As a company, we get asked this question a lot; which rooms should I stage? And while there’s always a case for staging every space in your property, sometimes budgets are limited. If you’re going to just partially stage your property when listing, here are the top five areas we recommend.
Living Room
This is generally one of the first rooms a potential buyer will see, so it’s important to make an impact immediately. It’s also a room that will be one of the most used, so it’s important to showcase its functionality and truly show its size. Having things like sofas and chairs in the space for photos or a walkthrough are beneficial to help a potential buyer imagine their own furniture in the space and give them a truer sense of size. It can also help buyers imagine the logistics of a space in terms of which wall a sofa would sit on, where a TV might be hooked up, etc.
Dining Room
Many of the same reasons we recommend staging living rooms are the same for dining rooms. These rooms are often located in the same space or close by. Showcasing how the two rooms flow together can help give buyers and idea of how they’d use the space with family or guests. The dining room should show the biggest size table possible to truly max out its potential. We recommend showing a dining space even in a smaller apartment. It’s great to show a small bistro table with a couple chairs to help someone imagine how they’d be using the space.
Primary Bedroom
Aside from the living and dining space, the primary bedroom is a high priority to a buyer. They’re going to want to know what size bed and side tables they can fit in the space. Overall feel of the room is important too, as it’s another area that someone will spend a lot of time in. You want it to feel peaceful and calm. Keep in mind that you don’t want to overfill bedrooms, but you do want them to feel finished. Lighting, linens and artwork are important to help set the room’s atmosphere.
Small or Awkward Rooms
You never want a buyer to think a room is useless in the property. Giving small spaces or awkward niches a purpose can help buyers imagine the possibilities in that space. These areas make great office nooks, play spaces for children, or bar areas. If you’re still stuck, check out some of these clever ideas for awkward spaces.
Open Concept Spaces
In contrast to the small and awkward areas, spaces that are overwhelmingly large can be daunting or too undefined to buyers when shown vacant. Create zones for living/dining/work or any other types of areas with furniture and rugs. This can help show the flexibility of these areas.
The main goal of staging is always to show size potential and functionality of your space. So when choosing what rooms to stage, keep in mind the areas that will benefit the most!
Love, HAVEN
PS – Still on the fence about staging? Check out this article that discusses why you still need staging in a seller’s market.