#3. Tell a story and set the stage.

Set the stage in your home

This might be difficult to do continuously, but if you are having an open house or you know you're going to have a showing, set the stage and tell a story by staging different places in the home as if someone was going to use it at the moment. For instance: if you have an office, set out reading glasses, a mug, a piece of paper, pen, and pencil holder. You are setting the stage for the perfect work environment.

If it's a bathroom, have a basket of toiletries, rolled up washcloths and towels, unopened soaps, candles and fresh greenery. You are setting the stage for the perfect spa environment.

For bedrooms, Have reading glasses, a good book, perhaps fresh flowers on the nightstand with the nightlight or bedside lamp. This sets the stage for a perfect and inviting bedroom to escape to when you want to curl up with a good book.

If you have a fireplace in a cozy living room use a warm blanket draped over the closest couch or chair.

For kitchen tables, set the stage for an intimate, quiet dinner for two or perhaps the perfect entertaining area with wine glasses, plates and chargers. For the kitchen, have a bowl of fresh fruit or citrus laid out with a cookbook opened to a particular recipe and a wooden spoon laid across the book. This kitchen is begging for someone to come in and create the perfect dish. 

Each room can be laid out and stage specifically for what it was intended to be. You are creating a story, setting the stage for the next homeowner, and inviting them to be a part of perhaps a life you shared in this property.

To recap, make sure you depersonalize and remove a lot of the items in the house that simply don't add to the staging. Don't neglect the outside of the house and make it more inviting for people to come in and browse the property, and third, set the stage and tell a story in each room so that it is inviting and potential buyers can see themselves enjoying the home.

For more tips on your specific home or if you have a unique layout that need some additional staging help, contact our office today. Buyers are out there and home prices are rising every week.

More on Staging: Easy Ways to Stage Your Portland Home on a Budget

5 Key Things You Can Do Right Now to Impress Buyers and Sell Your Home