By Nick van Rensburg - Team Powerhouse Realty

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Easy home staging ideas for selling your PG home

Sep 4, 2019 | 5:02 PM

* All of the photos in this article are of local and surrounding PG properties

When it comes to putting your house on the market, presentation can help you sell faster and at a better price. As a professional real estate photographer and REALTOR®, I see this all the time. If done correctly, staging can not only set the right emotional tone for buyers about the home, but can also help highlight the most attractive features, potentially increasing the dollar value that buyers are willing to offer. Here are some ideas that any Prince George home seller can try today:

1. Make a good first impression

For home buyers, the first impression starts before they even get out of the car. So make your front and walkway as appealing as possible. Plant some flowers, rake any leaves, remove any weeds, paint the fence and porch. Make sure everything is in tip-top condition. The best bang for your staging buck is a new welcome mat, which can cost as little as $15. A fresh, modern mat can convince the buyer to see more.

On the inside you want to open your blinds and curtains to allow natural light to freely enter. Light makes a room look bigger. Appealing aromas like coffee beans or freshly baked cookies make people feel at home and put them in a good mood. So put on a pot of coffee and pop some cookie dough in the oven.

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Photo 1: A good example of a great first impression of this Summit Lake cabin. Pride of ownership is immediately noticeable and any buyer will be curious to see the inside.

2. Get rid of clutter

We want to start by removing things that are distracting to potential buyers. The whole goal is to help buyers picture themselves living there, not you. What that means is anything that’s broken, dirty or reminds them there’s still another family living here (or pets), needs to be removed, fixed or cleaned. If you’re in a hurry, you can put things away in desk drawers or in other places where buyers won’t look. De-personalize the house as much as you can.

Photo 2: This Northern PG home shows what a typical cluttered space looks like. It is difficult for potential buyers to visualize themselves living here when all they see is other people’s stuff.

3. Create a focal point for each room

Something that is impactful will create a focal point. Every room has a focal point so pick a key piece of furniture to anchor the room and arrange the rest of the furniture around it. If you have too much furniture in one room, perhaps you can move some of it into another room.

Since beds are the focal point in most bedrooms, use the best linens you have. If your budget allows, go and get a collection of high end duvets, pillows, throws and shams as these are key to effectively staging a bedroom.

I also like recommending nature to create focal points and add beauty. Flower arrangements can be placed on entry tables, coffee table, dining tables, bedroom dressers, and even in bathrooms. Connecting with nature tends to lift our spirits.

Photo 3: This amazing Hobby Ranches home in Northern PG has it all. The living room has a good focal point with fresh flowers to compliment the ambiance.

4. Stage where it counts

Not all rooms are considered equal. You want to focus your attention on the rooms that will have the biggest potential influence on buyer’s decisions. From experience, the rooms that tend to hold most importance for buyers are the kitchen, living room and master bedroom / bathroom. These are the interior spaces where the most value can be added during a sale, so they need to look their best.

Make the most of what you’ve got. Even if your kitchen is looking tired, simply improve what you can using cost-effective, low-labor strategies. Install a new faucet, repaint cabinet doors, upgrade lighting fixture, put on a fresh coat of paint. Don’t forget the least expensive but most important tip – clear the countertops of all your personal stuff.

Photo 4: This rural PG property received the 2018 Canadian Home Builders of Northern BC housing awards for the best master suite and best kitchen. It’s clean, stylish and void of any clutter.

Staging a home is not about complicated feng shui, or spending a fortune on new hardwood flooring. It’s about making common sense decisions based on the style of home and furniture you already have. Research your neighborhood and the market you’re selling in. Your REALTOR® can further advise you on the best (and most affordable) options for your particular situation and market.

It will be helpful to start adopting the notion that your house is no longer your home. It’s a commodity, just like stocks on the market, and you need to be able to detach yourself from it and be open to change. Once you’ve done everything you can to show your home in the best light possible, you can sit back and wait for the right buyer to stop by.