Even Calgarians who love our winter weather get excited about the thought of summer arriving. Keep this in mind when you’re preparing your property for sale and take advantage of the added value you gain by staging outdoor spaces too.
 

Staging outdoor spaces doesn’t mean that you have to spend a lot of money to completely fill a space or do major renovations. Sure, an outdoor kitchen or ‘water zone’ is great and you should definitely highlight it if you have one.
 

But, in the end, the goal is to give potential buyers a hint of what kind of lifestyle is possible, indoors and out. Help potential buyers fall in love with your listing by enticing them to imagine spending quality time outside.
 

Here are some quick tips to keep in mind when staging outdoor spaces (large or small):
 

Mirror the Indoors OUT: Think of your outdoor space as another room. Stage it with the same principles in mind as you would inside: Furniture, focal point, comfort.
 

Think in Vignettes: Set the outdoor stage with a brief scene that could be the setting for a story the new home owner will imagine for themselves. Even on a small balcony, a bistro set with a view is an appealing vignette that creates big impact.
 

Don’t Forget Function & Feeling: When you anticipate how the most likely potential buyers will use your outdoor space, you can stage with that function in mind. By doing so, you will create the welcome feeling of home for them too. Will a family with kids be most likely to buy? If so, setting up a kid-friendly area will make a difference.
 

For more examples of the power and impact staging can create in a space, take a look at the rest of the Set Your Stage Facebook albums featuring many before and after photos of the various homes and condos that we’ve successfully staged to sell.
 

Did you know that an awkward space, especially if left empty, creates confusion for a potential buyer? That confusion can make a lasting negative impression. It’s as if there’s a missing piece of the puzzle to figure out. Complete the puzzle for them. Stage your awkward space to turn it into a selling point.
 

Your property can be new, well kept, and quite lovely. But if you’re leaving an awkward space empty, hoping that the potential buyer will look at it as inspiration, I recommend you think twice.
 

People like completion. Many potential buyers will have no idea what to do with an empty space. So it will either hold no value for them, or worse, be perceived as a potential problem. Avoid the confusion and create added value by professionally staging your awkward spaces before you list.
 

Here are two examples of rooms we staged (in beautiful properties) that could have been perceived as awkward if left empty:
 

Edgemont:
 

This large, well-equipped kitchen with an added sun room is bright and spacious. The challenge here is that the home includes a separate formal dining room, living room and family room. As you can see, the kitchen island is plenty large enough for casual dining, so the question becomes, “What do I do with the rest of this space?”
 

We decided to create a comfortable seating area that feels like it fits with the kitchen. It’s an area where the potential buyer can imagine entertaining during food prep before dining and perhaps for drinks and dessert afterwards. The perception of value increases for the potential buyer.
 

Bankview:
 

This empty space underneath the stairs was a perfect place to stage a small office area. Creating additional functional space in a property, especially for an office or study area, is always an added value for buyers.
 

For more examples of the power and impact staging can create in a space, take a look at the Set Your Stage Facebook albums featuring many before and after photos of the various homes and condos that we’ve successfully staged for sale.
 

 
I admit it. Bedrooms are one of my favourite rooms to stage in a property for sale. So I thought I would share some of my “after staging” bedroom photos. What do they have in common? A quote that I found on Pinterest one day that guides my life and work: “Train your mind to see the good in everything”.
 

When potential buyers walk into a house or condo for sale, you want them to feel, see, and remember the “good stuff” about the space. As a professional home stager, it’s my job to understand how to accomplish that and work my magic to both distract and entice toward that goal.
 

Let’s say you walk into an empty bedroom. You might feel emotionless. You might see an eyesore that seems like it could be problematic. You might remember – nothing special, perhaps the problems. When a potential buyer has that response, a seller does not benefit.
 

Instead, imagine a potential buyer walks into this bedroom staged by Set Your Stage.
 

In this Tuxedo master, she might feel relaxed, sophisticated, and sexy. She might see the perfect spot for a weekend morning coffee looking out to nature. She might remember the room as a perfect spot for relaxation, retreat, and renewal. She sees herself happily spending time in that space. In fact, she looks forward to it.
 

As a seller, you can see how this can make a difference to your ability to sell quickly, and at a higher price.
 

Now you try. What do you feel, see and imagine remembering when you look at this favourite bedroom staging “after” photo in Edgemont?
 

To see more of my favourite bedroom staging projects, check out the Set Your Stage “Bedrooms After Staging” board on Pinterest.
 

Imagine you are looking at this beautiful property in Evanston, Calgary that used to be a show home. You enter the living room and see the large fireplace and windows. They are so grand, it makes the rest of the room look tiny. It would feel overwhelming in the room, like they didn’t belong. The feedback the sellers kept getting from possible buyers was: there was no room for a sofa. Buyers love a living room with a fireplace to make a room feel cozy but not if their furniture won’t fit. This was a vacant property before we staged it.
 

To properly stage a large fireplace within a small room, it’s important to keep it in perspective with the other features of the room. Stage it to ‘fit’ and therefore sell. Ideally, buyers don’t want to be left wondering how to deal with a potential problem, ie their furniture won’t fit. So you can make their lives (and therefore your sale) easier by staging the solution for them.
 

With the addition of the proper furniture, placement, and strategic use of colour, the space is bound together as one unit, creating ease and comfort. Staging allows this large fireplace to work as the feature it’s meant to be. You can see that the mantel is actually higher than the stair railing going up to the next floor. In fact, even on a step ladder, we couldn’t reach to hang the artwork. Instead, it’s leaning on the ledge.
 

Did I mention? This property sold the weekend after staging was complete. We staged Friday and it sold Sunday.
 

For more examples of the power and impact staging can create in a space, take a look at the Set Your Stage Facebook albums featuring many before and after photos of the various homes and condos that we’ve staged for sale.