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What Is Staging?
Good staging is “a form of visual merchandising that draws on some of the fundamentals of interior design. “The object of staging is to flatter the property but not be too obvious about it, like being dressed without drawing particular attention to what you’re wearing.”

Home staging is not the same as decorating. Decorating is about personal style, while staging makes your home appealing to the largest pool of buyers.
Good staging lets the buyers imagine themselves in the home, shows off its great features and hides its flaws, turns weird spaces into usable spaces, creates a mood (stagers call it “emotional” staging), and makes the home look significantly better in photos.

Why Home Staging Is Important
When dealing with such a significant financial transaction as selling a home, you don’t want to settle for a lower selling price or a more extended marketing period than you have to.
Relative to the amount of time and money involved, staging may be one of the most lucrative projects you ever undertake. Potential buyers aren’t just looking for a structure to inhabit—they’re also looking for a way to fulfil their dreams and improve their lifestyle. Staging can create a more emotional purchase for the buyer, ultimately generating more money for the seller.
Home staging is also beneficial because potential buyers don’t want to see work that needs to be done upon moving into the home. For every problem they see, they’ll deduct its cost from their offering price. If they see too many issues, they may pass completely on buying the home.
How Staging Affects Sale Price and Time on Market
According to the 2019 Profile of Home Staging, a report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 25% of buyers’ agents and 22% of sellers’ agents said that staging a home increases the offer price by between 1% and 5%, compared to other similar homes on the market that aren’t staged. 1
The report also found that 83% of buyer’s agents say staging makes it easier for buyers to visualize a property as their future home, which can help the home sell faster. According to the report, more than half of sellers’ agents say staging decreases the amount of time a home spends on the market. 1

The past year’s events have changed the buying and selling process, including the way homes are staged. More homeowners are opting for DIY home staging (as opposed to hiring a professional stager) and limiting the number of buyers who come into the home for in-person showings. Yet staging remains an essential tool because a well-staged home looks better in photographs—and most buyers are looking for homes online.
12 Home Staging Tips
According to the NAR report, the most common rooms that are staged are the living room (93%), kitchen (84%), owner’s bedroom (78%), and dining room (72%).
Of course, time and money determine the level of staging that is practical for your home. Try to employ the following techniques in as many rooms of the house as you can afford and have time for.

