
Homestaging — the art of making an incredible first impression on homebuyers by ‘showcasing’ your house the right way — is a well-known real estate concept. It is a key element in boosting your home’s value, making a lasting impact, and possibly ending up with a quick and profitable sale.
But remember, while hiring a staging professional as a helping hand is always an option, you could also do the job yourself at half the cost! “A few simple and inexpensive hacks is all it takes to have your house looking its best and attractive to buyers,” says luxury real estate agent, Kelly Killoren Bensimon.
So to make the job easier and much more fun for you, we’ve compiled a list of tried-and-true staging tips — keep scrolling to learn more!
Declutter & Clean The Home

The first tip to staging your home is removing clutter and deep cleaning your home.
Clutter makes a room look overcrowded and congested, which eventually translates into the impression of a lack of space. Start by incorporating smart storage solutions like open shelves, baskets, and built-in drawers or cabinets. Follow this by only keeping the things you feel a connection with and donating the rest.
For a deep clean, “If you do nothing else, make sure your home is clean, clutter and odour-free; otherwise, it’ll give the impression that your house will need a lot of maintenance,” says Alex Willcocks (managing director of London-based Burbeck Interiors). So make sure to scour and shine every part of the home, from the flooring to ceilings and everything in between. After all, who likes a home with dirty floors, grimy bathrooms, stained countertops, and cobwebbed ceilings?
De-Personalise The Space

The trick for successful home staging is to assist the buyer in envisioning the space as their own. “Potential buyers don’t want to go down memory lane with you — they want to make it their own home,” states Bensimon.
This means you should present a blank canvas to the buyer to get their creative juices into action about how they’ll set up the property once it's theirs. The best way to do so is to tuck away any personal photos, refrigerator art, and toys. Likewise, keep the clothes hidden, clear the bathroom counters, and remove any displayed tchotchkes.
Make Essential Repairs

To secure the finest offer possible, it is important to have all the obvious maintenance tasks ticked off. As such, the job of replacing dripping faucets, filling caulking gaps between tiles, mending leaking gutters, replacing fused bulbs, repairing creaky doors, fixing broken windows, repainting cracked walls, replacing jammed locks, etc., should be attended to as soon as possible.
Amp Up The Lighting & Flooring

Cramped and dark homes are a massive turn-off for buyers. Therefore, familiarising yourself with how to light a room the right way is essential to seal the deal easily and quickly.
Maximise the use of natural light by opening up all curtains and blinds. Pair this with layering artificial light wherever possible — hang chandeliers as a focal point in the living room, table lamps to set the mood, under-cabinet lighting for improved functionality, warm bulbs in pendant lights and wall sconces for a soft, inviting glow, etc.

Coming to the flooring, begin with vacuuming and mopping the floors regularly to keep them gleaming and smelling fresh. If you have a higher budget, replace your flooring with trendy options like hardwood floors. They will not only add value and elegance to your home but will also appeal to almost everyone — if not, they can easily be carpeted.
Give The Major Areas A Quick Facelift
When staging a home, your revamping efforts should focus on the major areas, including the kitchen, living room, master bedroom and bathroom, that influence the buyer’s decision the most.
Apart from decluttering, upgrading the flooring and lighting, de-personalising, and repairing the space, below are lists of some other steps to consider in each room.
Kitchen

Clean the refrigerator thoroughly
Clear and wipe the counters
Replace old hardware, knobs, and faucets
Repaint or update cabinets
Living Room

“You want the living room to be comfortable so that a buyer can imagine themselves there,” advises New York interior designer Catalina Castano.
Pare down the furniture
Hide cords and wires
Add warm touches like flowers or indoor plants
Decorate with neutral colours
Rethink the layout to make the space look bigger
Bedroom

Spread out fresh bedding
Add throw blankets and cushions
Pull away the furniture from the walls to create the illusion of more space
Bathroom

Hang new and clean towels
Empty the wastebasket
Keep the toilet seat down
Fix any leaks
Provide new soap and put away toothbrushes and other personal items
Give Purpose To Each Room

Once you’ve defined the purpose of the main rooms, it’s time to tackle other areas to maximise the home’s square footage. For example, look up ideas for a dreamy loft conversion, use the basement as an entertainment room, and transform the junk room into a guest bedroom.
Even if the buyer won’t be using the space the same way as you’ve presented, it’s important to make them realise that every inch of the home, including breakfast nooks, alcoves, window seats, etc., is usable space.
Conclusion
Staging a home doesn’t necessarily have to cost you a fortune. Just scrutinise your home to see which factors need to be polished, put the aforementioned tips into action, and start designing a space that will have the capability to attract the widest possible range of buyers.
If you’re still confused or unsure as to how to stage your property successfully for a sale, contact one of our Interior Design Gurus now for personalised tips and guidance via video chat!