If you’ve decided to sell your property and haven’t used home staging consultants before, you might not know what the benefits of home staging actually are. Home staging as an industry took off in New Zealand about 20 years ago and we’re proud to say Amazing Interiors was one of the first companies to see the need for a complete home staging and décor consultancy for those wishing to achieve the best price when selling their home. Now, home staging is fundamental to the home selling process for those selling up and keen to create their next dream home or simply live their next dream. Known for our superb sense of design style, statistics aren’t really our thing so let’s look at the research:    

It’s official – for a better sale price, it definitely pays to stage your home

According to the National Association of Realtors® 2017 Profile of Home Staging, 62% of sellers' agents say staging a home decreases the amount of time a home spends on the market and 49% of buyers' agents say staging a home increases its dollar value. (July 6, 2017)

Looking further into the report, home staging is a no brainer for homeowners wishing to sell a property successfully.  A staggering 77% of buyers find that viewing home staged properties it makes it easier for them to visualise themselves living there. That’s what home staging is all about – showing potential homeowners the dream and that living in an appealing property can become their reality.

 

Be strategic in your home staging for the best results

When staging a home, it pays to think strategically. Research reveals most open home viewers are especially keen to see the kitchen, living spaces and the master bedroom. It therefore it makes sound financial sense to really focus in on these areas, with the goal being to maximise the impact that clever, stylish home staging can have.    

Start home staging at the front door   

There’s no second chance for a first impression, and it’s well known that the first sighting of a property can sway the buying decision process. So, go all out at the entranceway by giving it a fresh and welcoming vibe. If your entranceway is on the dark side, add reflective surfaces to lighten the ambiance and turn up the lights to get everything gleaming.    

Be brave here. Large artworks and over-sized mirrors make bold, interesting statements that resonate way past the actual entranceway. Work on bringing in some visual cues here as well, signaling what visitors are about to discover within. Whether that’s fantastic colours, textures, design pieces or floral and plant arrangements that reflect features of the home such as shimmering blues from the stunning pool or natural lush foliage from the garden.  

 

Please all the senses, beautifully

Winter is the time we take our focus inwards a little and home staging at this time should involve pleasing all the senses. Why not create a total sensory experience, from the glow of flickering, scented candles, to dreamy jazz playing softly in the background. Cushions and throws with textures so alluring you simply have to touch them, and the aroma of baking coming from the kitchen so delicious you can almost taste it.

Lead potential buyers on an easy, enticing tour of your home

With home staging, less is always more. That’s why decluttering spaces is so important and helps give the overall look of any home much more appeal. You want home buyers to move effortlessly between rooms, taking in the features and imagining themselves living within the curated spaces. Already enchanted, it’s then often an easy leap in their minds to make your soon-to-be former home their new castle.

Celebrate the seasons with your home staging décor

It’s now much more popular (and not considered extravagant), to enjoy a different look for your home during winter and summer and it’s amazing to observe how people intuitively respond to changing out colours and textures. Come winter, swap out those crisp, fresh linen and cotton cushions and throws for more luxe and nurturing fabrics such as silk or cotton velvets, chunky knits, sheepskins and faux fur.

 

Layer up to snuggle down

Layering up rooms with gorgeous throws draped over couches and occasional chairs immediately brings additional colour and texture to a scheme and ensures potential home buyers feel more welcome. Layer up with floor rugs where more ambiance is needed, such as seating zones in the living spaces, beneath dining tables and in the bedrooms. Round dining tables bring softer lines to living spaces and round rugs are doing the same, adding extra colour, detail and interest.         

You can layer your colour schemes by adding more depth with the next-shade up or down from your base colour, or using contrasting tones. We love to build on what’s already in the room by adding more richness to existing colours to create really satisfying décor stories.   

Rearrange the furniture to create more cosy, intimate spaces

We live differently in the winter when the urge to hunker down is instinctive. Often the first thing we do is shift the furniture and bring chairs and sofas closer to the heat source or the room’s main focal point. Remember to keep that all essential flow between the spaces in mind too, especially when home staging.  

Let in the light by day then dim it down by night

Lighten up dark corners with candles and lamps, the more the better, especially when it’s overcast and chilly. Check lightbulb wattages too. Perhaps you need brighter bulbs in some rooms to cosy up dark corners, and we’d recommend that you hunt out LED lights that give out a warm glow rather than a harsh white light. Then come evening time dim down the bright lights for a more restful effect that enhances the season’s romantic appeal.

How to home stage master bedrooms that everyone will love   

Creating complete bedlinen stories makes such a difference when home staging, especially in the master bedrooms. This season we’re loving the new Bianca Lorenne throws in soft wools and other exquisite natural fibres that enhance any bed for sleep and rest. Winter’s new collection features even more alluring bedspreads, comforters and coverlets that will layer up schemes with more delightful, affordable luxury. 

Dressing a beautiful bed starts with the right foundation and for us that’s superb quality, high-thread-count cotton sheets and preferably in white, which gives the ultimate crisp and sophisticated canvas for the rest of the décor story to feature from. Then we’ll add a gorgeous feather duvet or possibly a bedspread. This season we’re loving placing rugs at the foot of the bed and every beautiful bed requires a headboard, dressed with gorgeous pillows and cushions, and no, you can never have too many! Then perhaps bring an exciting artwork or design piece into the room and complete the look with a plush rug. We believe beautifully dressed beds are great therapy; to know that on a cold day there’s an exquisitely styled bed waiting just for you gives an undeniable boost. 

 

Style your outdoor spaces for winter time too

Let’s not forget our great outdoors. Kiwis love spending time outside so show some love to your outdoor living areas as well. We use exactly the same principles to warm up outdoor spaces as we do those inside, by enhancing with extra texture in rugs, cushions, throws, artworks and lighting.

The proof is in the result, so staging your home to suit the seasons is taking your home staging to the next level. If you need expert help, get in touch with us and we can ensure your home is staged by our experienced stylists to achieve the best results for your home.