6 DIY Home Staging Tips

 

Home staging is a vital step in selling your Vancouver home. More than simply cleaning your house and shifting around a sofa and chairs, staging highlights your home's strengths. It fosters a warm, inviting atmosphere, which is necessary to charm potential buyers and procure multiple offers.

Let's explore the specifics of home staging, including six DIY home staging tips to showcase your Vancouver luxury listing and ensure it's well-positioned for a quick, lucrative sale.

While most sellers recognize home staging basics, such as cleaning, decluttering, and rearranging certain rooms, many choosing the DIY route only partially commit to the full staging process.

Home staging is the process of making a house look its best — market and move-in ready — to maximize its value, generate multiple offers, and do so quickly. This process can involve rearranging or replacing furniture, adding appealing decor, repainting, making repairs or upgrades, and repurposing specific rooms or spaces according to market trends and buyer preferences. That's all in addition to the above-mentioned cleaning and decluttering. Most importantly, staging removes the lived-in feel of your home, creating an attractive, functional layout. 

Home staging matters, as it allows potential buyers to imagine the home as their own. For many homebuyers, it is challenging to visualize a space as their own while it's still occupied. From crowded kitchen cabinets to heavy window treatments to loud wall colors, a property's current living conditions, no matter how nice they may be, are distracting to buyers.

Staging also improves a home's overall aesthetics. To attract buyers, your property must impress them from the very first click on the listing. Poorly prepped rooms and outdoor spaces do not photograph well and often tip off buyers that the in-person experience will be less than stellar. Well-staged listings, however, shine in both their digital and physical curb appeal.

Staging is very much about creating an emotional connection with potential buyers. Sellers can make the home look inviting and move-in ready by using DIY home staging tips or hiring professional home stagers. A well-staged home often brings in offers, as it creates a positive impression that lingers in the minds of prospective buyers.

By employing some innovative home staging tips and using items you already have, DIY home staging can be affordable and effective in boosting the marketability of your home. After all, several of the earliest steps in the staging process are owner-driven anyway, so the start is already in your hands.

Of course, luxury homes may only require cursory attention to detail to prepare for buyers. If in doubt, work with your real estate agent to determine the best course of action. Real estate agents play a significant role in home staging. They possess insights into the preferences and expectations of prospective buyers and can provide valuable staging tips. Their experience in staging homes online and offline makes them a valuable resource in presenting the house in the best possible light. Your agent will also have contacts for best-in-class staging professionals, should you decide to go that route.

Detailed planning, effective execution, and allowing yourself plenty of time are critical to staging success.

Removing unnecessary items creates a spacious and more appealing environment. This DIY staging tip applies to the whole house, including your kitchen and dining areas, living room, and children's bedrooms.

Key tasks to address include clearing countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms and keeping only essential items on display. Store pillows and blankets not used as accents and hide exposed wires and cords. Thin out natural collection areas — closets, pantries, shelves and bookcases, and general storage spaces — and utilize them only for essential items during the listing process.

Removing family photos and personal items makes it easier for buyers to envision themselves living in the space. Stow away family portraits, diplomas, memorabilia, and any "collectibles" or heirlooms to create a neutral environment that avoids distraction and appeals to a broad segment of potential buyers. Clear out common areas of clutter, and pack away anything that's too kitschy, including travel tchotchkes, refrigerator magnets, "school art," novelty lamps, artwork, and figurines.

Cleanliness speaks volumes and often makes or breaks a potential buyer's initial impression of your home. Thoroughly cleaning every corner makes the house shine. This sets a positive image and assures buyers that the home has been maintained daily.

Your best option is to schedule a professional cleaning to perform a thorough cleaning on the entire home, from floors, rugs, and baseboards to windows, counters, fixtures, hardware, appliances, fans, light fixtures, ceilings, and even the crown molding. Then, have that same service spot-clean once or twice a week for the duration of the listing.

Addressing minor repairs, updating the home's color and lighting schemes, and focusing on the home's natural light can completely transform how others view the property.

Completing minor repairs is essential. Whether fixing a leaky faucet or repairing cracked tile, attention to detail in this area reassures prospective buyers about the home's condition.

Repainting the interior of your home with neutral colors is perhaps the fastest and most meaningful way to boost how a home looks and feels. In addition to covering up dings, discoloration, and natural wear and tear on the walls, neutral shades will appeal to a broad range of potential buyers.

Upgraded lighting in the kitchen and bathrooms (along with new fixtures and hardware) adds style to areas that might show their age against a fresh, unique backdrop. Promoting natural light makes any space look airy and welcoming and ensures the above updates pop as intended. To bring more light into the home, remove dark or heavy window treatments in favor of light-colored, sheer blinds or curtains. In addition, clean the windows. The more light you let in, the more vibrant and attractive the home.

Rethinking the furniture layout can significantly impact the look and feel of a space. First, eliminate oversized sofas or chairs to open up the floor plan and create comfortable paths for movement. Pull furniture away from walls and create zones that show off a particular space's flexibility.

Make sure rooms are well-defined. Each room in your house should have a clear purpose. From the owner's bedroom suite to a children's bedroom or play area to the finished basement, well-defined spaces help buyers imagine how they would use each part of the house.

Work with your real estate agent to find out the particulars of what buyers want. Staging a den or small extra bedroom as an office will entice buyers to consider your property's flexibility, even if it lacks the dedicated room they're looking for.

After decluttering and reshaping your home, add tasteful accents to promote a cozy environment. Small touches, such as neutral art pieces and accessories, small designer lamps, and strategically placed throw pillows, help establish a warm, welcoming tone.

The final DIY home staging tip covers the critical first impression of your home's exterior curb appeal. Investing time and money in your home's outdoor spaces has a significant impact on shaping how a buyer views your home — an opinion that often sets the tone for the rest of their home tour.

Based on the age and condition of your Vancouver home, consider painting or replacing the front and garage doors. Similar to cleaning your home's interior, hire a service to spruce up your lawn and landscaping and have them maintain it throughout the listing.

Don't hesitate to stage outdoor living spaces as you would inside. These bonus spaces are just as important, making the property more attractive to potential buyers.

Are you ready to discover more about listing and selling your Vancouver luxury home? For DIY home staging tips and more, contact Amir Miri today. With his exceptional experience and expertise, Amir is ready to help you navigate Vancouver's real estate market.