One of the most important steps in selling a luxury home is the staging process. A properly staged home creates a warm and welcoming environment for potential buyers to envision their future. Additionally, a well-staged home is more likely to sell quickly and attract higher offers. Below are a few key considerations to make when staging luxury real estate.
Go neutral
When staging, you want to let the house speak for itself and accentuate the home’s floor plan and architecture. Choose neutral chairs, rugs, pillows, and throw blankets that will allow for each room to capture the imagination of potential buyers. If your walls are painted a loud color, a fresh coat of gray, white, or beige paint will create a clean palette for staging. Neutral colors help a space feel bigger and brighter. They also prevent your potential buyers from feeling overwhelmed by bolder design choices. The same goes for towels and bedding — a bright white will help the space feel fresh and clean.
Declutter
Buyers should not walk into your home and see a bevy of eclectic furniture, family memorabilia, or children’s toys. These things might be important to you, but they don’t improve the visual appeal of your home. Remember, you want a potential buyer to envision themselves and their family living in your home, and your personal photos or mementos may take them out of the moment.
Take care to remove anything overly personal. This also applies to closets and garages. You don’t want a potential buyer to peek in a walk-in closet or garage space and be met with piles of your personal effects. Create a clean and fresh environment in each room for potential buyers to enjoy.
Streamline your countertops
You want your countertops to look clean and simple. Buyers know a well-equipped kitchen includes a toaster, coffee pot, and extra utensils. They don’t need to see your extra appliances on the countertops in order to envision themselves making dinner. If your kitchen or bathroom has a lot of counter space, emphasize this design feature by keeping it clean. Clutter will only make the space feel smaller.
Add a mirror
Mirrors not only look decorative and stylish, but they also bounce light within a room and create a visual effect similar to a window. A well-placed mirror will make any room appear naturally brighter and bigger, so consider adding a few here and there — particularly in the small or dark rooms of your home.
Decorate empty space
If you’ve already moved out and your home is empty, it’s important to give buyers the illusion of a lived-in home. You can hire a professional staging business to bring in furniture or digitally stage your listing online.
It’s especially important to adorn the bedrooms and living rooms with basic amenities. Add beds to bedrooms or a couch and armchair to the living room to help your buyer better understand how their belongings will fit in the space. Just don’t overdo it. Keep furniture choices and artwork simple and contemporary.
Symmetry is key
When you place lamps and end tables around your home, symmetry is key. A bedroom with two identical bedside tables and lamps paints a more luxurious image for your potential buyers. Symmetry also tends to make a room look more put together and creates a balanced and harmonious effect.
Color, scent, and character
While a neutral palette is suggested for large pieces in your staged home, a pop of color is a welcome touch. A colorful throw pillow, painting, or floral arrangement can catch a potential buyer's eye and highlight valuable design aspects in your home. You don’t want to distract from your home’s natural beauty, and simple decorations can subtly enhance it.
Ideally, buyers will walk into your home and immediately feel at ease. Mildly scented candles are always a nice touch, and a few vases of fresh flowers will provide scent and splashes of natural color to further beautify your space.
For help with staging, selling, or buying a home, contact Desmond McKenna for a stress-free experience as you shop Washington DC real estate in search of your new dream home for sale.
