When staging a flip, you need to make a lot of decisions about how to present the property in the best way to attract the most potential buyers. Even small staging decisions with the decor can make the difference between a sale and a pass when you’re showing a home.
Lighting
When designing a home, you have a choice between allowing in more natural light or using artificial light. Natural light is always the better choice because it makes a home look airy and spacious. With natural light, you don’t need as many lamps to produce a bright and cheery appearance, which will cut down on clutter in the rooms. Keep curtains open and keep blinds or shades pulled all the way up for the best look, or even install an extra window or two to minimize shadows and dark corners.
Wall Decor
You need to decide on whether to leave the interior walls bare, use art sparingly on the walls, or create one or more gallery walls. The solution is to do all three. Not every wall needs to have artwork displayed on it, nor should it. However, tasteful pieces of art placed on a few walls will add texture and depth to your decor. When you are designing gallery walls, only select a couple of places in the home for such a display. The staircase and master bedroom are fabulous choices. Group several, similar pieces of art in a coordinated display on one wall to create an attractive focal point.
Shelving
Another choice is whether to include open or closed shelving in the home. Open shelving makes an area look roomy. Closed shelving makes any space look neat. For a small residence, you should stay with open shelves to keep the rooms from feeling claustrophobic. In a house with spacious rooms, you can use a combination of both. Open shelves are useful for books, figurines, and other accent pieces. Closed shelves increase the storage space available which is always a concern for homebuyers.
Dining Table Decor
Some flippers leave the dining room table bare, and some use place settings to make it appear homier. The perfect solution that will appeal to the most number of buyers is somewhere in between. A bare table can look too stark. A fully set dining table can look too busy. Instead, place an artistic centerpiece on the table. Choose one designed with a pop of color, so it stands out but doesn’t dominate the space. If your dining room chairs include a non-neutral fabric color, use that color for the centerpiece as well to create a coordinated look.
Floors
After you have installed beautiful floors throughout the house, regardless of the type of flooring, you will now need to decide whether to leave them bare or to include area rugs. Bare floors flow better and make an area look open, but they can also appear cold and uninviting. Setting out one or two area rugs can make a huge difference. Place one in the living room in front of the couch to create a cozy gathering spot. You can also place one under the bed in the master bedroom to help create warmth in the room and make the space look welcoming.
When staging a flip, don’t overlook simple design choices that could make the difference between impressing buyers or turning them away. If you need funding to renovate your flip, please contact us today. We are a private lender who provides short-term loans for properties that many traditional lenders won’t finance. We encourage your inquiries and welcome the opportunity to assist you with your residential flip. Contact us today to see how we can help fund your next flip!