Tips for Staging a Small House to Sell

Smaller homes have a lot of appeal for a range of buyers — aging retirees, money-savvy millennials, and first-time home buyers, to name a few. According to top real estate agent Amber Carlton, who completes more sales than 95% of agents in Fargo, North Dakota, numerous renters are also looking to purchase small homes because of their relative affordability and so that they can start building equity in a home.

Carlton says that anything around 1,000 square feet or under is considered a small home. Houses that are part of the trendy “tiny homes” are often 500 square feet or less.

What is staging and why is it important?

Staging is a marketing tool in which you arrange furniture and décor in ways that are appealing to potential buyers and that help them envision themselves living in the space. It is essential for attractive and enticing listing photos and for successful showings.

Good staging can encourage higher offers from buyers and help your home sell more quickly thanks to the increased attention that good photos receive.

Thus, staging is critical for selling a small house quickly. The driving principles behind staging small homes are:

• Making spaces look bright;
• Reducing clutter;
• Good flow and function; and having
• Curb appeal.

Here are some tips for staging a small house to sell.

Make it look bright

Repaint

Repaint with a fresh coat of light-colored paint to make spaces feel larger. The wrong color can be off-putting to buyers, difficult to match for future owners, and risks making spaces look small — particularly if it is a dark color. Stick to neutral colors such as white, gray, and beige to give the illusion of a large and blank canvas.

You can add pops of color for visual interest via rugs, plants, vases, throw pillows, and bowls of fruit.

Bring on the light

Lots of natural light is critical for selling a small house. Ensure that your home is letting in as much natural light as possible, because light can create a sense of spaciousness.

Hang white or cream sheer curtains to let in natural light. Also hang curtain rods as high as you can to create the visual impression that the ceiling is taller than it is.

If you have a room that has little-to-no natural light, then consider adding recessed lighting. You can also strategically place mirrors to make the space feel bigger and brighter.

Make it look big and functional

Stage with “normal” furniture

Some may think that smaller furniture can make spaces look bigger, but it actually risks making spaces look cluttered. Yet, oversized pieces may make tight spaces difficult to navigate for potential buyers. One of Carlton’s tips for staging a small house to sell is to stick with furniture that is “normal-sized”—not too big and not too small.

Create a layout that flows and has privacy

Aim for an open floorplan with some private areas, which is a layout dubbed by some as a ”partial open concept.” This means having a predominantly open concept with clear lines of sight while having some private spaces for work and school that can be relatively shut off from the rest of the home. Also, open any doors to promote the home’s mostly-open flow.

Make it look pristine

Declutter & depersonalize

Decluttering is integral to making a space look bigger and, according to Carlton, to helping buyers envision their items in the home. Discard any unwanted items or rent a storage unit. Carlton says that you can also hide items in a garage if necessary.

Likewise, depersonalizing a space by taking down pictures that have faces helps to remove distractions for potential homebuyers. However, it is fine to have “neutral wall art” that focuses on shapes, silhouettes, or landscapes.

Deep clean

Scrub like your home’s sale price depends upon it — because it does. Simply having a clean home can increase a home’s value by 3%-5%, and cleanliness is integral to selling a small house.

For bathrooms, scrub any surface that is touched by steam to remove dust, grime, and residue and to create a clean, spa-like feel. Store away any personal products, fix or replace anything that leaks, and remove all clutter from the counters.

For kitchens, remove any refrigerator magnets and clean all handles, backsplashes, walls, cabinets, and under the sink.

For bedrooms, get rid of any pet hair, stains, or dirty clothing. Also, make the beds and straighten any throw pillows.

Dump any trash

Anything that could be considered trash needs to go. “Whether boxes or paperwork or junk or literally garbage, it needs to be cleaned up,” says Carlton, “and if that takes professional help, then you’ve got to do it because you could be losing tens of thousands of dollars.”

Strategically stage

There are certain areas that, when staged properly, can show off a home’s potential — no matter what the size. The National Association of Realtors® finds that the most commonly staged rooms in 2021 were the living room, kitchen, main bedroom, and dining room. In addition to these, home offices and closets are important to stage to sell a small house.

Home office

Home offices have become hot-sellers since the rise of remote work. However, small homes may not have space to devote specifically to a home office. If that is your situation, you can still stage a home office space.

Home office space can be put in a range of places: a partitioned area of a room, a closet, a garage, a basement, or a spare bedroom. An under-the-stairs closet is also an option.

You can delineate the space via rugs or office furniture. Carlton states that a regular-sized desk that has drawers, is organized, and has succulents or other nice touches will suffice. She suggests searching the Internet at sites such as Pinterest for inspiration.

Closets

For staging a small house to sell, it’s critical to show buyers how much storage its closets have.

You can have some (but not many) items in a closet to help buyers envision their belongings in the space. Remove most of your linens and towels, reduce your clothing to give your closet some breathing room, replace any clear bins with solid-colored or opaque ones so as to give more of a “clean canvas” look, store accessories in drawers, and replace any muddled light bulbs with new ones to illuminate the space as much as possible.

Consider replacing mismatched hangers with uniform ones for a non-distracting look.

Living Room

Have a mostly cleared-out, depersonalized space with dashes of color and texture via throw pillows, rugs, and lamps. A few books, end tables, or shelves can also make the room feel welcoming without causing it to feel small and cluttered.

Kitchen

Clear your counters of small appliances, but add herbs or a plant to give the space a “fresh component.” Also, replace your lighting fixtures and cabinetry’s hardware to update your kitchen.

Organize your pantry and leave some space so that it looks bigger.

Finally, deodorize the room through cleaning (the sink may be a culprit), purchasing an air filter, and using citrus scents.

Main bedroom

Use neutral bedspreads and avoid floral patterns to widen your appeal to potential buyers. You can purchase a budget-friendly bed-in-a-bag if necessary.

Also, apart from your bed, remove as much furniture as possible to make the room look more spacious.

Dining room

Small homes may not have formal dining rooms, but you can use a table and matching chairs to define the space and function and to exude “the design style and scale of the dining room.” Choose a centerpiece to create a focal point and classy tablespace, but don’t go overboard. Plants, a couple of candlesticks, a terrarium, or a few votive candleholders are all good options for staging a small house to sell.

Don’t forget about outdoor spaces and curb appeal

Clean

Powerwash the outside of the house, windows, patio, railings, entryway, lights, etc. in order to welcome potential buyers to a grime-free home.

Paint

Paint the home’s exterior if necessary as a new paint job can add an average of $7,571 to a home’s value.

Spruce up the garden

Mow the grass and trim tree branches and bushes that are blocking any natural light from entering the home. Also, pull any weeds and plant colorful flowers to create a welcoming garden to help sell a small house.

Consider creating a relaxing garden oasis by adding a firepit, cushioned seating, or a water feature if you have enough space and if these additions would not make your outdoor area look cluttered and cramped.

Connect with a Top Agent to Sell Your Small House

Top agents sell homes faster and for more money than average agents. It takes just two minutes to match clients with the best real estate agents, who will contact you and guide you through the process.

Find Agent

Staging a small home to sell can feel overwhelming, but these tips for staging a small house to sell should help. You can also hire a top real estate agent to help you identify what needs to be cleaned and decluttered and how best to stage your home either by using your current furniture, virtual staging, renting staging furniture, or hiring a professional stager.

Or, if you would rather skip the cleaning, decluttering, and staging, consider selling your small house “as is” with an instant offer real estate deal through HomeLight’s Simple Sale platform.

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