10 Living Room Staging Tips for Selling Your Hamilton Home

We live in our living rooms.

They're where we relax, watch television, have conversations, entertain friends and spend time with family. But when you're selling your Hamilton home, you need to look at the room a little differently.

The goal isn't to make the living room look like nobody lives there.

It's to make the space feel comfortable, functional and easy for buyers to imagine themselves living in.

Here are 10 things to consider.

1. Create Good Flow

Make sure there's enough room to move comfortably through the living room.

Furniture shouldn't block walkways or make the room feel cramped. If you have too many pieces, consider removing some of them or moving them elsewhere while your home is on the market.

2. Let the Light In

If your living room gets good natural light, take advantage of it.

Open the curtains and blinds before showings and keep windows clean. In darker rooms, make sure lamps and other light sources are working and provide enough illumination.

3. Use Furniture That Fits the Space

Furniture that's too large can overwhelm a smaller living room.

On the other hand, a large room filled with very small pieces can feel disconnected.

You want the furniture to make the size and function of the room easy to understand.

4. Reduce Personal Items

Your home should still feel like your home while you're living there, but buyers need to be able to picture themselves in the space.

Consider reducing the number of family photographs, highly personal artwork and other items that draw attention away from the room itself.

5. Add a Rug Where It Makes Sense

A properly sized area rug can help define a living area and make the room feel more cohesive.

Just make sure it isn't too small for the furniture. An undersized rug can actually make the room feel less connected.

6. Make the Windows Look Their Best

Clean windows and simple, well-maintained window coverings can make a difference.

Where appropriate, hanging curtains higher and allowing them to extend toward the floor can also help emphasize the height of the room.

7. Give the Room a Focal Point

Most living rooms have something that naturally draws your attention.

It might be a fireplace, a large window, an interesting architectural feature or a piece of artwork.

Arrange the furniture so that the room has a clear sense of purpose rather than having everything competing for attention.

8. Add a Little Greenery

A few plants can add some life to a room without making it feel cluttered.

Keep it simple. You're trying to complement the room, not turn it into a greenhouse.

9. Clean the Places Buyers Notice

A quick dusting of the obvious surfaces isn't enough when you're preparing for showings.

Look at ceiling corners, light fixtures, ceiling fans, baseboards and other areas where dust and cobwebs can accumulate.

These small details can affect the overall impression of how well the home has been maintained.

10. Get Clutter Behind Closed Doors

The living room doesn't need to be completely empty, but everyday items should have a place.

Use cabinets, baskets or other storage to keep things such as remotes, toys, paperwork and other small items under control.

And if your storage areas are overflowing, that's a sign that it may be time to remove some things from the house altogether.

Think About What Buyers See

Staging isn't about creating a perfect magazine spread.

It's about helping buyers see the space clearly.

A living room that's clean, uncluttered, appropriately furnished and easy to move through can help buyers understand how the room works and how they might use it themselves.

If you're preparing your Hamilton home for sale and aren't sure what should stay, what should go and what is worth changing, I'm happy to help you work through it.

Sincerely,

Mike McCarthy, MBA
REALTOR®