4 Tips for Staging Outdoor Spaces
Outdoor spaces have become a meaningful extension of our homes, offering a sanctuary for relaxation, entertainment, and connecting with nature. Whether you're preparing to sell a property or simply want to improve your outdoor living area, staging these spaces can make a significant impact. Thoughtfully designed outdoor spaces not only increase the appeal of a home but also provide a sense of harmony and livability. Here are four tips for staging outdoor spaces to maximize their potential.
REMOVE CLUTTER
Optimize your outdoor space by removing clutter. Oftentimes, backyards become storage units with unfinished projects, lawn tools, and excessive patio furniture. As a realtor, it's essential to hide personal items and objects that may distract buyers from the space's potential. Outdoor space should be well-organized, and any items that remain should lift the visual appeal of the space. Any furniture should be evaluated for quality as well as for whether it enhances the space. If it doesn’t, strongly consider removing it as part of your staging process.
It may be tempting to overdress an outdoor space with a lot of furniture, but remember that less is more. Avoid overcrowding outdoor furniture during staging to help potential buyers envision themselves in the home. Ideally, you should create different outdoor living areas. Separate the outdoor dining, living, and kitchen spaces to give the illusion of a larger space. There are various ways to differentiate one area from another, from the arrangement of furniture to the use of color schemes for each area. Balance is an effective concept to keep in mind; the transition from one space to another should be seamless and create a sense of cohesion.
CLEAN UP THE SPACE
After removing clutter from the outdoor space, it's time to clean. While professional cleaning may be necessary, a quick clean is usually enough for home staging. Focus on larger areas, dusting eye-level areas and ceiling fans or mantles, and sweeping. Clean furniture with a dust rag or Windex. After cleaning, inspect the home's exterior for power washing and repairs. These updates not only enhance the home's value but also reassure buyers that they don't need to be fixers-uppers.
SPEND SOME TIME GARDENING
Take some time to do some basic gardening or hire someone to do it for you. The first step is to remove and kill any weeds; sift through flowerbeds, sidewalk cracks, and the lawn to ensure that all visible weeds are removed. Now that the yard is free of weeds, it’s time to check on the health of the yard’s trees, shrubbery, and flowers. Seek the advice of a professional if you are unsure of any decisions before you make drastic changes, such as significantly trimming trees or bushes. If you would rather keep it simple, stick to keeping the general shape of the plant life clean and unobtrusive. The status of the existing vegetation can make or break its appeal.
If you find the outdoor space somewhat underwhelming, don’t be afraid to try adding more! A gardening space full of healthy trees, bushes, shrubs, and flowers is a simple improvement over staring at a fence or into another property. Do not underestimate the wonders colorful flowers can do for a home's curb appeal. Even if your clients don’t want to plant anything, you can bring some potted flowers that you can take home with you once the home sells.
KEEP IT NEUTRAL
The first rule in home staging is to keep the furniture and home accents you use neutral so that they appeal to a wide variety of potential buyers. This rule applies to outdoor spaces as well. To keep your outdoor space neutral, remove items that may deter buyers, such as bold colors, loud pillows, or wild rugs. Instead, showcase your yard without masking it. Soften the space with relaxing pieces to create a cozy atmosphere, like a fire pit or water feature.
To enhance home staging, add clean furniture, tables, and rugs, or smaller home accents like a fire pit or water feature. Old, damaged, or worn furniture will only be a distraction and pull from the experience you are trying to create for buyers. If space is limited, hire a staging company to provide furniture and exterior design expertise. Avoid loud or flashy accents and invest in smaller pieces.
Hiring a staging company comes in handy when there is no existing furniture available or when you don't want to spend money on individual pieces. Proper outdoor staging can help sell your client's home, and if you don’t feel confident in your ability to stage a certain space, a staging company can give you, along with the help to sell a difficult space, new ideas you can use on your own in the future. Be attentive to where the stagers focus their attention, what features they accentuate or obscure and how they go about doing so. The more you learn now, the better prepared and independent you can be in the future!
GET MORE SELLING TIPS WITH AGENTCAMPUS
The outdoor living space of the home plays a key part in both its livability and marketability. These home staging tips can help you justify a better price for you or those you represent. Maintaining a home's exterior, lawn, gardens, and outdoor living spaces in excellent condition can significantly enhance its selling point and increase curb appeal, indicating its years of care and maintenance. Outdoor staging, and more specifically backyard staging, is a straightforward and highly effective way to take a property to the next level and is worth every second you put into it.
Additional real estate selling tips can be found in our training. For those looking to get licensed or get continuing education, we offer comprehensive, 100% online courses. Check out our extensive catalog of courses today!
