Sarah Baeumler of ‘Renovation Island’ Shared These Tips for Staging Your Home

Planning to put your house up for sale? Making your property attractive to would-be buyers is key, especially in today’s challenging real estate market. Staging your home can make a huge difference when selling your home. HGTV star and designer Sarah Baeumler previously shared some tips on how to make sure your house wows buyers. 

A good first impression is key when trying to sell your home, the ‘Renovation Island’ star said 

A few years ago, Sarah – who now appears on the hit HGTV series Renovation Island with her husband Bryan Baeumler – shared some home staging tips with Canada’s Citytv (via YouTube).

“They say that people, within 10 to 15 seconds of walking into your home, make a first impression,” Sarah said. “That first impression is key.”

The first place to start when sprucing up your home? The kitchen. Focus on decluttering and organizing the space you have, Sarah suggested. That can make your life a bit more difficult in the short term because you’ll have to hide frequently used items. But it also means buyers are more likely to like what they see when they step into the room. 

“Put away all those old toaster ovens and all of the extra things that, unfortunately, you use day-to-day. But when you have an appointment or showing, try to get rid of them,” Sarah said.  

Bring the outside in, Sarah Baeumler suggested 

If you’re selling your house, your de-cluttering efforts shouldn’t stop at the kitchen. Buyers want to know that the house has plenty of storage. Lots of visible clutter could make them think the home doesn’t have enough space.    

“Don’t let [buyers] see bookshelves cluttered with all your favorite books and kids’ toys and remote controls and all that sort of thing,” Sarah explained. Instead, box up most of your books and leave just a few on the shelves, displaying them both horizontally and vertically. 

Another way to make your home more appealing to buyers is to bring the outside in, Sarah said. 

“Nature is beautiful,” she pointed out. “Bring in potted herbs, potted plants, some greenery to add to your space.”

Keep color in mind 

Maintaining a clear, cohesive look throughout your home can also help leave buyers with a favorable impression. Sarah urges homeowners not to go too crazy with color. 

“The other thing to think about is color, keeping cohesive with just the entire home in general,” she said. So don’t go through and all of the sudden bring in crazy pops of color in one area and not the rest [of the house]. Pick one color and keep it very cohesive.”

If you have white furniture, it’s easy to add in pops of color with throw pillows and other accessories, Sarah said. 

Staging your home takes some effort, but it doesn’t have to be expensive, Sarah said. You may even be able to use items you already have to give your house a fresh look that will help it sell faster than it would otherwise. 

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