When you’re selling your own property, staging is always important. You want to make a strong first impression, convincing buyers right out of the gate that your home offers them a welcoming, roomy space.
Staging can be especially tricky during the winter. Then again, staging your home in winter offers some unique opportunities. Remember that house hunters will be braving chilly weather to come tour your property. If you can make your place feel truly warm, cozy, and inviting, that may give you the real estate leg-up you need.
So what staging tips should you keep in mind while trying to make your home feel cozy… ultimately, while trying to get it sold? Here are some guidelines to consider.
How to Make Your House Feel Cozy
As you seek to maximize coziness, we’d recommend:
- Put out blankets and throw pillows. Nothing says cozy like big, plush pillows and blankets! Spring for some truly fluffy throws, and place them on sofas, beds, even oversized chairs. Make your home feel like a place where buyers can just sink down and nestle in for winter. Bonus points if you can find textured blankets or pillows made with festive or seasonal patterns.
- Get crafty. Another way to make your home feel, well, home-like? Adorn it with some seasonally appropriate crafts. Make them yourself or buy some homemade-feeling items from your favorite home decor store. We’re thinking in particular of anything involving pinecones, winter branches, snowflake patterns… you get the idea.
- Place decorative candles. Did you know that there is an old tradition of placing candles in windowsills, literally leaving a light on for weary travelers who come your way? In much the same way, the presence of some seasonal candles can give your home a more welcoming feel.
- Clean up your fireplace. Do you have a hearth area? If so, make sure it looks clean and tidy, and that all of your fire-tending implements are carefully organized. The fireplace area can really exude warmth, literally and figuratively, and it will look especially enticing if you keep it neat.
- Don’t forget about scents! The sense of smell can also be a powerful way for you to make inroads with potential buyers. Make your house feel like winter; channel the holidays! Candles, potpourri, or actual winter greens can all go a long way. Scents like apple, cinnamon, and vanilla are all good options.
- Choose soft lighting. You always want your home to be as well-lit as possible, and natural light is the best option when you’re trying to get your home sold. But there may still be some rooms that need extra illumination. We recommend getting some side lamps that can provide a soft, warm ambiance, rather than using harsh overhead lighting.
- Get thick curtains. When you’re selling your own home, we really would recommend letting in as much natural light as you can. With that said, thick, insulating curtains can give your home a cozier feel, even if they’re pulled back and out of the way. Thick curtains can be a useful home staging investment.
- Minimize clutter. Decluttering is always a big part of the home staging process; indeed, when we offer house selling tips, minimizing clutter is usually at the top of the list. We’ll reiterate that a messy, untidy home usually doesn’t feel especially inviting, nor does it help you optimize your space. By all means, bring out your seasonal decor, but make sure you keep it streamlined.
Those are our tips for making your home feel as cozy as can be in advance of a winter listing; for more house selling tips, stay tuned to SOLD.com.
Claim Your Seller’s Report
Additionally, make sure you take the time to claim your free seller’s report from SOLD.com! In it, you’ll get custom tips for how to list your house and achieve your real estate goals. The information in your SOLD.com report will be furnished by independent experts, and we think it will give you a lot to think about as you consider listing your home.
Whenever you’re ready, put in a request for your free report.
