Guide to staging your home while living in it
If we lived in an ideal world, you would be moving to your dream home and selling your old one afterward. However, that isn't always possible. In the real world, you might still have to live in the house that you are trying to sell. It's important to know that you aren't alone. This isn't an unusual situation, which means you can successfully do it, even if you have kids or are a pet owner. So, before starting any home renovations, take a look at our guide for staging your home while living in it.
Is it doable?
You might already be familiar with the concept of home staging, especially if you are a fan of Pinterest home decor. Although cleaning and decluttering a house might seem simple, keeping it tidy while living in it is easier said than done.
Luckily, it is not impossible. With some organization, planning, and consistency, you will be on the right path when it comes to living in a staged house. So, here is our guide to help you keep your home professionally staged, all while sleeping, eating, and living there.
The step-by-step guide to staging your home while living in it
The process of home staging will take some of your time, energy, and money. However, it will be worth it. According to our relocation specialists from professionalmoverottawa.com, who have helped many of their clients safely store and relocate their belongings, staged houses are increasingly more likely to get a decent and quick offer.
Let's look at what you can do to succeed in staging your house while living in it.
Move out both physically and mentally
Since you have decided to sell your house, it is crucial to take a step back from it and regard it as your new project. Even though you will still live in it, the best thing to do is change your mindset.
By this, we mean that you should try to pretend you are moving out now. You will, therefore, need to remove as many things as you can that illustrate you. You want to make sure there's no excess in things, that everything is clean, tidy, and depersonalized. This will also help your potential buyers easily imagine themselves lounging in the perfectly staged living area that doesn't have any of your personal possessions, like family photos or children's drawings.
Experts recommend that you make the house feel like someone is living in it, but not you. So the place should be cozy and inviting, without the Christmas cards or pictures pinned on the fridge. That's why thinking this is your new project might help during the process.
Declutter and keep it that way
The step of decluttering your space is essential to have a perfectly staged house. It will make your home calm and inviting. It is recommended to remove roughly 1/3 of your possessions. This will make the home you are about to sell more breathable and spacious.
Decluttering will also make your future moving process more manageable. Firstly, there will be fewer items to pack and move. Secondly, you will have already packed some of the belongings you want to relocate to your new home but don't want in your staged home. A lot of people decide on renting storage units for thins. If you have hired professional movers, they can provide you with all the necessary packing materials so you have your items safe while stored. Moreover, you can hire professional packing services and make everything easier for you.
Furthermore, while decluttering, an excellent thing to do is make piles for keeping, donating or selling, and throwing away. Also, don't forget to clean everything thoroughly once you get rid of the clutter. It would be good to pay special attention to the kitchen and bathrooms, to make them look spotless.
Find a home for everything
Once you're done with the previous step, you want to make sure you keep the house neat and tidy. Go through your home and look at all the things you need but want out of sight. So, your job here will be to think of a smart storage solution. For example, many people incorporate wooden, metal, or white plastic containers and storage boxes into their decor. You have to find the solution that best suits your style of life to succeed in staging your home while living in it.
Repaint your walls
Now that you have enough room to work with, another old but gold tip is to give your walls a fresh coat of paint. Even though you might be a lover of accent walls or bright colors, try keeping things neutral.
This doesn't mean you should only paint your walls white. There are plenty of interior colors to choose from, like light gray or classic ivory.
Show the bathroom some love
First of all, you should clean everything in it, the sink, mirrors, counters, shower, and the toilet. IKEA storage baskets are an easy and trendy solution to keep your cosmetics out of sight.
Also, if your bathroom is a bit outdated, changing small things can go a long way. For example, you can consider replacing the hardware around the bathroom, toilet seat, showerhead. Additionally, you can add some bathroom accessories to match the hardware.
Complete the repairs
The final step to having your house well-staged is to tackle some of the repairs, like squeaky doors, wall nicks, burnt light bulbs, or running toilets. Most of the minor repairs won't cost much and won't take a lot of your time.
However, if there are major things that need fixing, be sure to search for a solution. For example, changing your roof or replacing kitchen appliances might be costly, but that will add value to your home.
So weigh the pros and cons of such an investment and decide if it will be worth it.
The takeaways
As you could've seen, it is possible to succeed in staging your home while living in it. The hardest part might be motivation and the desire to start without knowing when you will sell your home. However, that is bound to happen once you tackle some home upgrades that pay off. And once you start with the home staging process, you would wish you've done it before. Good luck!
Photos used:
Hamony sense image
https://unsplash.com/photos/kdwahpWYfQo
https://unsplash.com/photos/GqbU78bdJFM
https://unsplash.com/photos/g51F6-WYzyU