How Sellers Should Stage Their Homes in the New Year

How Sellers Should Stage Their Homes in the New Year

 February 3, 2016

A new year comes with new things, and the home staging techniques that worked last year might not work this year. Most homeowners think that if their homes are clean and presentable, buyers will come. Sure, buyers might come, but if the house is like the countless they’ve seen during their home search, they won’t make an offer. If your home sellers want to ensure they sell their homes in 2016, they should follow these tips.

Clear the Pathways

It has been said time and again that curb appeal is one of the things that draw potential buyers. But curb appeal can be a hard thing to create during winter. Snow can wreak havoc on a property; it can pile up on the roof and yard and block pathways. While most buyers understand the impact of snow, they do not tolerate snow-laden pathways. How are they supposed to get to a house covered in snow?

Homeowners should create safe paths from the street to their front doors. They should spread salt and sand on their pathways to improve footing. If they want home buyers to visit other exterior features like guest houses or storage sheds, they should create clear pathways to them.

Make Interiors Cozy and Comfy

Since winter isn’t going away soon, home sellers should take time to make their indoors warm and welcoming. They should create visual warmth with rugs, warm fabrics, window treatments, pillows, and bed linens. Pillows and throws should be layered on sofas and beds so home buyers can picture themselves spending lazy days indoors. Tell your home sellers to use richly textured materials like furry blankets.

Homeowners should help buyers to envision warmer times by decorating their homes with containers filled with blooming plants. They can place hanging plants near their entryways, flower vases on coffee tables and side tables, and winter bouquets on dining room tables.

Adjust the Temperature for Comfortable Viewing

Nothing is as uncomfortable as viewing an unheated house. Such a house creates a bad first impression on buyers. Tell your home sellers to turn up their heating some hours prior to showings. Their houses will not only be very warm, potential buyers won’t hear the unpleasant noises of boilers kicking in. Homeowners can also light fires in their fireplaces as they make living rooms charming and homely.

Home sellers should walk through their homes after turning up the heat to ensure all the rooms are warm. If buyers come across a chilly room or area during a showing, they will assume that the home does not have sufficient insulation or has heating problems. If an area is cold because of a poorly sealed window or a draft from a hole, homeowners should seal the gaps to get rid of the problem. If the problem is caused by poor air circulation, they should rectify it by moving furniture away from vents.

Create Rooms that Look Stylishly Lived In

A nondescript home is an eyesore for home buyers. While they only want to buy the home and not its belongings, they want to envision how it will look when they live in it. Home sellers should dress up every room to create a lovely ambiance. They should set their dining room tables using their best china, arrange shampoos and lotions neatly in their bathrooms, and place flower vases around their homes. They can enhance their bedrooms with new bed linens and display newspapers and magazines in their living rooms.

Home sellers staging their homes in the new year should not spend money on expensive renovations and updates – unless they can afford it. They should focus on making their exteriors accessible and their interiors cozy. This will go a long way toward ensuring their homes don’t stay on the market for months.


Ronique Gibson

By Ronique Gibson

Ronique Gibson is an Associate Architect and a LEED Accredited Professional, who has been in the design industry for over 13 years. She started her design blog in 2009 and today it has become a premier destination for helping homeowners with everyday lifestyle challenges. Her readers check in daily for help with their homes, DIY project ideas, recipes, crafts, and inspiration to beautify and enjoy their homes.