1. Clean
   A clean home shows potential buyers that you’ve taken good care of the property. Ideally, you should clean every part of the house, from the floors to the ceilings—and everything in between.
   If you don’t have new appliances in the kitchen, make sure the existing ones are spotless. Likewise, make sure your bathrooms sparkle, from the corners of the tub to the sink drain to that spot behind the toilet you don’t think anyone can see. Your goal should be to make everything look new.
   $400 (or R 6,000.00)
   The median amount spent on home staging, according to NAR’s 2019 Profile of Home Staging Report. 1
2. Declutter
   There are two major problems with clutter. One is that it distracts buyers from your home’s features. The other is that it makes it seem like the house has less space.
   Now is the time to box up and put into storage the things you don’t need on a day-to-day basis (think: knickknacks, games, papers, seasonal clothes, and messy hobbies). It’s also time to get rid of things you no longer need—like the expired food in the back of the cabinets and the clothes and toys the kids have long since outgrown: the empty storage space you have, the better.
3. Depersonalize
   Buyers need to envision themselves in your home, so remove all the family photos, keepsakes, and refrigerator art. Keep clothes hidden away as much as possible, and make sure the bathroom counters are empty (except for hand soap, of course). Likewise, put away all the toys and anything else that is highly personal or evocative of the home’s current inhabitants.
4. Focus on fresh
   A few potted plants can do wonders to make your home feel fresh and inviting. If you have a lot of plants, space them out strategically so they don’t overwhelm any area (unless you have a greenhouse). Of course, dead and dying plants don’t do much to make your home look well-tended.
   Another way to make your home seem fresh is to get rid of odours. Pets, kids, last night’s dinner, a damp bathroom, and many other conditions can make your home smell. Inexpensive tricks for ridding a home of odours and giving it an inviting aroma include; baking cinnamon-coated apples or cookies in the oven (be careful not to burn them) or burning vanilla-scented candles. Essential oils (mix one cup of water with eight to 10 drops of oil in a spray bottle and sprayed toward the centre of each room). Herbs and flowers, beeswax candles, and air purifiers are chemical-free ways to freshen the air in your home. It’s also a good idea to wipe down the kitchen sink with half a lemon, then grind it in the garbage disposal to remove sink odours. While you could use an air freshener to deodorize your home, it’s best to avoid these since they can trigger allergic reactions and asthma in sensitive people. If you’re a smoker and usually smoke indoors, start limiting your smoking to outside the home and take extra steps to deodorize indoors. Finally, don’t forget to take out the trash.
5. Define rooms Make sure that each room has a single, defined purpose. And make sure that every space within each room has a single function. This will help buyers see how to maximize the home’s square meterage. If you have a finished attic, make it into an office. A finished basement can become an entertainment room, and a junk room can be transformed into a guest bedroom.Even if the buyer doesn’t want to use the room for the same purpose, the important thing is to see that every inch of the home is usable space. This includes alcoves, window seats, corners, breakfast nooks, and other areas.
6. Wallpaper and paint It is unlikely that a potential buyer will like your wallpaper. Your best bet is to tear it down and paint the walls with a neutral colour instead. It’s best not to paint over the wallpaper because it may look shabby and signal the buyer about work they may have to do later. Potential buyers will likely feel the same way about custom paint colours. You may love your orange bathroom, but people’s tastes in colours are particular and highly personal. You might think white walls are ideal because they create a blank slate that allows buyers to envision their décor and gives them an easy starting point. However, it’s better to paint your home with warm, neutral colours.
7. Flooring No one wants to live in a home with dirty, stained carpet, especially when someone else was the one who dirtied it. And linoleum is outdated and looks cheap. Although pricey, hardwood floors add value and elegance to a home. They are also low maintenance, provide excellent long-term value, and are perfect for buyers with allergies. In other words, they appeal to almost everyone. If not, they’re easily carpeted over by the buyer and preserved for the next owner. Common areas like the living room, dining room, and kitchen should be your main focus if you add hardwood floors. Ideally, it would help if you upgraded the bathrooms, too. They have relatively little floor area and therefore won’t be too expensive. In kitchens and bathrooms, go with ceramic tile or stone if you can afford it. If not, use high-quality vinyl tiles that mimic these more expensive materials.
8. Lighting Take advantage of your home’s natural light. Open all curtains and blinds when showing your home. Add fixtures where necessary, and turn on all the lights for showings (including those in the closets). This makes your home appear brighter and more inviting, and it saves buyers from having to hunt for light switches. If you think your existing fixtures are fine, be sure to dust them and clean off any grime. Otherwise, outdated and broken light fixtures are easy and cheap to replace.
9. Furniture Make sure furniture is the right size for the room, and don’t clutter a room with too much. Furniture that’s too big will make a room look small, while too little or too small furniture can make a space feel cold. Don’t use cheap furniture, either. You don’t have to pay a lot of money to switch out your existing furniture—and you may even be able to rent furniture to stage your home. Either way, make sure the furniture looks friendly, tidy, and inviting. You can use throw pillows to add contrast and a pop of colour. You’ll also want to arrange the furniture in a way that makes each room feel spacious, homey, and easy to navigate. For example, in the living room, seating should be set up to create a comfortable conversation area.
10. Walls and ceilings Cracks in the walls or ceiling are red flags to buyers because they may indicate foundation problems. If your home has foundation problems, you will need to fix them or alert potential buyers to them. Fixing any foundation problems would be better for getting the house sold. If the foundation looks terrible but has been deemed sound by an inspector, repair the cracks so you don’t scare off buyers for no good reason.
11. Exterior The exterior and the entryway—which factor into the home’s “curb appeal”—are essential points of focus because they can heavily impact a buyer’s first impression. They may even determine someone’s interest in viewing the inside of the house. Ensure your lawn, hedges, trees, and other plants are neatly pruned, and be sure to get rid of any weeds. Wash windows well, and consider adding flower boxes to brighten them up even more. If you can, power wash your home’s exterior—this can make it look almost freshly painted but with less effort and expense. Make sure the sidewalk leading up to the house is clear and clean, and buy new doormats for the front and back doors. If you have a pool, showcase it by making sure it’s crystal clear. Creating some outdoor living space in the backyard, such as a deck or patio with outdoor furniture, is another way to use the exterior of your home to its most significant advantage.
12. Final touches Just before any open house or showing, make sure that your staging efforts have the maximum impact with a few last-minute touches. It will make give the impression of warmth and appeal. Put fresh flowers in vases, let fresh air into the house for at least ten minutes beforehand, so it isn’t stuffy. Light a few candles (soft and subtle fragrances only) and put new, plush towels in the bathrooms.

The Bottom Line
Even if you have plenty of cash, don’t put too much money into the staging process. You want to emphasize the home’s best features, but keep in mind that what sells the house and makes the home usable for the buyer are not necessarily the same. Overall, to get the most bang for your buck, your home staging efforts should be designed to appeal to the broadest possible range of buyers. The more people willing to submit purchase offers for your home, the higher the selling price.

click here to download the infographic – Simply Real Estate – TIPS -12 HOME STAGING Infographic