Staging and Preparing the Living Room and Entryway in your home for sale

Everyone loves to have a good home in which they can relax, enjoy themselves and that they love being at. With that said, you have to first find that home. Having a home that someone wants to buy from you can be seen as a challenge to many, but if you know how to really stage your home to show all of the positive aspects and allow potential buyers to feel the warmth within and see themselves living in it, then you will have no issue finding someone to call your house a home.

When it comes to staging your home you need to look at all aspects and every area of the home. It may not seem like it, each area needs to be staged in a certain way in order to make sure that you are really showing everything that should be seen… that is especially true for the entryway and the living room. These are the first areas that will be seen of your house other than the outer portion, and you want to make sure that you are doing all that you can, in terms of staging, to make sure you are showing just how special these areas are, and so those potential buyers that come to see it can visualize their personal things in the home.

Staging Your Entryway

Due to the fact that the entryway is the first area you walk into in a home, it is really a part of the curb appeal of the home. It is the area that marks the threshold that is on the inside of your home and the outside of your home. While you should know this may be a small area of your home, it is still an area that you want to make sure you have staged just right, because it will be a big point of drawing in the attention of those that are coming to walk through your house.

The entryway is a critical area; because this is the area that will make the first impression on the potential buyers you want it to be open and free of any clutter. When you do this you will automatically make your house seem larger. There are some key things you want to do in the entryway to make sure you have effectively prepared and staged this area to the best of your ability.

• Clean: You need to make sure that the area is clean. There shouldn’t be any spider webs in any nooks or crannies, make sure you pay attention to the baseboards and clear any dust that may have settled. It is good to do a once over before any showing to make sure nothing has crept back up on you.
• Make sure to have plenty of light: When you have a bright entryway with good lighting you make your home seem warm and inviting. That is definitely the feeling you want to have in your home for your potential buyers.
• Welcome mat: Of course you want everyone to feel welcome as soon as they come into your house. You should have a good quality welcome mat; no one wants to walk into a home with a worn out welcome mat. Remember, this is the first impression they will have and you don’t want a negative assumption made before they are in the door at all.
• Make it look special: Depending on the size of your entryway you can do different things. If you have a larger area you can put in a small bench, side table and have some nice flowers on it as well. If you have a smaller area you can still add a plant and a small picture that goes well with your décor.
• Hit every sense that you can: You want to appeal to your potential home buyers every sense. Add a fresh coat of paint to the area, have potpourri, a wax melt device in the area that brings a fresh smell upon entering or even fresh flowers that give off a wonderful smell.

The entryway is very important to your home, so you want it to be a natural magnet for people’s eyes when they come into your home. Not only do you want it to be a magnet for them to come in, but you want it to be a magnet they want to be drawn in to again and again.

Staging Your Living Room

The living room is an area where the living really takes place. It may be the area of your home where you invite your guests to be when they come over, it may be the area where you are able to relax and enjoy your home. Many see the living room as the area that is the most important room in the home, other than the kitchen. This is where life happens and things will take place. It is generally the first room in the home that will be seen and you want it to make a bold statement when people are coming to view your home. Staging this area is vital to potential buyers wanting to make a bid on your home.

It is important to make sure that your living room is cozy while still being roomy enough for large gatherings… despite the size of your living room, this can be seen effectively when you stage things properly. This area will aide in making a difference in them wanting to take over the residence, so you must stage it the best way possible… here are some tips to help you do that.

• Clearing the walls: You want to make sure that you clear the walls of any personal things you have hanging up. It may be pictures of your family, your pets, people you admire or even religious items. Whatever you have on your walls that may be personal or that lean towards your personal style needs to be removed.
• Furniture: The way in which you arrange your furniture is extremely important when you are staging the living room. There are three things you need to make sure you pay special attention to when you are staging the furniture for your living room: function, focal points and flow. You want every piece of furniture that you have in your living room to be functional when you are staging. You may have some pieces that look appealing to you, but if they aren’t functional they will just be taking up space; remove the pieces of furniture that are not functional from the area. You also want to make sure that the focal points are highlighted as soon as the room is entered. You want to enhance these special features and make sure they stand out just as they should… this is the piece that will help potential buyers to fall in love with your home. When you are arranging the furniture you want to make sure it is done so that it draws attention to your focal point. The furniture should flow in such a manner that it is not only easy to access each piece but also in a way that shows easy movement within the room. You don’t want potential buyer’s eyes to have to shift to see every piece.

