The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives in many ways, one of the biggest impacts it has made is the amount of time we have spent hanging out at home. Some people were under stay at home orders for months.
Lockdowns are beginning to end, and we are beginning to slowly return to being out and about. But the pandemic had such a big impact that it will forever change some ways we do things.
Just as former historic tragedies have shaped the generations that lived through them, the coronavirus will shape some of the things we do. One of those things is what we find comfortable and necessary to call a house a home because we were in our homes for so long.
This changes the way homes will be marketed and sold as buyers shift their focus to new must have features. One of the best tools to help highlight these features and sell a home right now is expert home staging.
Here are some staging tips to help a home appeal to what buyers are looking for most in a post-pandemic world.
Stage a Home Office Space
The top of the list is a home office. A big percentage of people have been shifted their job to remote online work. Houzz, a site dedicated to home design and home remodeling, conducted a poll asking homeowners and design professionals about their home office space. 55% of those polled said they have a home office, 25% of people polled said they work from their dining table, and 11% said they work from the sofa.
Some challenges poll respondents faced with working from home were finding a place that was private or quiet and away from other things happening in the home, securing a solid WI-FI connection, and having a comfortable place to work.
With these results in mind, it is a great idea to stage a home for sale with a dedicated office or even a space that can be creatively set up as an office space. Here are some tips for staging office space in homes
Use a bedroom if you have three or more or carve out space in a nook
Turn a hall closet into an office space with a desk and built-in shelving
Use a corner of the kitchen or turn the wet bar into a workspace
If you have an upstairs landing or an empty space under the stairs, use that. Place a smaller table in the dining room and set up a small desk there as well.
Stage a Better Kitchen
Despite the fact that most restaurants were allowed to continue serving takeout throughout the lockdowns, most folks have spent a lot more time in their kitchens during the past almost two years actually cooking.
While you don't need a large kitchen to prepare delicious meals, you do need one that is functional, has lots of storage, and is what many home buyers are looking for these days. For home sellers, this means focusing more on showcasing these features of the kitchen in your home, as well as considering layout adjustments if necessary.
Showcase Privacy in Indoor Spaces
Another thing that COVID-19 lockdowns taught many of us is that while we love our family, and that the extra time together was often great, the constant togetherness also go to be a little too much at times. Which is why those who could retreat to a quiet spot for some alone time often fared a little better.
These kinds of spaces are something else that post pandemic homebuyers are actively looking for now. While you probably don't want - or even need - to consider a huge remodeling project like the addition of a room to home you are about to sell, you can stage your home to make better use of underused spaces that could provide those retreats.
Basements and attics are prime locations to add a small gym space, or reading nook, but there are other ways you add 'privacy spaces' too. If you have a space under the stairs, why not turn that into a cozy mini library? Even adding a window seat to a large window can offer homebuyers the option of being able to distance themselves from the hustle and bustle around them for a few minutes.
Show Off Privacy in Outdoor Spaces
For many people, their yards turned into a way to safely get some fresh air. Backyards became a staycation oasis. Outdoor spaces have always received attention, and now they will be receiving even more. Buyers will be looking for spaces they can hang out and enjoy nature on their own terms.
Turn your outdoor space into something a buyer can imagine hanging out in and enjoying all on their own. Try using neutral furniture with pops of color in pillows and potted plants. If there is a low fence giving sight lines to other backyards consider putting up a privacy wall or pergola to showcase privacy.
Perhaps most importantly of all, make a space into an outdoor room. Make it inviting where people can imagine wanting to linger and hang out, and if you have the room, in a socially distanced manner.
Entry/Mudrooms
Mudrooms have taken on a whole new level of importance as a decontamination station to transition residents from the outside germ-filled world to the safe and clean respite of home.
If your home has a mudroom make sure to showcase plenty of organized storage. If your home does not have one, use the area in the garage next to the door to put a bench, some coat hooks, and shoe cubbies. No room in the garage? Find some space to set these things up right inside the front door.
Getting ready to buy a Waterloo Region home, or sell the one you own? Let Team Pinto use their huge local real estate experience and expertise to help you. Contact the award-winning Team Pinto here, or book a free Zoom consultation to discuss your unique Waterloo Region real estate needs here.
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