10 Condo Staging Tips For A Fast Sale

Selling your condo is a laborious process, regardless of how often you have sold properties or how much of an investment expert you are. If you plan to sell your condo, you might be surprised about some simple things you can do that are not obvious – like condo staging.

When your realtor talks about staging a condominium, they are referring to the process of preparing a condo for sale on the real estate market. Staging is intended to showcase a property’s best features, impress potential buyers, and sell the property fast for the highest possible price. Given that not all sellers stage their properties, you will be at an advantage if you take the extra step of condo staging.

Is condo staging important?

Effective staging focuses on flattering a property to show off its features, hide its flaws, turn weird spaces into functional spaces, and make the property look better in photos. The staging process also helps evoke emotion in buyers and allows them to imagine themselves in the house.

When dealing with a significant financial transaction like selling a condo, you do not want to settle for a low sale price or a longer marketing period than necessary. Relative to the period and money involved, condo staging may be one of the projects with a better return on investment you can undertake.

The potential buyer isn’t just looking for any structure to inhabit – they also want to fulfill their goals and improve their lifestyles. Therefore, effective staging can create a somewhat emotional purchase for the potential buyer, ultimately generating more cash for the seller. Condo staging also makes it easier for most first-time buyers and other investors to visualize a house as their home, which can help sell it faster.

10 condo staging tips

The most common staged rooms include the kitchen, the living room, the bedroom, and the dining room (if available). Of course, your budget and time will determine the practical level of staging for your condo. Here are staging tips that will help sell your condo faster.

1. Clean your condo

A clean condominium shows your dream buyers that you have taken good care of your property. So, clean every part of the house, from the floor to the ceiling – and everything in between.

Even if you don’t have new kitchen appliances, ensure the existing ones are spotlessly clean. Similarly, ensure your bathroom sparkles, from the tub corners and sink drain to the counters and the space behind the toilet you often think no one will see. Focus on making everything look clean and new.

2. Ensure your condo is clutter-free

There are two problems with clutter. First, it distracts a potential buyer from your condo’s features. Secondly, it makes your property seem less spacious.

Condo staging offers you the opportunity to box up and put the things you don’t need on a day-to-day basis away. It also allows you to get rid of the stuff you no longer need, like the clothes your kid has outgrown or the expired food in the back of the kitchen cabinets. The more empty and clean space you have, the better and brighter your condo will appear.

3. Depersonalize

Generally, condo staging isn’t the same as interior decorating. The latter is about personal style, while staging is intended to create spaces that appeal to buyers.

Buyers need to envision themselves in your condominium. As much as you want to draw their attention to the key aspects of your property, your interior décor preferences may not always match their tastes. So, remove all your keepsakes, refrigerator artwork, and family photos. Keep clothes hidden away and ensure your bathroom counters are empty and clean. Likewise, keep away anything that’s personal or evocative of the property’s inhabitants.

4. Focus on freshness

Several potted plants can do wonders to make your condo feel fresh and more inviting. Be sure to space out the potted plants strategically so that they don’t overwhelm one area. Avoid dead or dying plants because they won’t make your property look well-tended.

It would be best if you also got rid of odors. Pets, damp bathroom, last night’s dinner, and other similar conditions can make your condominium stink. Some of the inexpensive ways or tricks of ridding a house of odors include;

• Baking cinnamon-coated apples in the oven (don’t burn them)
• Burning vanilla-scented candles
• Wipe down your kitchen sink with half lemon
• Take out the trash
• Add fresh flowers

Although you can use an air freshener to deodorize your house, it’s recommended to avoid them because they can trigger asthma and allergic reactions in sensitive people.

5. Wallpaper & paint

It’s unlikely your wallpaper will attract the attention of buyers. Your best bet is to tear all wallpapers down and paint the walls using neutral color paint. Don’t paint over the wallpaper as your wall color may seem shabby, and remind the buyer of the work they may have to do after buying the property.

Prospective buyers are likely to hold the same opinion about custom paint colors. Perhaps you love an orange bathroom. However, people’s tastes in wall color are specific and personal. It’s also easy to think that white walls are ideal as they create a clean slate that lets buyers envision their décor and offers them a starting point. But it’s better to use paint colors that are warm and neutral. Condo staging offers you the chance to make these changes.

6. Flooring

Generally, no one wants to live in a condominium with stained, dirty carpet, particularly when someone else is responsible for the carpet’s condition. Condo staging allows you to address all flooring-related issues and other common condo qualms among buyers.

Keep in mind that linoleum looks cheap and is widely considered outdated. On the other hand, hardwood floors often add elegance and value to a property, require low maintenance, offer great long-term value, and are considered perfect for people with allergies. So, common areas like the kitchen and living room should be the main focus if you want to add hardwood floors. If you must upgrade the bathroom, go with ceramic tile or stone. Alternatively, use top-quality vinyl tiles that mimic stone or ceramic tiles.

7. Lighting

Modern staging allows you to take advantage of your property’s natural light. So, keep all blinds and curtains open when showing your condominium. Add the right lighting fixtures and turn on the light bulbs for showings. This makes your property appear brighter and inviting, saving the buyers the hassle of hunting for light switches. Having proper lighting and other aspects of condo staging is a huge selling point and could help attract a high-end buyer.

8. Don’t forget the furniture

Ensure the furniture is the perfect size for the room, and avoid cluttering the room with too many pieces of furniture. Note that too big furniture will make the entire room look small, while too small pieces of furniture can make the room feel cold.

Avoid cheap furniture too. And you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars to switch your furniture either. You can rent beautiful furniture and pair that with a throw or accent pillow to make the condo in question feel spacious and easy to navigate.

9. Walls & ceilings

Did you know that cracks in the ceiling and walls are red flags to prospective buyers as they might indicate hidden problems? These issues should be addressed before property showing in terms of getting a better condo price. So, address any underlying issues and repair the cracks to avoid scaring off your prospective buyers.

10. Know your audience

When staging your property, consider the type of buyer or buyer pool you want to attract. Depending on your available condo staging resources, you can design the space for the specific demographic you are targeting. Otherwise, your property will stay in condo listings longer than you expect.

Final thoughts

There are many benefits of condo staging, but that doesn’t mean you should put too much money into this process. Sure, you want to emphasize the condo’s best features, but keep in mind that the aspects that sell a condo and what makes it usable to the buyer aren’t the same thing.

To get the most value for your budget, work with a Toronto condo staging and interior design firm. Note that an accredited staging company can provide affordable condo staging services, help evaluate the square footage, create a furniture rental list, and turn your average condo into a functional and beautiful space that appeals to the widest possible range of prospective buyers.