How to Stage Your Home While Packing in 4 Easy Steps

You have finally purchased your new home, but, unfortunately, your old one hasn’t sold yet. To help you finally give it that extra push and help someone fall in love with your old home it might be time to stage it.

Home staging is when you design your place so that it looks the most attractive to the highest amount of people possible. While you are packing can be a great time to do this, although there are a few things to consider.

Step 1: Decluttering

Chances are you won’t be taking everything with you. So now is as good a time as any to start going through your belongings and donating, selling and chucking the items you no longer need or want.

While you do want to get rid of some items, decluttering doesn’t just pertain to the stuff you are going to be giving away. It also applies to the things you want to keep, like photographs, copies of your children’s artwork, or the mismatched china in your china cabinet. By removing your personal items, you’re going to make it easier for your potential buyers to envision themselves living in their new home instead of feeling like they’re snooping through yours.

The reason you want to declutter your home is that spaces that are emptier feel calmer and more inviting. And, depending on which home stager you ask, the amount of stuff you are going to want out of your house is between 30 and 50%. Meaning, it’ll probably be easier if you take this a room at a time instead of trying to do it all in one day.

Step 2: Brighten Up Your Home

One group of items you don’t want to pack away as unnecessary clutter are lamps—unless of course, they are hideous, in which case you might not want to keep them at all. Lighting up your rooms has a similar effect to emptying them out; it makes the home feel more welcoming, which means more people are likely going to want to buy it.

Another way you can brighten up your home is by adding a fresh coat of paint. Lighter neutrals can make spaces appear brighter and more spacious. If you paint your ceiling a bright white, it will make the ceiling seem higher, as well as reflect the light of the lamps back down.

Step 3: Banish the Boxes

The easiest way to hide the boxes is to get them out of your house. If you can, you might want to consider temporary storage.

However, if you don’t want to store them elsewhere, there are a few things you can do to make them less obtrusive:

1. If the rooms have closets, place the boxes in them. You can also store them neatly on the shelves in your garage or basement. Just remember, if you overstuff these spaces they will look smaller causing potential buyers to be concerned about the lack of storage in the house.
2. Stack them neatly up against the walls. Although not ideal, the people looking at your home are aware that you are moving out and so they are likely to overlook stacks of boxes as long as they are in neat piles and not a tripping hazard. Wherever you do decide to put your boxes, make sure it’s not near the front entrance since that will make your house seem cluttered and uninviting.

Step 4: Keep it Clean

While it might feel difficult to keep your house spotless while you are still living in it, you can speak with your realtor to come up with a schedule that you are both comfortable with for when your house is available for viewing. And remember, every time you clean it, makes it easier for you to do that final clean before you walk out the door for good.

We can help if you decide to store your excess belongings outside of your home during the staging. Contact us today for a quote about using our climate-controlled and secure warehouses.