This makes staging one of the easiest things you can do to convince the vast majority of buyers that they love your property. But how do you get your staging to that level? And what are the inside secrets to make your home more appealing than others?<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve interviewed top staging experts and done research so you don\u2019t have to\u2014\u00a0identifying three lesser-known tips all the staging pros do\u2014 but rarely talk about. Read on for three secret (and simple) staging tips that will give your home that competitive edge.<\/p>\n Vignettes are small scenes that create a focus and set a mood in a room. Vignette staging is one of the top insider tricks used by pro real estate agents for two reasons: it\u2019s easy and cheap. While staging a home with new or rented furniture can get pricey for the frugal seller, vignette staging is all about using inexpensive items to create little scenes or \u201cvignettes\u201d in key locations throughout your home.<\/p>\n Top real estate agent Ryan Cave,<\/a> who ranks in the top 1% of Collins County, TX agents says, \u201cI like to use vignette staging\u2014\u00a0light pieces out in the kitchen, or master bath, that can help warm the place up.\u201d<\/p>\n Cave says, \u201cYou don\u2019t need to put full rooms of furniture in a vacant home, just use key inexpensive pieces.\u201d<\/p>\n So, how do you get started with your vignettes?<\/p>\n Here are a few of the staging tactics used by the pros:<\/p>\n Most vignettes start with a theme, say a plant and a garden hat by the backdoor, or a part of a dining set laid out on the table. Working from there you can add pieces that enhance the theme, like a vase of flowers or a wicker basket.<\/p>\n The best vignette staging involves taking objects you have around your home and creating warm and inviting spaces with them. Or, to quote home decor blog Such The Spot<\/a>, \u201cThe act of staging involves setting a scene in which buyers want to insert themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n Think of a cozy corner or a charming tea-set. What would make you never want to leave? That\u2019s the feeling we\u2019re going for.<\/p>\n If this word makes you think of a hospital, you\u2019re not wrong. And although we aren\u2019t suggesting you bleach everything in sight and don a pair of scrubs before your open house, sterilizing is the preferred term used by Cave\u2019s team member Ashlynn Petrocco<\/a>, who\u2019s known for her expert staging advice.<\/p>\n Says Petrocco, \u201cTypically sellers are overwhelmed at everything, and so I like to paint a picture of what they\u2019re aiming for: a very sterile home. We know someone lives there, but there are so few items, so little clutter, and neutral colors\u2014\u00a0my best word is sterile.\u201d<\/p>\n The reason sterilizing makes our list, is that it\u2019s a great way to check your progress as you go about staging a home. Instead of running through the checklist of a million requirements, ask yourself- does this look sterile? And sterile doesn\u2019t mean boring or blas\u00e9.<\/p>\n Explains Petrocco, \u201cSay you walked into a model home for a builder, you can tell someone lives there but only bright fun things are there. Like a fake family lives there.\u201d<\/p>\n For detailed instructions on how to go through the home and sterilize it, check out the exhaustive guide we put together: Deep Clean Like You Mean It – Your House Cleaning Checklist<\/a>. If you\u2019re still not sure how to sterilize your home, we\u2019re pretty sure it will make more sense after tip number three.<\/p>\n Shopping for a home should be as blissful as walking into a Crate & Barrel. Everything smells good, looks cozy and chic, and everything just makes you want to sit down and stay a while. This is the effect staging should have on your buyers.<\/p>\n Crate & Barrels, while nothing at all like hospitals, are still very much in line with our term \u201csterile\u201d. Walking into one you can imagine someone living there, but there\u2019s no evidence to really suggest someone is living there\u2014\u00a0that is to say the dirt and everyday mundane evidence of real life.<\/p>\n We get it, you live in a house, and not a Crate & Barrel. But when buyers knock on your door, all evidence that you actually lived (or live) there should be tucked away. This includes extra cooking wares, towels, and cleaning stuff.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s an example from Petrocco:<\/p>\n \u201cPut away cleaning items. It\u2019s something you don\u2019t want people to think about\u2014 cleaning a house etc., you don\u2019t want them to think about maintenance. Especially in laundry rooms, they know it\u2019s a laundry room, but take down the detergent and hide it.\u201d<\/p>\n We love that you used Lysol wipes to clean the counters before guests arrived, and fully appreciate your Swiffer efforts as well. And of course your laundry room has laundry detergent.<\/p>\n But here\u2019s the question: does Crate & Barrel have detergent? Nope. Because that store (and all the ones like it) don\u2019t want you thinking about mundane housework or the grittier day-to-day aspects of life. They want you fantasizing about spaces, and falling in love with motifs. They want to woo you with home decor. As you should be wooing your buyers.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like when you\u2019re on vacation and you see a maid cart in front of the hotel room, it brings you back to reality,\u201d says Petrocco. \u201cYou want to keep your buyers on Cloud 9 as long as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n The longer they hang out there, the more in love they\u2019ll be. So if it\u2019s not something the fake family would need (and let\u2019s be honest, they don\u2019t need much) go ahead and sterilize away, and hide that evidence.<\/p>\n You can tackle most of the staging tips we\u2019ve covered here on your own, but at its core staging a home for sale is all about placement, and this is where it really pays to get help from a professional. Most real estate agents either have home stagers on their team, or provide external home staging services as part of their packaging.<\/p>\n Even if you think you have it under control, it never hurts to have a home decor professional double check your work.<\/p>\n The good news is, staging your home doesn\u2019t have to take days on end to complete. Most buyers expect certain areas to be staged over others\u2014 leaving you some wiggle room to focus your attention on these spaces.<\/p>\n![\"vignettes](\"https:\/\/hl-blog.homelight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/secret-home-staging-tips-vignettes.jpg\")
Home Staging Tip #1: Create Vignettes Around the House<\/h2>\n
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Additional Vignette Home Staging Tips:<\/h3>\n
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![\"faucet](\"https:\/\/hl-blog.homelight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/secret-home-staging-tips-sink.jpg\")
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Home Staging Tip #2: Sterilize the Place<\/h2>\n
![\"declutter](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/secret-home-staging-tips-clutter.jpg\")
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Home Staging Tip #3: Hide the Evidence<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/secret-home-staging-tips-stager.jpg\")
<\/a>Bonus Home Staging Tip: Get Professional Help<\/h2>\n