clean, crisp, and wrinkle-free because they send a message about pride of ownership and the quality of the house. In particular, master bedrooms should be luxurious; children’s rooms and nurseries are cute and fun; and guest rooms can be whimsical.
Of all the bedrooms, the master is the crowning glory and should be styled accordingly. Almost every house has a designated master bedroom. It’s the first thing buyers look for in the sleeping area. If all the rooms are about the same size, then it falls to you to designate a master. Quite simply, you do this with the bed.
To turn the bed into one fit for a king, begin with a bed skirt. It is the foundation of the bed and is essential for a finished look. For the bedspread or duvet, go for quality and serene colors. When in doubt, white always works. Fold back layers to reveal pretty linens. Finally, to achieve and finish the look, you should have (or create the illusion of having) a headboard. If you don’t have a headboard, use lots of pillows at the top. Use the wall to lean them on; pile high and forward on the bed.
Trick of the Trade
Here’s an insider’s headboard trick. If you don’t have enough pillows to create height and fullness, you can fake it with a bolster pillow. To make one, place two or three large bath or beach towels on top of one anther. Roll into a cylinder and tie on each end. Place it in back of your good pillows and no one will be the wiser.
As we mentioned, the master bedroom serves a particular purpose and should be styled to reflect the buyer’s expectations for elegance and serenity. Children’s rooms, nurseries, and guest bedrooms have a different set of guidelines, however. You can be much more creative and have fun with cute or whimsical props as long as the room is neat, clean, and, most importantly, uncluttered.
Here are some “fast fixes” for bedroom props that can make a big difference in each bedroom.
Master bedroom and guest rooms:
◆ Fresh or silk flowers in a neutral color
◆ Heirloom sterling or silver plate brush and comb
◆ Reading chair and lamp (if there is space)
◆ Mirrors to enlarge the room, reflect the bed, anchor a dresser
Children’s rooms and nurseries: 
◆ One of your child’s drawings, framed (it’s an instant and inexpensive piece of art)
◆ Large decorative baskets repurposed as toy containers
◆ Your three favorite stuffed animals (plush and in good shape), placed strategically around the room; lose the plastic multicolored toys
◆ Rocking chair; every good nursery needs one
Trick of the Trade
If you have a nice-looking throw blanket (nothing old, please!) in a rich material that is in the same color scheme as the rest of the room, use it at the foot of the bed or drape it casually on a nearby reading chair .
Closets
Remove and store away at least one third of the clothes and shoes in your closets and organize the remaining items in a military fashion and by color. This makes the closets look bigger. It’s a pain in the neck, we grant you! But you’re moving soon and will have to begin packing clothes anyway. Organized closets show an attention to detail that carries, in the buyer’s mind, throughout the house.
Windows and the Importance of Light
This may surprise you, but window treatments and drapes are not a requirement for staging your home. In fact, we often recommend scrapping them altogether, particularly when the windows are beautiful or new. We have had them taken down in cases where they were blocking light or taking the focus away from the architecture. We find that sellers are sometimes concerned that the buyers will think the room is cold or less attractive without any window treatments. Remember, the house is the star; windows are the spotlight on the star. Letting the natural light into your home while it is on the market is critical. Light can create more beauty in a room than any staging idea. Let it in!
If you do use drapes, curtains, or shades, don’t let them upstage your windows. If you decide to use them, make sure that they are open when the home is being shown. Next, make sure that they are not cutting into the window frame too much or blocking light even when they are open. Simplicity in style and patterns is the way to go. Hues should be soothing and understated, not busy and loud or overdone. Panels in neutral tones are very effective. Sheers can be lovely, too, if they are modern. A simple white eyelet valance can be perfect in a bathroom or kitchen. They also make gorgeous shades these days that look expensive and let light filter through them. Shades soften the edges but still allow buyers to see the moldings.
Trick of the Trade
Views matter. In fact, the view from every single window in the house should be evaluated. If you’re looking out of a second- or third-floor window and see a couple of missing roof shingles, replace them. If the house next door is really close to your dining room window, lower the blinds on that particular window while the house is being shown to buyers. If you can see a rusted old shed from the children’s bedroom, move the shed or paint it.
If you have any money to spend, we strongly suggest that you invest in a professional to wash your windows. It’s hard to make windows completely streak-free, especially when the sun is shining through them. Professionally cleaned windows are super powerful when a home is on the market. They make old windows look newer, they bring the sunlight in, and they even make a room look bigger. Conversely, a room with cloudy or dirty windows, and without enough light, looks depressing and smaller than it really is.
Basements, Attics, and Garages
If you can, buy plenty of large plastic bins and store as many items in them as possible in the basement, attic, or garage. Line up the bins in neat rows. Buyers need to be able to see the floor, walls, and four corners of the space in order to visualize how they will use it. If these areas are filled with disorganized debris, potential buyers get overwhelmed and simply cannot visualize the use of the space.
