Staging Perfectly For an Open House and How to Do It

Four Rooms You Need to Stage Perfectly in an Open House and How to Do It

Some houses get snapped up quickly, while others linger on the market longer than you’d like. One reason behind this is staging. According to a study by the National Association of Realtors, 81 percent of realtors believe staging helps buyers visualize the property as a future home. When staging, there are four key rooms that can make or break the sale. Read on to learn what these are and how to stage them correctly.

Kitchen

When staging the kitchen, getting a professional cleaner involved is a cost-effective investment with a great return. The chrome should sparkle, the windows should be spotless, and the room should smell fresh. Get everything off countertops, except for appliances like the coffee maker and the toaster. Shelves should be used, but not overused—leave plenty of space on them. The same goes for inside cupboards, too. People will open them, and if they’re full to the brim, they’ll think the kitchen is lacking in storage space. If the kitchen needs color, get some fresh flowers, a fruit bowl, and have some brand-new tea towels on display.

Bathroom

The bathroom gets dirty and grimy fast, and this is a major turnoff for potential buyers. Spraying bleach can help get the mold off, and a fresh coat of paint can give tired or out-of-fashion tiles new life. If the shower screens or doors are looking grimy, HGTV has a great tip for that: use muriatic acid cleaning products and go at it with steel wool. This should do the trick, but if not, you’ll have to invest in new screens. If the client has money to spend on remodelling, switching the vanity for a pedestal sink is a good, low-cost option. It’s trendy and shows off the floor space more effectively.

The Master Bedroom

Of all the bedrooms, the master is the most important. Visitors should feel like they want to sleep in the room, even if they will ultimately redecorate. This means buying new, luxury sheets, curtains, plus a headboard and bedskirt. In terms of layout, place the bed so that you can walk on either side of it, pointed toward the windows if possible. If the decor of the room is too gender specific, advise your client to repaint in gender-neutral colors, otherwise you’ll put off half of every couple that views the room. Overall, ask yourself if the master bedroom brings a high-end hotel room to mind; if not, you have work to do.

The Living Room

In the living room, try to strike a balance between cosy enough that you want to sit down and relax, and spacious enough that you want to invite guests over. Organize the furniture around the main focal point of the room. Often that’s the TV, but it could also be the fireplace or the windows, especially if there’s a nice view outside. If there is no TV, make sure there’s space for one—this can be a deal breaker for some people. Lighting is really important in the living room, so for staging purposes, you might want to remove curtains and blinds completely to allow in the maximum amount of light possible.

General Principles

In all rooms, make sure the house is decluttered and spotlessly clean, and replace any old, tired, or worn furniture. Style the house according to present trends, but don’t be too creative—this is not the time to make your mark on the interior design world! If the house is clean and on trend and the above four rooms are staged perfectly, you’ll have no problems beating that 49-day average.