How to Successfully Stage a Home

Published on 21 August 2015 in Home Staging by Jenn Chamberlain

Last updated on September 29th, 2023 at 12:55 pm

Do you want to sell your home as quickly as possible, for the highest possible price? You need to make your home appear desirable, and home staging is an effective way to connect with the right buyer. You can hire a professional home stager recommended by your Ottawa real estate agent, but you can also execute many of these home staging tips yourself. Here are some recommendations for how to successfully stage your home for sale:

Remove Nostalgia from the Equation

Selling your home can be an emotional process. It’s hard to take your pictures down from the walls, remove kids’ drawings, clear the fridge of magnets, and so on. However, you need to step aside from your emotions. Potential buyers don’t see the memories and love in the home that made this home so special. Clear those thoughts from your mind (only temporarily) and see the strengths and weaknesses of the home like a buyer would.

Start with the Entrance

Staging your whole home can seem overwhelming at first. Break it down into small pieces and work room by room. Why not start with the front porch, door, and entryway? Spruce the entryway up with a fresh coat of paint, some nice plants, and a new light fixture.

Quick Facelift

You don’t need to undergo intensive renovations to spruce up the look of your home. Sometimes simply upgrading to new handles and knobs in the kitchen, painting the halls a fresh new colour, replacing the dusty blinds in the bedroom, or giving hardwood floors some polish in the living room can transform the look of a home.

Have a Plan

Most home staging is just cleaning up, decluttering, and giving a quick facelift to outdated features (as mentioned above). However if you are going to be buying new furniture or accessories, make sure you have a plan. Think of the targeted buyer pool. A starter home for a couple in the 20s, a family home, and a home for retirees will all have very different décor and tones. Keep things consistent and be thoughtful about colour and texture. Remember, the décor should also match the price range. A starter family townhome in Kanata will have different furnishings than a luxury penthouse condo in downtown Ottawa.

The Benefit of Hiring a Pro Stager

While you can certainly stage your home on your own, or with the guidance of your Ottawa real estate agent, sometimes it helps to hire a professional home stager who does this for a living. Sometimes it can be hard to see things from an outsider’s eye, especially when it’s your family home. A professional stager will ensure your home looks its best to potential buyers, not just the sentimental home owner. For more information about staging your home, Results Realty are here to help.