It’s a fact: homes that are professionally staged sell faster and for more money than homes that are not. But why is that? What exactly are home stagers doing that can command such a result?
Stagers are trained and experienced using simple tricks of the eye that make spaces seem more attractive, larger, and more appealing to buyers. The following are some of the most widely used tactics that home stagers apply to their clients’ homes to help them command top dollar in a short amount of time.
1. Vacant Rooms Are Always Furnished
When buyers walk into an empty room, it’s tough for them to determine exactly home the room should be used. Is it a bedroom? An office? A dining room? Without furniture, buyers won’t be able to visualize the function of the space. Not only that, entry rooms seem to magnify any flaws that might exist.
By furnishing a room properly, the room can be defined, and positive aspects can be highlighted while flaws are diminished. Not only that, staging with furniture helps to establish the size of the room and helps buyers visualize how their own furniture can be arranged.
2. They Use Consistent Color to Allow For Cohesive Flow From One Room to the Next
This is especially helpful if the home is short on square footage. Keeping the same color on the floors, walls, and even accessories from one room to the next can help allow a cohesive flow throughout the spaces, and can make the rooms seem larger without chopping them up in different colors.
3. They Strategically Position Larger Pieces to Make a Room Appear Larger
Studies have shown that people tend to scan spaces from starting from the left to the right. It’s how we read, so the same concept is applied to the world of home staging. Since buyers tend to scan a room from left to the right, placing the tallest furniture piece to the far left will make the room seem bigger than it really is.
4. They Use Mirrors to Visually Enlarge a Space
The reflective properties of mirrors help to make a space seem visually larger. The best spots to hang mirrors is opposite each other, or opposite a window to reflect natural light. Even the simple act of seeing oneself in the mirror can make the surrounding room seem like it’s a lot bigger than it’s actual square footage might otherwise dictate.
5. They Group Items in Threes to Make a Space Seem More Natural
Arranging pieces in groups of threes has a much more natural appearance compared to pairing them in twos, the latter of which entices a much more forced feeling for the viewer. Whether it’s chairs, light fixtures, pillows, or any other piece in the space, grouping them in an uneven number like three makes the room seem much more visually enhanced and even encourages the eye to meander about the space more naturally.
6. They Highlight Positive Aspects (and Downplay the Negative Ones)
While you don’t want to lie about any major flaws in a home, it doesn’t hurt to minimize their impact and maximize the positive aspects of the space. A well-staged room will have furniture and accessories arranged and positioned in certain places in order to play up a room’s positive traits and promote optimal movement and flow in any size or shape room.
7. They Scale Furniture Up or Down According to the Size of a Space
A small room will look even smaller and more crammed if the furniture in the space is oversized and bulky. Professional home stagers will take this into account and will use pieces that are much more scaled down and streamlined.
8. They ‘Float’ Furniture Pieces Away From Walls
Rather than abutting furniture up against the wall, home stagers tend to position pieces in such a way that they ‘float’ away from walls. Positioning sofas and chairs into intimate groups without being pushed up against the wall helps to improve flow, create a more user-friendly environment, and open up the room and make it appear larger.
9. They Maximize Lighting
A room that is filled with light will seem brighter, larger, and more airy and welcoming. That means optimizing the amount of light that flows into the space. Home stagers will ensure all windows are not obstructed from letting natural light in, and will hang light window treatments to allow for this. They will also outfit the home with a variety of different types of light fixtures such as pendant lights, wall sconces, pot lights, and table lamps that will allow for ambient, task, and accent lighting.
The Bottom Line
Once you know the types of tricks professional home stagers use, they seem like common sense, and they’re rather simple to implement. Take these pointers from the pros and stage your home to put it in a prime position to get sold quickly and for top dollar.
