14 Ways to Impress Home Buyers with Home Staging

When selling your home, it should look inviting and attractive. There are many ways to make your home more appealing, but one of the most impactful ways is staging. Staging ensures that every room in your house is beautiful and the home’s best features stand out. It is one of the most effective ways to make your home look like a dream come true for a buyer. Staging does not have to be expensive or time-consuming.  Here are some tips on preparing your home to hit the market.

Researching your potential buyers is key to staging your home because you want to do it in a way that appeals to them. The most important thing you can do is ask yourself why they're looking for a home in the first place. What are their needs? What are their priorities? Once you've figured that out with your realtor, stage your home by highlighting aspects of the property that will resonate with and attract the targeted prospects.

Curb appeal is the first thing potential home buyers see when they drive by a luxury home for sale. If your yard is unkempt or your home's exterior requires repair, they'll be less likely to stop and take a closer look at what's inside. Clearing your yard of debris, fixing cracks or holes in the driveway, and trimming landscaping that might be hiding parts of your house from view are great ways to give the exterior of your home a quick facelift. For more curb appeal ideas, consult with your Durham real estate agent.

Decluttering and deep-cleaning your home for potential buyers eliminates the “lived-in” look and helps the interior feel more spacious. Because clutter distracts the eye and makes it difficult for buyers to focus on the house's features, store knick knacks, accessories, and unused items before listing the house to create a clean slate for staging.

One of the best ways to impress potential buyers is by helping them feel “at home” in your house. When a buyer walks into a room, they should be able to imagine themselves living there — not you! It's important to stay out of sight and out of mind as much as possible during this process. Remove all of your personal belongings from the space, remove personal photos or items from the walls, and hang generic artwork. The goal is to make the home seem like a blank slate so potential buyers can see themselves living in the space.

A home that is too colorful can be distracting and jarring to a potential buyer. Keeping your home's decor neutral will allow the natural beauty of its features shine through. When staging your Durham home for sale, use a neutral color palette so buyers can easily see details, such as the layout of a room, views through the windows, and built-in bookshelves.

Because the space can feel bland if you have too little color, find a middle ground. Adding pops of color is a great way to make your space feel more inviting and welcoming. Using accent colors in an area of the room can help set the tone for the rest of the space. For example, adding colorful throw pillows or painting one accent wall can help add that extra something to make your home stand out from others.

When it comes to home staging, the kitchen is where most people start. After all, it's where many family members spend most of their time. So how can you impress buyers? Upgrade the appliances so the kitchen looks modern and clean. Also replace outdated fixtures. Spruce up the walls with fresh paint that’s neutral so the space feels open and airy.

Great lighting will help your home look more warm, inviting, and luxurious. It's essential to consider both natural light sources and artificial ones. Natural light can be great for showcasing high-end finishes like marble countertops or hardwood floors. Recessed lighting can also help highlight certain features in your home, such as artwork or small architectural details, but don't overdo it. If you don't have a lot of natural light in your house, invest in stylish lamps or overhead lights that will brighten the home.

Furniture can be one of the most expensive investments in your home, so it's crucial to ensure that you are using the right pieces to get the maximum value from them. Having too much furniture in a room can make it feel smaller and crowded, which is not what potential buyers want. Spread a few quality pieces throughout the room instead.

You don't have to move everything out of your house and start from scratch, but moving around some pieces can help create an air of luxury and spaciousness. There should be a balance between furnishings and open areas to show the room’s functionality. By rearranging furniture, you can highlight the most important aspects of your home, and provide more space for buyers to easily move around while at a showing or open house.

When you're staging your home for sale, you want to make sure that every room has a clear intention. You can think of the room's intent as its purpose for existing. Is it a formal dining room? An office? A playroom? How you answer this question can help you determine what furniture and accessories to use, as well as what colors or patterns would work best.

Remote work has become popular over the last few years, and many home buyers want to be able to set up an office in their new house. If you have a dedicated office space in your house and can make it look like a place where people want to work, it will be a huge selling point. You can also create this type of space by simply adding a desk or table with a chair to any room in the house that makes sense.

Storage areas, such as a large closet or pantry, are often overlooked when staging a home. But they can make a huge difference in how your home looks to buyers. Storage areas can create an inviting space that's both functional and beautiful. Drawing attention to these areas can be a great way to show potential buyers that you have a well-organized home, which makes it easier for them to imagine using the space as their own. To highlight these areas, add lighting, a coat rack or other hooks, and shelving units.

A pleasant scent can significantly impact how people feel about a house. The smell of fresh flowers, baking bread, or even coffee brewing can help potential buyers feel at home. This can trigger memories and emotions that make them feel comfortable in your space. Whether it's incense, potpourri, or scented candles, pleasant fragrances help you set a positive mood for buyers.

All of that sound like a winning combination?  It is, and it’s guaranteed to help you win more attention and buyers for your home.  And it gets better!  Here at Spotlight Realty, we can help you accomplish all of those tasks without paying a dime up front with our Compass Concierge program.

So whether you’re looking for a Durham home for sale or you’re ready to stage and list your Durham home, contact your Spotlight Realty agent today.  Our talented team will successfully guide you through the entire real estate process.