Seller Alert
Grab your flashlight and walk your attic, basement, and garage. Dispose of cobwebs, dead insects, little pieces of glass, and ant or mouse traps. Enough said?
The Exterior and Curb Appeal
Most people think of staging as something you do only to the inside of a home. Actually, staging begins on the outside—with what is known as curb appeal.
Buyers will make an instant judgment about your home the minute they pull up to the curb. Think of selling your house like you’re interviewing for an important job. The minute you walk into the boss’s office, he has already made some judgment about whether he’s going to hire you. It is made before you speak or even shake his hand and it’s based strictly on the way you look. It’s the same for a house and a potential buyer looking at it from the street.
def·i·ni·tion
Curb appeal is a real estate term that has become very popular. It’s all about how your home looks from the street, or curb.
Shaping Up the Lawn and Garden
whether he’s going to hire you. It is made before you Decluttering is not just for the interior of your home. Like the inside, the outside of the structure should be the star when looking at the home from the curb. If your lawn has objects on it that are not necessarily found in nature, re-think them! They can seriously distract the buyer from a clear and positive vision of your home.
The following are some ideas to improve your curb appeal:
◆ Move or put away extraneous items that are visible from the street, such as water hoses, lawn art, garbage cans, children’s outdoor toys, and bicycles.
◆ Dispose of the cracked or unused planters strewn about. Remove leaves and debris from around shrubs; trim and edge the beds.
◆ Lay fresh mulch around shrubs, trees, and plant beds.
Trick of the Trade
Like porridge that is too hot or too cold, you want to use the shade of mulch that is just right for your house. Red mulch can clash with brick or red-toned homes. You may find that black mulch is too dark and intense. Light-brown mulch may not be quite vibrant enough. Dark chocolate brown is our favorite because it is rich in color and suits most houses. Look for brands that claim to not fade quickly.
◆ If the lawn’s faded, sparse, or dead, allow two to three weeks for new grass seed to grow before putting the house on the market.
◆ If the driveway is faded, our favorite fix is a sealant made to coat blacktop surfaces. You can apply it with a long-handled paint roller; also available is a combination squeegee/broom made specifically for this purpose.
◆ Paint, clean, and adjust shutters and gutters so they hang straight.
If you suspect that your curb appeal needs more charm (or lacks it altogether), these are some of our favorite “fast fixes,” which will enhance your home’s charm from the street:
◆ Install flower boxes on second-floor windows with colorful flowers and/or hanging ivy. (On the right house, this is an amazing transformation in itself.)
Seller Alert
Don’t cut it too close on the mulch. New mulch will have a pungent odor for a few days and may also attract bees. Try to mulch at least three or four days before showtime.
◆ Create a circle of large rocks around the perimeter of a prominent tree about 3 feet out from the trunk and fill in with mulch. This really helps define the property and draws attention to a pretty tree.
◆ Affix a wall adornment to the exterior in order to compensate for a lack of architectural charm. Two examples are a wrought-iron swirl or an eagle in flight. These work well on garages, as well.
◆ Add a weather vane to the roof (this works only on certain kinds of colonials).
◆ Consider new shutters and mailbox to sharpen the overall look. You’d be surprised how a tired mailbox can drag your curb appeal down.
◆ Polish brass door knockers and doorbells. If you’ve got brass, make the most of it!
Decks, Porches, and Patios
Decks, porches, and patios add tremendous value to your home and create a great space in which to entertain or escape to with the Sunday papers. They are especially powerful when interior living space is small, or if you live in a warm climate where these spaces are used year-round. When staged well, and visible from the indoors, they can make a home seem as though it has more square footage than it really has. A small living room or kitchen will appear bigger if the eye is guided to the outdoor space. To do this, place an object of color and beauty outside that will draw attention from the inside. It could be a statue or an urn filled with vibrant annuals, a water treatment, birdbath, or lovely piece of outdoor furniture.
Trick of the Trade
Make your patio pop! Fresh new cushions on the chairs and chaise lounges do wonders for brightening the overall look of a patio. If you can’t buy new ones, give your old ones a good washing.
Decks, porches, and patios should be staged as outdoor rooms. To do this, give them a beginning, middle, and an end. Rooms have borders. They have walls, a floor, and a ceiling. Outdoor spaces can have them, too.
Let’s begin with open porches and patios:
◆ Walls: Place large and colorful planters in the corners of the patio. Flower boxes or benches also work well. These are your walls and give a sense of parameter.
◆ Floors: Most deck or patio floors will be made of wood, concrete, pavers, or bluestone. If they’re not in good condition, paint, stain, repair, or refinish them. The patio and deck are structural elements in a home. If they have been neglected, buyers perceive them as expensive repairs.
