Secrets of the Stagers to Help Sell Your Home Faster

While the art staging of staging can go a long way toward selling a home faster and for more money, you might get a little overwhelmed by the thought of renting furniture for your entire house or having to pay a professional to decorate it for you.

Well, there’s good news: You can do it yourself—less expensively and quicker—if you know where to focus your attention. Here, realtor.com shares some wow-worthy items that successful stagers use to transform a home.

1. Big-statement sofas

When it comes to staging a home, sofas often are an important item because they help show the size of the room and give a feeling of someone living there. So, your first course of action should be replacing your old, coffee-stained couch with something nicer. But don’t opt for a petite and delicate settee.

Large, modular sofas can really make a statement, especially if they are more artistic than functional. Look for a striking piece that will add depth and warmth to your space and catch buyers off guard…and the funkier, the better. Even if the buyer doesn’t like the style you choose, it still will get them thinking about the possibility of your home.

2. Gallery-level collections

Nothing elevates a space quite like art, which can inject a space with style and energy that excites buyers. Another great component of art is the magic it can create in an otherwise minimally staged space, with even an empty house boasting a collection of large-scale pieces giving off a cool gallery effect. There are an increasing amount of art leasing programs, with online galleries making it easy to choose short-term options at reasonable costs.

Be sure to choose artwork that corresponds with the property’s price. For very high-end properties, you might try renting a few pieces from a local museum, if possible. For something more modest, try tapping into the local creative community and borrowing key pieces from independent artists who might appreciate the exposure. 

3. Room-altering LED lights

Good lighting sells homes, especially LEDs. The best part? They are small, versatile, easy to set up, and affordable to rent or buy. Using remote-controlled LED lights can up-light a room’s key piece, warm up a space or make it brighter, and even completely change a room’s color at the buyer’s request. Essentially, you can turn the venue you have into the venue you want.

4. A giant-flower wall

Forget those bouquets you see at almost every open house, and instead opt for a custom floral design that will make a lasting impression on potential buyers, whether it’s a flower wall or even 4-foot-tall rose displays. For a faux-flower wall, rental prices typically start between $300 and $800, depending on the size and design of your display.

(If you’re in the market for a real flower wall, you’ll need to have a much larger budget, since these are far more labor-intensive to build. Hedges or flower walls are great for open floor plans because they divide the space with flair and add warmth.