Home staging practices evolve over time. If you are planning on selling your home in 2021, you'll want to help improve your property value by staging it with new trends, as well as incorporating tried and true staging practices. It's always a good idea to declutter to create more space, take down family photos to depersonalize, make a few repairs, put a fresh coat of paint on the walls, update a bit and replace worn carpeting. After the year we had in 2020, 2021 is bringing many new staging ideas to the table.
Health and Safety First
Covid-19 has made many people wary and cautious about seeing houses in person. It's good to keep that in mind when it comes to staging. One idea is to set up a table in the foyer or front hallway with hand sanitizer, masks, disinfectant wipes and shoe covers. Then, create a note asking potential buyers to use the hand sanitizer when they enter, put the shoe covers over their shoes, wear masks and use the disinfectant wipes when opening doors, closets and cabinets. The buyers and their agents will immediately feel more at ease about walking through your home.
Converting Rooms
Last year, many non-essential workers started working from home and their children followed suite with e-learning. If you haven't already, convert a room or two to show the possibilities. Formal dining rooms or living rooms often sit fallow and make great rooms for conversion. If you don't have a first-floor den, extra bedroom or basement, use one of those spaces for desks, computers and work or school supplies. Take your dining room table and set it up more informally to depict a work and learn-from-home space.
Create Spaces for Privacy and Comfort
Covid-19 has kept many families home and spending more time together. Sometimes even the closest family members will need space of their own to destress, relax and take a breather. Create small "retreat-type" areas for members of the family. Stage your master bathroom bathtub area with fluffy towels, bubble bath, a bottle of wine in a wine cooler, a Keurig coffee machine, books and more spa-like items to create a "she-shed" type area. Create an area in the master bedroom, basement or in a spare room with a recliner chair, a television with surround sound speakers, a table with beer, sodas and snacks on it, and some sports memorabilia to create a "man-cave" type area. Create a space with beanbags, blankets and large pillows where children can go to read, listen to music, play video games and the like.
Decorating
Your goal when decorating is to portray comfort. Lori Pederson, a Certified Canadian Staging Professional Elite and Luxury Specialist states that, although grays have been on trend for ten to 15 years, beiges are actually coming back. She says people are now gravitating towards warmer, more comforting tones. Adding a pop of color to an accent wall, piece of furniture or pillows, such as Benjamin Moore's Color of the Year, Aegean Teal, can make you feel like you're relaxing at the ocean. Black statement pieces are coming back too. Black is grounding. Pederson suggests black picture frames, a beautiful black marble island in a kitchen or a black coffee table. Decorate with lots of throw pillows and blankets on sofas and luxury-looking comforters on beds.
Create New Outdoor Spaces
As we noted in a recent Eppraisal post, homeowners are ramping up their game for their outdoor spaces. One example is a firepit area with comfortable seats around it, outdoor pillows and blankets. Playsets and obstacle courses are being built more now since children are playing in their own backyards. Treehouses and playhouses are on the rebound. Pools and hot tubs remain popular and golf enthusiasts are installing putting greens in their backyards.
Lori Pederson says, "Clients aren't just buying homes, they're buying their own little sanctuary away from the chaos." Using a few of these staging ideas will improve your property value with today's home buyers.
