6 Tips for Staging Your East Bay Area Home

 

If you’re in the process of selling your home, it’s important to make it look as appealing as possible to prospective buyers. An old adage often repeated by design experts like HGTV is to “highlight your home’s strengths, downplay its weaknesses, and help it appeal to the greatest possible pool of people.” Though some sellers opt to bring in a professional stager, it’s entirely possible to stage your house on your own. Here are six tried-and-true tips you can follow to do just that.

 

A simple yet surefire way to make your house look fresher and more inviting is to repaint rooms as needed. If it’s been a while since your residence has gotten a makeover, a fresh coat of paint can go a long way in making it look more modern. Opt for neutral shades such as tans, soft blues, or light grays. (Pro tip: If you paint two adjacent rooms the same color, it will make both of them look larger).

 

When you’ve lived in your house for a while, it’s easy for it to look a little too lived in. Before you put your house on the market, be sure to clear away any clutter and throw away old items you no longer need. This might mean temporarily removing pieces of furniture that have seen better days and excess furnishings that make the space feel a little too claustrophobic. Once you’ve done that, you can open up the space by pushing furniture items away from the walls to make rooms appear larger than they actually are.

 

If you don’t have a large staging budget, concentrate your efforts on the rooms that will have the most impact on people. According to a report from the National Association of Realtors, rooms that buyers look most closely at are the living room, master bedroom, and kitchen. So if you need to invest some money in buying new furnishings or fixtures for your home, start with those spaces first.

 

When staging a home, your primary mission is to help would-be buyers imagine themselves there. Though your family photos and personalized gifts are no doubt very important to you, they may make it more difficult for someone to see the space as their own since it’s filled with snippets of your life. Remove those personal touches when you’re getting ready to show the house.

 

Lighting goes a long way to make a house look livable. Make your home feel more welcoming and warm by adding soft lighting throughout. In addition to overhead lighting, you’ll want to make sure you have accent lighting (for tables and walls) as well as task lighting (by desks and nightstands).

 

Place fresh flowers and plants throughout the home to help the space feel more nurturing and warm. You might also want to place a few potted plants or flowers on the doorstep to welcome potential buyers to the home. Make sure the front porch or yard is clean and mowed, too, since it will be the first impression buyers have of the property.

If you’re looking for someone to guide you through the home selling process, be sure to contact The Motley Team today. Leading East Bay realtors Saraya and Simon Motley have built a reputation as honest, sincere, and knowledgeable individuals dedicated to helping clients find the right home for them. Whether you’re looking for homes for sale in Berkeley, Oakland, Lafayette, Moraga, or Orinda, they can help you find an East Bay property that matches every requirement on your list.