{"id":79091,"date":"2018-07-17T17:32:00","date_gmt":"2018-07-17T21:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bhgre.com\/bhgrelife\/?p=79091"},"modified":"2018-07-17T17:45:14","modified_gmt":"2018-07-17T21:45:14","slug":"10-tips-for-staging-furniture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bhgre.com\/bhgrelife\/10-tips-for-staging-furniture\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Tips for Staging Your Home to Appeal to Buyers"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you want or need to sell your home fast, staging furniture can make all the difference in attracting a buyer. Successful staging is a contributing factor to many of the quickest sales and to getting the best price for a home.<\/p>\n

Ready to stage?<\/p>\n

These 10 tips for staging furniture can help you easily transform your house into an inviting environment that homebuyers can\u2019t pass up.<\/p>\n

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1.\u00a0Consider curb appeal<\/h3>\n

The exterior of your home makes the first in-person impression on buyers. Many people drive by a home with no intention to see the inside unless they\u2019re impressed with the outside. Stage your outdoor areas for buyers by power washing walkways and siding, hanging house numbers that are easy to read, mowing the lawn every weekend, planting colorful flowers, cleaning windows and re-staining decks.<\/p>\n

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\"\"2.\u00a0Create a welcoming entrance<\/h3>\n

Whether you have a large porch or a simple stoop, create a welcoming entrance for potential buyers. Place a clean and inviting doormat, put potted plants around and make sure any outdoor furniture is in perfect condition. Illuminate your front walkway and door. Motion sensor lighting is a nice touch.<\/p>\n

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3.\u00a0Make the inside sparkle<\/h3>\n

If cleaning the inside of your house to model home standards will take too much time or effort, hire someone to take care of this task. Making sure your interior sparkles and will be comfortable for guests (your potential buyers) is critical. Imagine that the person you\u2019d most like to make a good impression on is coming into your home. Clean beyond that expectation.<\/p>\n

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4.\u00a0Focus on your floors<\/h3>\n

Flooring is an expensive home remodel project. Help a buyer see that there won\u2019t be much energy or money spent to enjoy nice floors in your home. At the minimum, steam clean carpets and give all flooring a deep clean. Wood floors should be either refinished, treated or waxed.<\/p>\n

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5.\u00a0Clear away clutter<\/h3>\n

Model homes are attractive for a reason. They\u2019re minimally decorated and don\u2019t contain a lot of clutter. The house stands out, not the stuff. This is what you should aim for when you clean away clutter to attract a buyer. Staging your home to sell means that you should remove anything you haven\u2019t used in three months (ideally clear away more than that). Put it into storage or in a family member\u2019s garage. Clear floors, cupboards, closets, pantries, drawers and any other spaces where buyers will look. Get rid of anything even remotely unsightly. Try to keep only items that are neutral or classic in style lying or set out.<\/p>\n

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6.\u00a0Rearrange furniture<\/h3>\n

Staging your furniture to create conversation spaces and open areas is ideal. Symmetrical arrangements typically work well. You\u2019ll want to pull all furniture away from the walls. Put any old, worn furnishings into storage. If you find that much or all your furniture should be stored away off of the property, you can hire a staging company to fill in missing key pieces like armchairs, sofas and dining tables.<\/p>\n

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7. Go with gender neutral d\u00e9cor<\/h3>\n

Many buyers paint their entire interior with gender neutral colors<\/a><\/u> before they sell. Some simply choose to have neutral furniture, artwork and accessories staged in their home. You don\u2019t have to go with all white or beige to stay neutral. Choose colors for paint and furnishings that don\u2019t make too much of a statement in any way.<\/p>\n

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8. Balance clean with lived-in<\/h3>\n

Buyers want to imagine what it would be like living in your home. While they want to envision your house as a clean and healthy space, it doesn\u2019t need to appear sterile. A lived-in look helps people feel the warmth that\u2019s possible, but don\u2019t think buyers want to see a family\u2019s weekday mess. Place a simple bowl of fruit on the counter or bunch of flowers in a vase to create warmth.<\/p>\n

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9.\u00a0Set the dining room table<\/h3>\n

Dining room tables can tend to look bare, cold and uninviting. Keep your dining room table set with pretty china, crystal, napkins and silverware. It doesn\u2019t have to be formal, even vintage place settings can create a beautiful aesthetic.<\/p>\n

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10.\u00a0Open your closets<\/h3>\n

You\u2019re going to have to purge your closets and stage them as if they were in a boutique. Fold and hang closes neatly, create order with shoes and accessories, and store away anything that\u2019s bulging out or falling over. Tidy everything up and keep closet doors open so buyers don\u2019t have to think twice about peaking inside.<\/p>\n

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Staging furniture and as much of your home as you can to impress buyers is incredibly important. It may take a weekend, week or month to do it \u2013 and possibly a bit of money \u2013 but in the end your house will present much better for a faster sale.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"