Last Updated on September 1, 2022
Even in a seller’s market, staging your home comes with enough benefits to make it worth your while. It can help your home stand out on listing sites, it can help potential buyers make an emotional connection to the property, and it can ultimately increase the selling price.
Best of all, staging doesn’t have to be an overwhelming feat if you take it room by room and prioritize the spaces that mean the most to buyers.
Let’s start with some easy ways to make your living room attractive, welcoming, and full of potential for anyone who walks in the door.
#1 Stage your storage
First, see if there are any spots where you can incorporate additional storage options in unused space, such as some simple shelving under the stairs.
Next, demonstrate all the usable storage options in the room without crowding any of the areas.
A good rule of thumb is to clear away at least 30% of the belongings that you currently have in your storage areas.
This means that a bookshelf isn’t full of books from one end to other. A better option is mixing some attractive books with some neutral decor such as a candle, rather than something personal like a family photo. Incorporate empty space along with books and decor to create a calm, uncluttered storage area.
If your living room lacks built-in storage, you can still stage your storage using furniture, such as a tiered coffee table or an ottoman that doubles as a chest.
Speaking of storage chests, it’s a good idea to assume that potential buyers will peek inside closed storage areas—even an ottoman that won’t stay with the house. Make sure these areas are just as uncluttered as the more visible storage spaces, so you don’t inadvertently signal to potential buyers that the home is lacking in built in storage.
Finally, pay attention to the categories of the items in your living room storage areas. They should all make sense as living room items. If potential buyers see bath towels in the living room, it signals to them that the rest of the house lacks the appropriate storage for these belongings.
#2 Focus on furniture
Your living room furniture provides an essential function (who wants to watch the game standing up?) but it can also do you a lot of favors when it comes to staging.
When placed strategically and thoughtfully, furniture can quickly focus potential buyers toward the positives of the room, and away from the negatives.
Do you have a gorgeous window in the living room? This would be a great time to stage your furniture around the window, drawing all the attention toward the room’s best asset. Do you have an open floor plan that desperately needs an anchor to make the living space feel like actual living space?
Furniture can do that for you! Does your living room feel narrow in a not-great way? You might need some furniture that’s more proportional to the shape of the room. The right pieces in the right combination can make a formerly cluttered, unfocused, or “blah” room feel streamlined and open to possibility.
#3 Lighten up
Natural light is a seller’s secret weapon, so use it accordingly—especially in the living room. While blinds and drapes may provide an important function in your day-to-day life, they can really do a number on the overall lightness of the living room.
For staging purposes, replace heavy or dark drapes with sheer linen curtains. If you have blinds, consider taking them off completely.
Once you have maximized the natural light in the living room, give those windows a good cleaning, as well as all light fixtures and ceiling fans. The last thing you need with all that natural light is a spotlight on dust flying through the air.
For staging purposes, replace the bulbs in the living room with the brightest bulbs you can safely use, while ensuring it’s still a “soft” light.
If you have a living room that’s somewhat lacking in the natural light department, hang a mirror directly across from the biggest window in the room so it will reflect the light that does come in while making the room appear larger.
Keep reading: 5 things you must do before you list your home this spring
