How to Stage your Home on a Budget.

Seller Tips to Stage Like a Pro!

If your in the process of selling your home or thinking about putting your house on the market, these tips will help prepare your property for its debut!

The first thing I want to clarify is that staging is not decorating. The purpose of staging is to put your house in the best light. You want it to look large, you want it to flow properly, and you want the proper furnishings in each room to indicate what that room is used for. The following tips will help you attract more Buyers and get your home sold faster!

Tip #1: Depersonalize your home.

Take down all family photos, certificates and awards off walls and bedrooms.

Remove flags from outside. (They never photograph well.)

Remove religious memorabilia. (We are looking to appeal to the masses here)

Check bookshelves for potentially offensive material...if you think it might offend anyone, remove it.

Tip #2: Declutter, Declutter, Declutter!

We need to remove 20-30% of decorative items.

Kitchen counters should be bare! I love a good kitchen sign or decorative jar as much as the next person, but when the counters are empty a Buyer can really see your beautiful counter tops free of distraction. We want to highlight the amount of cooking/prep space.

For living rooms, remove extra furniture.

We want to showcase how large a space is and how the room flows.

This applies to the kitchen table also. If you use that extra chair for guests, remove it.

Just remember, "When in doubt, take it out."

Tip #3: White linens and white towels.

Bathroom towels should be white. White towels are used in hotels for a reason People associate them with being clean and fresh. If not white, than they should be neutral and at the very least, MATCHING!

Busy bedding sets and floral bedding should be put away and replaced with, you guessed it, a white coverlet or duvet cover. It immediately makes a bedroom look cleaner, brighter, and most importantly, white photographs beautifully!

Bed pillows should be neutral and the correct size for the bed. King shams for a king size bed, queen shams for a queen bed.

The other reason we don't want pops of colour in the bedroom is that it immediately draws the eye and distracts, instead of adding to the overall feel of a space. Were trying to allow the Buyer to picture themselves in the home, and create an overall feel and mood.

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Tip #4: Picture and wall art height.

Usually these items are hung wayyy to high up. The general rule of thumb is that your wall art/pictures should be hung at 57-60 inches from the floor to the center of the frame.

If the wall art is hung up at an appropriate height it really balances the room and creates symmetry.

Tip #5: Add some greenery in each room to liven things up.

If your room is feeling a little sterile post declutter, adding a plant (preferably live) can make a big difference. If the home is vacant an artificial plant will still do the job.

Greenery really transforms the room for photographs, and makes a space feel fresh and inviting.

Tip #6: The rule of threes.

This rule applies to hanging items on a wall, or grouping items on a side/coffee table for decoration. Keep items in a group of three. feel free to play around with different combinations, but for tables I like the combination of a book, candle and cute vessel for a balanced look. Varying heights and textures will make a room look elegant and add interest.

Tip #7: The 60/30/10 rule.

The rules equates to the way colour is divided in a space.

60% = main colour

Use for large accent pieces like sofas and rugs.

30% = secondary colour

Supports main colour. Use for throw pillows, window treatments and accent walls.

10% = Accent colour

Use for throw pillows, blankets and artwork.

When staging, these colours should all be in neutral shades.

Tip #8: Large Statement Pieces.

When buying artwork stick to large pieces, no gallery walls please.

Something large and abstract with muted tones will blend into the room, instead of being distracting and causing the eyes to dart all around the room.

For rugs, large is always better, a 5x7 rug is usually to small for a living room.

Tip #9: Keep bedrooms simple.

A bed with matching nightstands, (not higher than the bed), and matching lamps is really all you need. Bonus points for a painting or art above the bed. Keep the room clean and simple to showcase the amount of space.

Tip #10: Remove all mats!!!

Any bathroom mats, or kitchens mats are going to be REMOVED! They not only get full of bacteria with people walking through your home, but they are distracting and do nothing to add to the uniform feel were trying to create with the staging.

Tip #11: Remove old curtains.

Yes, you read that right. If your shutters or curtains are not white, clean, working, or modern, its best to just remove them. Dark curtains, broken shutters or blinds are dating your home and making it seem dark and old fashioned. Just remove them and have your windows cleaned, the difference will amaze you! Buyers want to see bright open spaces, not your old dark blue curtains off your kitchen area, trust me!

I hope this list helps you prepare your property to hit the market! Remember, your property is most likely competing not only with other homes on the market, but with new builds as well. The closer your home looks to these staged modern builder homes, the better. Happy decluttering!!! Feel free to comment your own tips and tricks, and if any of these tips helped you achieve success in your home sale.