Blog post for realtor Storey Collective
Project summary
Storey Collective is an award-winning, women-owned collective for home buyers and sellers in the Greater Toronto Area, Canada. The three powerhouse realtors behind the brand – Marianne, Marija, and Ira – have a combined 18 years of experience buying and selling real estate.
To write an ultra-readable blog post that shares seven home staging techniques and helps Storey Collective attract new prospects. (This was one of many blog posts in a broader campaign.)
Some real estate copy can feel a bit dry, heavy, or even dull. That’s so not the Storey Collective vibe. Marianne was keen to work with copywriters who are skilled at transforming mundane topics into consumable, interesting content.
While we’re on the topic of captivating real estate narratives: If you’ve ever had to sell your home, you know it can be a rewarding yet stressful experience. Storey Collective is all about making the process as smooth and relaxing as possible.
So, the blog post needed to be accessible and aspirational. Readers should feel they can handle home staging themselves – while knowing the reliable, friendly Storey Collective team is always ready to step in and help.
Of course, we also included the crucial elements of any great blog post. We:
- Integrated keywords like ‘home staging’ at a density of 1% to help the post appear in related Google search results.
- Sprinkled internal links throughout to keep readers on the client’s website, learning more.
- Added a call to action prompting readers to book a call with Storey Collective.
A tip-packed blog post that’s as much about providing useful, inspiring copy to sellers as it is about attracting prospects via Google and converting leads.
The images below are placeholders and do not belong to the client.
Prepare your home for a quicker sale with home staging techniques
Seven Home Staging Tips To Help Buyers Fall in Love With Your Property
Here's the finished result!
Sellers often ask us how they can attract home buyers in a limited time. In fact, this comes up so frequently we’ve already dedicated one blog post to selling your home quickly. And now we’ve written another. This one’s all about home staging. There’s so much you can do to stage your home, which is great because it makes a huge difference when it comes to attracting buyers.
Home staging is about cleaning, tidying, and arranging your home so buyers imagine themselves living in your house—and then fall in love with it. And home staging techniques can be incredibly effective. The National Association of Realtors® has found that 82% of buyers’ agents agree that staging a home makes it easier for buyers to visualize a prospective property as their future home.
Some people assume home staging is expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. So, in this blog post, we’ll share our tips on how to help buyers fall in love with your home without having to spend a fortune. We’ve tried and tested these tips ourselves and hope they work as well for you as they have for our clients.
Here are seven home staging tips to ramp up buyer interest.
1. Declutter and de-personalize
When a prospective buyer visits your property, they’ll try to visualize their furniture and decorations in your house. They’ll find this much easier if they’re looking at a blank canvas. So, while your wall displays, mantel ornaments, and countertop décor may be beautiful, pare any decorative items back before prospective buyers visit.
Buyers are likely to snoop, so don’t fall into the trap of thinking you don’t need to keep all closets and cabinets tidy. Think spacious, minimal, and clean. We recommend putting around a third of your items into storage while you sell, especially family photos, keepsakes, and memorabilia collections. This way, you can wow prospective buyers by showing them how much space there is.
2. Organize furniture strategically
You’ve probably arranged your home for easy living, perhaps so the television is visible from every chair or sofa, or perhaps so your children have space to play. But prospective buyers might have other priorities. So, it’s worth thinking strategically when you have a viewing.
Think about how you can best arrange your furniture to create an open, yet intimate space that inspires conversation. Prospective buyers should be able to flow through your home without bumping into furniture, and you should arrange all items to make your property feel as spacious as possible.
3. Add inviting touches to your kitchen
Home staging isn’t just about decluttering and cleaning. It’s also about painting a picture of home life. Prospective buyers need to be able to picture their family living in your home. So, adding a couple of inviting touches might be just what you need.
Of course, this can add up cost-wise. But you can pick out rooms to focus on to avoid spending elsewhere. Out of all the rooms in your home, the kitchen is most likely to represent family life. There are various budget methods you can use to give your kitchen that welcoming feel.
For example, you could buy one fancy appliance, like a coffee machine. Just one high-end appliance can update your kitchen and make everything else feel more expensive.
There are smaller touches you can add, too. Whether you spread your best linens, arrange your china tea set, or add a pretty centrepiece on top of a neutral table runner, you’ll soon make your kitchen feel especially welcoming.
4. Bring in natural light
Pretty much all buyers want good lighting in their home, so it’s usually a good idea to maximize the natural light in your house. Often, this comes down to trimming bushes that limit the sunlight streaming through your windows. Tying your curtains back and cleaning your windows can also help.
Then you can move on to your light fittings. Perhaps a different lampshade would allow more light into the room? And what about increasing the wattage of your light bulbs?
5. Blast dirt and make quick fixes
It may be obvious to clean your house before a viewing, but it’s easy to underestimate just how clean your home needs to be. We’re not talking about a quick tidy. You’ll have a much better chance of selling your house if everything sparkles. Even the smallest details. So, dust your ceiling fans and window blinds, re-grout your tiles, and scrub every surface.
Teaming your cleaning routine with other quick fixes is usually a much better approach than mammoth makeovers. You’re unlikely to get your money back if you invest in huge home-improvement projects before selling
Instead, in-depth cleaning, a lick of paint, and some new door handles can go a long way. There’s also a lot to be said for a fresh bathroom towel folded over your bath and even a set of tea towels in bold prints to pick out your kitchen colours.
6. Make the right first impression
Although we’ve highlighted the kitchen as a focal point, if you’re on a budget, it can be helpful to focus your funds on the first things prospective buyers will see. This often means gardening your front yard and putting most of your home staging efforts into the first room visitors will step into.
Prospective buyers have usually made their minds up within six seconds—three from the curb and three when they step inside.
7. Make the most of your garden blooms
If you have beautiful blooms growing in your garden, using these in your home staging is a no-brainer. Fresh flowers are always an inviting touch. They warm up any room with beautiful colours and smells.
If you don’t have flowers growing in your garden, a bunch from your local shop can still go a long way. Don’t worry if you don’t have a vase. You can use lots of containers in place of these: mason jars, antique pitchers, and liquor bottles, for starters.
What’s more, you don’t have to limit yourself to flowers. Got fruit and veg growing in your garden? How about a bowl of home-grown produce?
When you work with Storey Collective, you’ll have access to a fantastic network of repair and cleaning service providers. These providers can assess your home to advise on any repairs that will increase your home’s value. They can also help with decluttering and junk removal; cleaning gutters, windows, and carpets; painting; and removal services.
We usually work with your furnishings to showcase your home’s best features while streamlining traffic flow. However, we can also arrange storage facilities for your furniture during the selling process and arrange rental furniture deliveries to create that welcoming feel in the meantime.
If you need further advice or would like to chat with a real estate professional about our home staging services, book a call with us.