You also want your furniture to be placed correctly… this should be done in what is known as conversation groupings. You want your sofa to be balanced with another sofa or even two chairs. The point of conversation groupings is to show your furniture as being “balanced” with visual weight. You also want the furniture to either be facing each other or have it set so that it is perpendicular to each other. If you should have a fireplace in your living room, you should make sure that you have your furniture centered towards it. You want the fireplace to be the first thing you see when you enter the living room (focal point) so you should always have your furniture faced that way.

• • Declutter: It is important to make sure that you have decluttered the area. This is inclusive of any excessive furniture… also, if you have a lot of plants in this room you should take those out. If you have area rugs you want to make sure they have been removed from the area; while it may look good to you, potential buyers may not have the same taste as you and it may be seen as a negative focal point.
  • Clean the area: Once you have decluttered the living room you want to make sure you do a deep clean. It is a good idea to work from the top to the bottom… so if you see your ceiling has spider webs or somehow has some areas that need to be cleaned, take care of that. Also, if you have a ceiling fan in this room make sure to dust it, clean it and add new light bulbs if they are required. Clean the walls really well, and if you need to add a new coat of paint. Don’t forget to get the baseboards… you don’t need them to be the one area that stands out as not being cleaned. While you’re cleaning this is the perfect time to do an inspection. Check and see if there are any areas or things that may need to be repaired. Doing this will help save time from having to go back and thoroughly look later on.
  • Colors to choose: When you are staging the living room area you want to make sure that you choose colors that are warm and inviting but that are also neutral. Doing this will make sure that you aren’t just appealing to a specific gender over the other and you will also find that it is easier for you to decorate when you use colors that are warm and neutral. While most people naturally think of beige, ivory or even coffee tones when you say neutral colors there are some other great options that you will be able to use in your living room so they look you’re going for is met. You can try colors such as honey, blue-green, blue-gray, gray, taupe, or even mossy green. If you want to make your room appear larger than what it is, you should paint the walls the same color as the room that is adjacent to it. Doing this will create a transition from one room to the next. Using these neutral colors will also make decorating a lot easier for you to do as well.
  • Window treatments: The windows are extremely important in a living room. You also want to know that you will be able to have a lot of natural light come in, especially to this room. If you have drapes on your windows you should take them off when you are staging, especially if they are dark. If you have light or sheer curtains, you want to hang the curtain rods as high as you can. This will help in making the ceiling look taller. You also need to make sure that the windows are thoroughly cleaned, inside and outside as well. You want to make sure there is nothing that is reducing the light that comes into the living room.
  • Floor plans (this makes a difference): If you have a living room that has an open floor plan it is something that is really desired. It will show that there is a spacious living area in your home and it will also show the good sight lines that the room has. If this is the case for your living room, you should make sure that you separate the zones that you have so that you define the area and still have a good flow going.

If you have a large living room you are able to stage it into two different areas. You can have it so there is a conversation grouping on one end of the room and then have the media viewing area on the opposite end. You can also stage it into two separate conversation areas (if you do this, remember to keep it clean… you don’t want to overdo the room with too much furniture to make it seem cluttered).

If you have a small living room you want to make the area look more spacious and also inviting to prospective buyers. You want to choose colors that are monochromatic so there will be harmony amongst what you do have in the room. You also want to make sure you are showing more floor space… this will help in making the room look larger than what it is. It’s a good idea to use furniture that is coined as “open-leg” furniture. This will help in making a sense of light along with space in the room.

Staging the entryway and living room are vital points for potential buyers wanting to see the rest of your home. With these tips and helpful hints, you should be able to stage these areas with a lot more ease. It’s important to know how essential it is to properly stage your entryway and living room… it can make all the difference in peaking the interest of those that walk in the door.

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Need more tips?

Check out how to stage the master bedroom.