Making a Lasting Impression With These 8 Home Staging Tips

When it comes to selling homes, setting the stage is one of the most essential parts of the puzzle. A professional stager will know all the techniques to highlight your home’s gorgeous architectural elements, amenities, and more. While staging a house for sale can be complex, working with a professional can help showcase your home in the best light and increase buyer intrigue.

Staging a home allows potential buyers to envision themselves within each room, imagining their lives there and feeling invited to explore further. Staging helps buyers focus on the key features and focal points that make your property unique, from the beautiful front picture window and the gorgeous master bathroom to the modern and spacious kitchen island—whatever it is, you want it to stand out.

Along with staging, you’ll want to consider upping the curb appeal, decluttering, deep cleaning, completing minor repairs, redesigning, and using effective lighting. If you want to work with an expert stager with plenty of experience staging properties to look their very best, ask your real estate agent for suggestions on professional stagers in your area. They can connect you with professional stagers who come highly recommended in their field.

So, when you’re ready for your home to make its grand entrance onto the market, Team Hensley is prepared to guide you every step of the way. They have all the insight and expert tips for preparing homes for sale in Chesterfield County, VA. Read on for a list of their eight best home staging ideas to make a lasting impression.

Up the “wow” factor of your home with gorgeous and pristine curb appeal that sets the tone for the rest of your prospective buyer’s visit. After all, you want to impress buyers from the moment they pull up to the driveway. Curb appeal will determine your home's first impression, so you want to set a tone of luxury right from the get-go.

When buyers pull up to your home, you want a vibrant and welcoming exterior to meet them. Consider putting a fresh coat of paint on the house, adding bright and vibrant flower beds to the yard, trimming the lawn and any other landscaping, and cleaning the gutters. Illuminate the stunning architecture of your home with effective lighting techniques. Adding in-ground lighting along the walking path to your front door is another excellent idea to make your property really shine.

Similarly to the outside, you want the inside to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere. This includes adding a fresh coat of paint, preferably in a neutral color, replacing the carpeting or deep cleaning it, and refinishing wood floors if necessary.

Deep cleaning the home is an essential step to ensure that each space looks its very best. You want to be sure that you pay attention to areas that are often overlooked, like the baseboards and window sills. Each space in your home must be free of dirt, dust, or grime, from the bathroom and kitchen to each corner and countertop. If this task seems a bit daunting, you might consider hiring a professional cleaning service to ensure those spaces are taken care of and to keep your home “show ready.”

Hand-in-hand with cleaning is the important process of decluttering. This is an essential step because a space full of clutter will appear smaller than it really is. Also, removing your personal items from the home will allow buyers to imagine their own lives there, rather than being reminded that the house is not theirs. Start by removing personal photos from the walls, store away any excessive knick-knacks, clean up children’s and pets’ toys, and take the personalized magnets off the fridge. Not only will this depersonalize the space, but it will give your home a much cleaner appearance.

You want your home to appear open and inviting, so let the light in! Using natural lighting in your home is a great way to showcase all the gorgeous features and design choices of your home while creating a welcoming atmosphere. Allow more light in by cleaning the windows and ensuring that the drapes or blinds are open or taken down entirely. Moving furniture away from the windows and allowing the light to be a focal point will help the room appear more spacious.

While it may not be necessary to undertake significant and extensive repairs before you sell a home, completing minor repairs can be a great way to make the space seem fresh and new without breaking the bank. Consider replacing caulking in the bathrooms and kitchens, updating old light fixtures, removing outdated wallpapers, and even replacing bathroom tile if it’s simple and cost-effective. These ideas can liven up the space without requiring a complete overhaul.

Another essential space is the backyard. Much like the front yard, you want the backyard to come across as warm and welcoming—you want to create a space where buyers can see themselves enjoying barbecues, entertaining guests, relaxing, and spending time with family. Similarly, you’ll want to ensure the lawn is trimmed and fresh flowers are in-season and flourishing. If you don’t have a patio, you might consider building one, adding some patio furniture, and putting in a portable fire pit if your space allows.

In the age of the internet, most buyers will research online listings and click through the photos of your home before coming to see it in person. Essentially, the online listing photos will serve as the buyer’s first impression of your property.

For this reason, it’s essential to hire a professional photographer who is well-versed in all the tricks of the trade—they’ll know all the right angles to make your home appear spacious and welcoming. They’ll know how to use lighting effectively to showcase the beautiful parts of your property, and they have the proper tools and equipment to make your home look its very best. With compelling photos, your listing will invite buyers to make an appointment for an in-person tour.

If you want expert guidance on your quest to sell your home for top-dollar offers, Team Hensley is the professional team you want on your side. With over 20 years of experience in the Chesterfield and Midlothian real estate scenes and a founding agent for Compass Richmond, Team Hensley has what it takes to help you reach success and streamline your selling process. Get started today!