Home staging is the art of making your home look stylish, neat and inviting to a potential buyer and is the essential first step in selling your home. Staging is different then decorating. Decorating is about personality, staging is about depersonalizing.
When you know you're selling your home, you want to neutralize it with traditional and historical colors. Home sellers should swap out bold colors for more calming choices like gray and taupe, and eliminate any colorful or busy wallpaper or borders. In addition, replacing old and bright area rugs with clean, more toned-down ones can make a space feel more fresh and open.
Sellers should also neutralize the outside of their house. Potential buyers will make a snap judgement about a property before even stepping out on the curb from their car. Your lawn, hedges, trees and other plants should be well-maintained, neatly pruned and free from weeds. To brighten windows, wash them well. Consider adding flower boxes, filled with mums to brighten them up further. If you can, power wash your home's exterior- it can make it look almost freshly painted but with less effort and expense.
Remove personal photos and personally identifiable items such as monograms, engraved pieces and anything with your name on it. Buyers will be more interested in who owns the home rather than how they feel in the house. Hallways, tabletops and counter spaces should be clear of all papers, appliances and knick-knacks. Downsize the furniture as well. Too much furniture makes a house significantly smaller.
I hope some of these ideas and tips help you stage your home and give you the best results that you desire. If you want potential buyers to choose your property over that of the competition, home staging will make your home look visually appealing to buyers and make your house stand out from the crowd!
My blog was also featured in the "Sound Off" section of the Stamford Advocate, Real Estate section.
If you are looking to buy, sell or rent a home in Darien, Rowayton or surrounding CT towns, please contact me. I can help you accomplish your real estate goals.
Janine Vairo is a Licensed Real Estate Agent at
Kelly Associates, Real Estate Inc.
780 Boston Post Road, Darien, CT
Janine blogs about real estate , home design and decor, kitchen recipes and trends in the real estate market. Follow her on Patch and sign up for her Kelly Real Estate, Inc. blog emails!
cell: 203.273.3134
Email: janine.vairo@kellyrealestate.com
