Creative home staging

How to improve the odds of selling your home during COVID-19

By Lisa Scontras

Selling a home in today’s socially distanced marketplace presents unique challenges, however one basic marketing concept remains the same: Attract enough qualified buyers and your listing will sell. One of the most successful ways to make your property stand out — and to get homebuyers excited — is with professional home staging.

According to the National Association of Realtors®, 83 percent of agents say staging a home makes it easier for buyers to visualize a property as their future home.

A sign of the times is how to best stage a listing in the COVID marketplace. In light of how the pandemic has radically changed how people use their homes — blending personal life with work life — it makes tremendous marketing sense to show buyers ways a home can multitask as a place for family to gather on evenings and weekends, as well as function as an office, classroom and gym, 24/7.

Boost kid-friendliness, by transforming a space into an inviting homeschool area. Add a colorful area rug, a table for lessons, an easel, and storage pukas for games, crafts and learning tools.

Keep in mind home shoppers will likely be evaluating spaces where they can work from home, so appropriate staging is key. Ideally a room with a view, or away from the main living area, a home office sanctuary can be created even in a quiet corner, with a desk, computer, file folders, diplomas on the wall or other creative home staging accessories.

Hiram Robles, a local professional home stager and co-owner of Dream Décor Home Staging in Ewa Beach, says, “For years prior to COVID-19, our staging services included staging at least one room as a home office. But these days, even if it’s not a full-blown office, we still try to incorporate a desk setup so potential buyers can get a feel of how they can use the space.”

Any corner, or even a lanai, may make a suitable space for an in-home gym — staged with his and hers treadmills, a collection of hand weights and maybe a high-def screen on the wall. Add a basket of clean towels.

Another COVID consequence is reduced trips to the grocery store and the need to stockpile essentials. Stage a ground-floor closet as a spacious pantry. Line the walls with shelving, and add a variety of storage baskets, containers, jars and dishes.

In a competitive market, it may not be enough to simply declutter and depersonalize. Staging is a method to make your home stand out. If you don’t know where to start, ask your real estate agent. They can offer suggestions and point you in the right direction on how to highlight the “wow features” your listing offers.

Photo courtesy DimplesAndSass at Etsy