◆ Ceiling: Unless you have an umbrella, gazebo, arbor, or awning in new condition, the sky is the best ceiling you can have. If these items are faded, rusted, torn, or dated, it’s better not to use them.
◆ Furniture: Clean, hose down, or paint the furniture. It should be arranged in the same fashion as a living room or family room—that is, to encourage conversation or to accommodate a group gathering. But again, don’t make the mistake of having too much furniture. It’ll make the patio seem small.
Here are tips for enclosed porches:
◆ Walls: Enclosed porches already have walls and ceilings. If it’s screened in, make sure the screens are in great shape. If they are ripped, sagging, or faded, and you cannot afford to replace them, it is sometimes better to take them down altogether to create an open-air porch. But open-air porches need borders, too. As with patios, use large planters, benches, or chairs.
◆ Floors: If you have bluestone, ceramic tile, or good hardwood floors, don’t cover them up. These are high-end materials and translate to more money on the sale … if they show well. Like decks, if the floor materials do not show well, it’s worth it to repair, paint, or stain them. Another reason not to cover porch floors is because they can be a red flag to buyers. When they cannot see what’s underneath, they tend to assume that you’re hiding a damaged or cheap floor.
◆ Ceilings: If, and only if, you have a large porch with reasonably high ceilings, do not hang things from it. Stick to a nice light fixture and a fresh coat of paint. Hanging items from a ceiling lower than 8 feet is encroaching and claustrophobic.
◆ Furniture: Because furniture on a covered porch is not exposed to the elements, you can scavenge pieces from all over your house. Don’t skip the basement and attic! Some examples are rocking chairs, area rugs, and end tables. If the porch is big enough, create more than one seating area to make the space more usable and inviting. Wicker, wood, or wrought-iron are usually the best styles to work with. If you have electricity on the porch, adding a lamp and side table is another great way to give the illusion of a usable and cozy outdoor room.
Trick of the Trade
Go with great greenery! We cannot emphasize enough the power of lush green plants or flowers. In any space, greenery gives a feeling of life and positive energy. Plants for patios are even easier as they require less maintenance, if you live in a region that gets rain.
For some reason, porches are an area of the home where people tend to go crazy with decorating. Too many knickknacks, fishing nets, and signs pointing to the beach are a no-no! Let your porch shine through. As with kitchens, less is always more.
If you have a good-size porch with high ceilings, here are some fast-fix ideas that we love. Following are items to hang from a porch ceiling:
◆ Planters with cascading ivy or flowers
◆ Hurricane lanterns
◆ Small chandeliers or chandelier candles
◆ Bamboo, cane, or tropical-style fans
◆ Wind chimes
◆ Bird cage
Vacant Homes
Empty homes reveal every little flaw. They can also look cold. A few strategically placed pieces of furniture can mask cracks in the walls, uneven paint jobs, and stains on the floor. Even newly constructed or flawlessly renovated homes show better with a few select props in them.
Very often, it’s just one piece that makes the difference in an unfurnished room. A tasteful area rug can make an empty room look homey. A bare corner can be warmed up with a large floor plant. The size and scale of an empty family room can be better understood with an armchair or sofa in it. These props give the buyer a suggestion of what it will look like with their own belongings, without having to fully furnish.
Professional Stagers for Hire
There are a lot of professional stagers out there, and they charge anywhere from a couple of hundred to thousands of dollars.
After reading this chapter, we hope you have learned that you do not need to spend that kind of money to stage your home well. You can do a beautiful job yourself if you employ the ideas we have shared with you. That said, if money is not a consideration and you would like someone else to do the work for you, there are professionals out there.
To find them, you can use the Internet (use the search term “real estate stagers” or “home stagers,” along with the name of your town and state) and you’ll get a list of contacts. There are national associations for home stagers, as well. You can also ask local Realtors, who are used to referring stagers to their clients.
Seller Alert
Be sure to ask professional stagers to define what and how much they will do in each room. Ask for before-and-after photos of their work and check their track record through testimonials from past clients.
The Least You Need to Know
◆ Don’t confuse decorating for everyday living with staging to sell your house.
◆ Less is more. Most homes have too much furniture, too many knickknacks, and too much clutter. Remember that the house is the star. You want the structure and architectural beauty to come through.
◆ Let there be light; don’t block it. Pull shades up and drapes back. Being able to see the outdoors from the inside makes a home appear larger and happier.
◆ Attics, garages, and basements need to be clean and organized. You’re moving soon anyway. Stack it, store it, or get rid of it.
◆ Make your home seem larger by creating outdoor rooms. Stage them as usable spaces for solitude as well as entertaining.
◆ Curb appeal is very important. Brush up the landscaping and consider adding a window flower box or new shutters.
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