Staging a home to sell is an important part of the home selling process. And with the COVID-19 pandemic, you need to know how to stage your home for a virtual open house, as well as an in-person one.
But what about staging your home for families? A huge part of the buyer’s market in San Diego is young families looking for a new home. So you need to make your home attractive to people with children. How can you make your home appealing to parents and appropriate for children?
San Diego real estate agent Mike Myers outlines his most valuable tips on how to stage your home for families.
1. What Are the Best Ways to Decorate a Kid’s Room?
When thinking about staging children’s bedrooms, keep in mind that bedrooms need to look appealing to children as well as parents.
If your children have a themed-room, like princess or cowboy, eliminate that as much as possible. While your child might love outer space, your buyer’s child might not. And a themed room can make it more difficult for potential buyers to see the space’s full potential.
Similarly, wall murals, your children’s names, and any awards, trophies, and photos should be taken down. While those items are wonderful for your family home, they can make it more difficult for potential buyers to picture themselves in the space. Depersonalizing the room will help make it more attractive.
To pique parents’ interest, emphasizing storage space for toys and clothes is always a good idea. And leaving a toy or two strategically displayed can help children picture themselves living in the room. The trick is to make the room feel cozy and welcoming to children and show its full potential to parents.
2. Gender Neutral Nursery Decor
Just like a cowboy or space-themed room won’t appeal to everyone, a bright pink or dark green room may also deter some people as these are typically considered “gendered colors.”
Regardless of the genders of your children, it’s a good idea to neutralize your decorations. You might need to remove some items from your children’s bedrooms and temporarily put them in storage while showing your home.
Simple geometric shapes and minimalistic decor are good ways to turn a gendered room into a gender-neutral space without spending too much money on home staging. If you find that the bedrooms look too empty when you’re finished, pick one piece of furniture or color as a statement piece, and make it the focal point of the space. This will help your minimalistic look appear more natural instead of staged and sparsely decorated.
3. Contrast Paint Colors
Speaking of colors, consider using a lot of contrast when you’re picking out the colors that are right for your children’s rooms and playrooms. It can seem like a lot of work, but a normal part of the home staging process is usually painting.
For the rest of the house, neutral colors are advisable. This is because neutral colors are more universally liked and are easy to paint over if the new homeowners choose to do so. But in children’s rooms, picking one or two high-contrast colors can be a great way to appeal to both children and parents.
High-contrast colors make the room more fun and unique for children and look neat and professional to parents. An orange rug against a light blue wall or a violet baseboard contrasted with a yellow wall makes the room vibrant and fresh-looking.
You don’t want to make work for potential buyers with dark colors that are difficult to paint over, but bringing small areas of bright and bold tones will mark the house as child-friendly.
4. Lived In, Not Cluttered
When a family visits a potential new home, they want to imagine themselves living there and letting their children grow up in a comfortable space. While a home that’s actually “lived in” with children often has telltale piles of toys, messes, and misplaced clothing, this isn’t what potential buyers want to see.
Clutter can make your space seem smaller. And personal objects can make it harder for potential buyers to picture themself in the space. On the other hand, eliminating all signs of family life can detract from your goal of making your house appealing to family buyers.
Strike a good balance. A toy here and there is a great reminder that your house is family-friendly. But clean up electronics, sports equipment, and toys if there are a lot of them. Allocate specific areas for neatly arranged toys and other children’s items.
Other tips for decluttering are to thin out your shelves and closets. Packed storage space can look cramped and small. A good rule of thumb is to have closets and drawers half full and neatly organized. You want your space to look welcome and lived in, not cramped and cluttered.
5. Focus on Family Spaces
Kitchen, bathrooms, and adult bedrooms are important when staging your home, but if you’re trying to appeal to family buyers, focus on family spaces. The living room and dining room are the areas in a home where a family spends time together, and they’re important to parents.
You want your staged home to give off a feeling of warmth and togetherness. Painting family spaces in warm colors can make them feel cozy. And don’t forget to create a strong conversation area that functions as the central space. Place seating around a focal point in the room to create a welcoming conversation area that families can picture themselves spending time together in.
Ensure there are a few children’s items in the family spaces. A dollhouse or a highchair can help families picture their own children using the space.
6. Don’t Forget the Backyard
The backyard is another space where your potential buyers will probably spend a lot of time if they have young children. Make sure to clean all surfaces, like patio furniture. These surfaces can get quite dirty, so a quick hose and scrub down is an easy and effective way to set your backyard up for a viewing.
If you don’t have patio furniture, you might want to consider buying or borrowing some for the open house. Like the family spaces, it’s a good idea to set up a conversation area in the backyard. Your potential buyers should be able to see themself spending time in the backyard with their children.
Here, too, children’s toys should be visible but neat. You want the kids who come to your open house, or view it online, to be excited about the backyard without deterring the parents with clutter and mess.
And a little landscaping can do a lot for the success of your open house. Make sure your lawn is mowed, and your garden is looking healthy. An easy landscaping tip if you don’t have much foliage in your yard is to add some potted plants.
Don’t Neglect Home Staging for Families
Home staging should be a key part of your home selling process. You want to make your home appealing, comfortable, and welcoming to all potential buyers. When a family comes to view your home, they need to see their children growing up there.
Following these tips is a great way to begin the process of getting your home ready for sale. And you need a great real estate agent who can help you stage and show your home, find buyers, and navigate the whole home sale process.
If you’re looking for a real estate agent in San Diego, contact Mike Myers. With his personalized touch and dedication to his clients, Mike Myers will work with you during every phase of your home sale.
With years of experience in the San Diego real estate market, Mike uses his knowledge to help you get the most profit out of your home sale. Mike values sincerity, passion, and loyalty and treats each sale as if it were his own.
So if you’re ready to sell your home or have questions about buying or selling in San Diego, contact Mike Myers at (619) 980 2378 or [email protected].
