Living rooms provide a back drop of how buyers envision living in your home.
Living rooms are a high impact zone when it comes to attracting home buyers. We are here to simplify things and make it dead-easy to understand you are focused on the highest impact things you can do to ensure you sell your home even more successfully.
There are 2 main steps in preparing your living room for sale: 1. Declutter and 2. Stage. Seems simple enough right? Let’s break it down a bit further…
1. Declutter the space:
Decluttering a living room can be a daunting task, especially if you have a lot of sentimental items or simply don’t know where to start. However, a decluttered living room not only looks better, it can also improve how buyers envision living in your home. Here are some tips to help you get started:
- Set a goal: Before you start decluttering, decide what you want to achieve. What would you like to ensure you have at your new home? What can you pre-pack? Having a clear goal in mind will help you stay focused and make decisions about what to keep and what to get rid of.
- Divide and conquer: Instead of trying to tackle the entire living room at once, divide it into smaller sections. This could be by area (e.g. bookshelves, coffee table, etc.) or by item type (e.g. books, decorative items, etc.). This will make the task feel more manageable and help you see progress as you go.
- Make piles: As you go through each section, create four piles: keep, pre-pack, donate, and trash. Be honest with yourself about what you really need and use. If you haven’t used or looked at an item in over a year, it’s probably safe to say you can get rid of it.
- Don’t get sentimental: It’s natural to feel attached to certain items, especially if they hold sentimental value. However, try to let go of the idea that you need to keep everything just because it has meaning to you. Instead, consider taking a photo of the item and getting rid of the physical object. This way, you can still have the memory without taking up physical space.
- Find a home for everything: Once you’ve decluttered, it’s important to find a designated place for everything that you’re keeping. Pre-pack personal items and valuables.
Decluttering your living room may take some time and effort, but the end result will be worth it. A clean space is important for a buyer visualize how they will spend time in your home.
2. Stage your living room:
Now that you have decluttered, staging is the next step in making your living room more appealing to potential buyers and potentially increase the sale price of your home. Here are some tips for staging your living room:
- Repair and update: Take care of any necessary repairs, such as fixing any holes in the walls or replacing broken light fixtures. Also, consider updating elements such as outdated light fixtures or old window treatments to give the room a fresh look.
- Neutralize: Neutral colors are more appealing to a wider range of buyers, so consider painting the walls a neutral colour such as off white (Chantilly lace is our fave) or light grey. If you have colourful or bold furniture, consider neutralizing it with slipcovers or neutral coloured pillows and throws.
- Add pops of colour: While neutral colours are important, you don’t want the room to feel dull. Add pops of colour through artwork, throw pillows, or other decorative items to add some personality to the space.
- Create a focal point: The living room is often the first thing potential buyers see when they enter a home. Create a focal point in the room, such as a fireplace or large window, to draw the eye and make a statement.
- Use lighting to your advantage: Proper lighting can make a big difference in the overall feel of the room. Use a mix of different lighting sources, such as floor lamps and table lamps, to create a warm and inviting atmosphere.
By following these tips, you can stage your living room to appeal to potential buyers and potentially increase the sale price of your home.
Now, your living room is ready for photos and showings - buyers will love it!
You simply can't pay someone to care more than you do about your home sale
Many studies have been done on why people sell for more when they sell themselves.
Ultimately, it comes down to homeowners being more willing to negotiate the few thousand dollars because it is dramatically more money in your pocket than in the realtor’s pocket.
Now that Bōde arms you with the same or better data than what an agent has and all the tools to ensure you have a streamlined process, what is not to love?
Time to put that money back where it belongs… in your bank account.
Real examples of Bōde sellers' success
