Even though many potential buyers will pay a lot of attention to your kitchen, the truth is that your living room is where most people will spend their time. This means that staging your living room to virtual perfection should always be one of your primary goals.
What you want to do is stage a living room that looks lived-in and personable but also gives the impression of possibility where a potential buyer can envision living inside the space with their own ideas and designs. Since our real estate agents have dealt with countless Great Neck homes for sale, we’ve seen plenty of staging successes and mishaps.
Here are five living room staging lessons that we’ve learned along the way:
- Give It a Fresh Coat of Paint
It’s amazing what a fresh coat of paint can do to even the most modest homes. Just throw on a new color or simply redo the same color and your living room will look like new. If you don’t know anything about interior decorating, that’s perfectly okay. There are many resources available, from online consultants to interior decorators. Of course, we’re betting that you have at least one friend who fancies themselves as the best designer around. It never hurts to ask for their opinion. - Create a Few Focal Points
Many homeowners have no idea how to create a focal point—and that’s perfectly okay, too. All you need to do is design a few areas that draw a person’s attention to them. For example, set up an entertainment center and TV, then place some pictures around it. Next, you could use a bookcase along with a few personal trinkets or family photos. Just be sure not to overdo it. Two or three focal points in your living room are more than enough. - Go Easy on the Furniture
Your living room might not seem crowded, but there’s a good chance it is. After all, we tend to add furniture over the years we spend in our homes. When we see it every day, we don’t realize that it’s getting a little packed and possibly covering up some of the home’s beauty. If you want to make a great first impression, just be sure that you limit the amount of furniture so that the living room doesn’t look too small. You really want it to breathe as much as possible. - Declutter & Depersonalize
Decluttering and depersonalizing should be on everyone’s to-do list when your house is going up for sale. The reason for decluttering is probably obvious. Clutter is simply not an attractive look. But, many sellers overlook the importance of depersonalizing. Yes, there is something to be said about the concept that a personalized home is a lived-in home. That being said, this can easily be overdone. You want the home to look lived-in, but too many personal items may prevent a potential buyer from envisioning themselves in the property. Balance is the key. - Add Some Fresh Flowers
A simple way to improve the appeal of your living room is to add some fresh flowers. This goes for other rooms of your home as well, but especially the living room. Roses aren’t a bad idea, but there are so many other choices. Sunflowers lend a special look to any room and are perfect for staging. But you should also add a variety of colors, which means pairing sunflowers with the aforementioned roses will definitely work. You can also add lilies, chrysanthemums, poinsettias, or anything that tickles your fancy.
If you’re selling your home and need more living room staging tips or are looking for your dream home in the area, contact us today.