Winter Staging Tips

Staging during colder months offers different challenges for both home sellers & buyers. Snowy weather can make walkways treacherous and lack of fresh air in a home keeps smells trapped in a home longer. Not to mention how to stage over the holidays! Here are our top winter staging tips to help you make the most of your home:

 

Banish Smells

 

Buyers shop with all 5 senses and the scents in your home can either welcome them in from the cold - or repel them! In the winter, when it's difficult to air out your home and release unpleasant smells, it's important to be aware of things that can potentially turn your prospective buyers off. From heavy cooking smells, smoking of any kind, pets and even cloying air fresheners - these scents are likely to give your home a bad ambiance. Even if you air out your home, these scents can become trapped in the soft elements (ie. toss cushions, bedding, drapes, carpets etc) and then get re-released into the air even hours or days later. 

 

If you are selling, here are ways to banish those smells:

 

  1. Refrain from cooking heavily spiced foods or fish as the smells from these dishes can linger a very long time.
  2. Keep on top of pet smells (clean the litter box twice daily) and if at all possible move pets temporarily to a friend or family member's home while the property is up for sale.
  3. Steam clean all the carpets and upholstered furniture in your home before you sell. Wash drapes, pillow cases, bedding as freshening up all the soft decor will give your home a light, clean scent.
  4. Store sports gear offsite (ideal) or in a less trafficked area (like the garage)
  5. For smoking smells, it is vital to remove these smells prior to listing but it's no simple task. Removing the smell involves washing the walls with a special cleaner, priming them with a primer that will seal the smell in the walls and not allow it to be re-released before giving the home a fresh coat of paint. It's a lot of work but NOT doing this can lower your home's value significantly and result in a long stint on the market.
  6. Use natural elements to add fragrance in your home. Lemons and limes, coffee beans and other natural elements keep your house smelling great without the harshness of chemicals that many people are allergic to. Here is a link to some great recipes!

 Let in the Light

 

Winter is one of those seasons where the days are short, the weather overcast (or snowy) so homes can look and feel dark or depressing. Psychologically, buyers feel more at home in a house when rooms are well lit with a combination of natural & artificial light so it makes sense to ensure that every space inside - and outside - your home has decent levels of both overhead and task lighting. Why both? Because overhead lighting is often harsh and it doesn't create that mood or atmosphere that is a vital part of effective staging. Layering in table lamps and modern floor lamps beside focal pieces of furniture instantly adds warmth and welcome to any space.

 

Levels of natural and artificial lighting make buyers want to linger in a home_ adding tangible value _ appeal.
Different levels of lighting add warmth & welcome to all rooms in a home.

 

 

Beyond artificial light, be sure to remove heavy drapes and/or valences and keep blinds open for all showings and professional photography. This makes rooms look more expansive and inviting throughout the selling process. 

 

As a final note, we always also recommend using daylight bulbs because they give a truer sense of color in the room without a yellowy cast.

 

 Clear out the Clutter


 Winter tends to encourage nesting - which means more stuff. When you are selling your home this is the opposite of what you want to be doing and there are many reasons for wanting to do this. First of all, in any home, storage space matters. In fact, we have seen beautifully updated homes suffer from lack of offers because their storage areas like closets and garages were overloaded with stuff. If you think buyers aren't checking out these areas - you would be wrong. For more places you don't think buyers will look - but they do - read our blog post on this topic!


 

So if you are selling in the winter, clear your storage areas out. Don't load up closets or basements or garages with bins. Pre-pack clothing, towels, bedding, toys etc. Donate towels and blankets to your local humane society. Move the furniture not needed for staging offsite. Reduce the personal pictures, memorabilia and knick knacks on surfaces and walls so rooms look more expansive. Remember, selling a house is about how a home functions & flows - not about the stuff you have accumulated!


 

Clutter can detract from a home and dampen a buyer_s enthusiasm for the property.
Lots of clutter - among other things - detracts from a room's features & finishes.



 

De-cluttering along with other key updates helps sell the space _ the lifestyle_
Editing out the clutter, doing some simple updates and hiring our team ensure your property stands out!


 

Keep Holiday Decorating Minimal


 

Many people mistakenly believe that selling in months like November or December is pointless but we are here to tell you that is not the case. Especially this year, there are lots of serious buyers out there, looking for homes. So presentation matters, even when you want to do a little holiday decorating. We encourage some holiday decorating - it adds personality, charm and sparkle in an otherwise dull season - but keep it restrained. Too much decor, accents, blow up Santas on the lawn detract from the features of your home and can make prospective buyers claustrophobic. So then what decorations could - and should - be put out?

  • Christmas tree
  • Simple mantle decor
  • Table centerpieces
  • Outdoor urns with greenery and lights
  • Door wreath
  • Textured toss pillows (think fur, white with metallic accents or holiday sayings)
Try keeping the color palette co-ordinated so it compliments the existing palette in the room or floor the decor is in. This will liven up your overall presentation without making it look out of place. Make room for elements like your tree by moving furniture out. For example if you put the tree in the corner beside the fireplace where the accent chair normally goes, move the chair out entirely unless it can be relocated easily and still allow for good traffic flow.

Simple_ tasteful decorating adds sparkle and interest_

As a final note, once the holidays are over, take the decorations down right away. If you had professional pictures taken featuring the holiday decor, have them re-done as nothing dates a listing more than pictures featuring seasonal decor.

As always, we highly recommend consulting with one of our staging experts before you list your home. This will give you a custom plan to best present your property for sale and our help in pulling it all together. If you are looking for an established staging company to work with and wonder whether it's worth it to stage or offer staging as part of your services, contact us! Our goal is to make the process as simple as possible so that you and/or your clients have a positive real estate experience.



Rooms in Bloom Home 
Staging & Design Inc.

We are a multi-award winning Home Staging Company and we specialize in staging vacant properties and builder model homes.

Offering a full range of home staging services, we take pride in partnering with home owners, Realtors and Builders. 

Contact us today to put our expertise to work for your property!

2015 RESA Top 10 Home Staging Companies in North America
2015 RESA Redesigner of the Year
2014 RESA Top 5 Home Staging Companies in North America
2012 RESA Canadian Home Staging Company of the Year

(519) 804-STAGE
Web: www.homestagingdesign.ca


"Price gets you interest, Staging gets you offers." Gary Keller