Special to "Hamilton Real Estate Today" by contributing Blogstress, Professional Stager and fellow Realtor
"
Rachel Vanderveen"
Staging the exterior parts of your home can certainly be a
task. This week I want to move inside and focus on the master bedroom. The
master bedroom and the kitchen are going to be the two most important areas of
your home to stage perfectly.
So let’s dive in. Many people---especially those like myself
who have kids---use their master bedroom as a staging area (and not the good
kind of staging). This is the area where kids get dressed, dirty laundry falls,
cribs, cradles, nursing chairs, bookshelves and the like tend to land when
there isn’t enough room left in other rooms. Unfortunately, all of this is
going to need to go. We need to set the stage for an inviting and cozy area for
Hamilton Home Buyers to picture peaceful sleep.
So for that reason, we need to be a deleting-monster, and
get right back to basics. I would suggest that you pare your room down to a
bed, 2 nightables, and 2 lamps, and then sharply question from there, anything
else you put into the room. If your clothes are spilling out of your closet
(like they are from mine) and you’ve had to purchase a dresser to put in the
master bedroom, it may be time to simplify. A dresser in the master suite says,
“I don’t have enough room in my teeny master closet to fit all of my clothes.”
Even though this is true for roughly 90% of Hamilton Real Estate Sellers,
staging is about the art of disguise, and we need to make it look like it’s not
true for your Hamilton Listing! So, if you can part with it, I would suggest
ditching the dresser, and storing it in the closet. This may take a high level
of discernment for what stays in the house, and what gets stored. Remember, if
the clothing in your closet is not in season, you really don’t need to have it
within arms-reach.
The bed should be soft and inviting. If you still have the
same comforter that you had when
you got married, it 
might be time to
stop into one of those big box stores and grab a bed in a bag which usually
comes with a comforter, sheets, throw pillows, and a bed skirt. Be sure to
stick with neutral colours such as whites, beiges, creams and browns. You’d be surprised how much a new bedspread can instantly modernize a room! If you do
not have a bed frame, make a head board at the very least. This can be done
easily with a big piece of wood, some batting, and a neutral (yet eye-catching)
piece of fabric. Assemble with a staple gun, and hang carefully in the place of
a head board.
I also like to see something decorative, yet neutral, hung
above the bed. Make sure it’s not a personal photo. Landscape photos in neutral
frames, or twisted iron decorations are always great options. The best place to
go—in my opinion—is Winners or Home Sense. You guys have those in Hamilton,
right? If not, Walmart may just do in a pinch. I like to see the decoration
span the width of the headboard. If you can’t find anything that big, use the
rule of 1, 3 or 5. You may have one large decoration, three medium decorations,
or five small decorations across the width of the headboard.
Your night stand needs to be totally free and clear of
anything but the lamps. Buy a Rubbermaid container to place your reading
glasses, night time books, and personal photos in, and slide it under the bed
so it’s easily accessible when you need it. Don’t forget to switch those lamps
on for every showing. Hamilton real estate buyers love to see a room that is
light and bright.
The carpet in the master bedroom tends to bunch and curl
after having the heavy bed sit on the surface of it. If you have carpeting that
is starting to wander, it may be a good idea to get the carpet stretched, which
is fairly inexpensive in most cases.
The master bathroom should be polished to a high-shine.
There should not be a hint of dust or a speck of toothpaste as far as the eye
can see. When I talk about master bathrooms, I usually tell my clients that the
look I am going for is “spa-like.” I want to see your fluffiest, whitest towels
folded and on the counter. You should roll up some of those towels as well, and
place in the basket near the tub. Line up some plain white candles along the
edge of the tub or on the counter top.
All products of every kind should be strictly banished from
view. Remember, we want people looking at your bathroom, not at your shampoo.
Buy a cheap shower caddy from Walmart and put everything you need in there. You
can store it under the kitchen sink when
it’s not in use.
The master bedroom should feel like a peaceful and serene
area. The less you have in there, the better. It keeps people focused on what they would put in there when they buy
your Hamilton Real Estate Listing! So this week, have fun making the place
where you rest your head into an oasis!
Until next time…
Blessings
Rachel Vanderveen is a Calgary Christian Realtor
specializing in Calgary condos, South East Calgary Real
Estate, home staging and Calgary
Real Estate Investment, and Auburn Bay Realty. But more importantly she is a mother to four
adorable children, a lover of Auburn
Bay Real Estate, and an avid writer of Calgary Real Estate Blogs. For
more information on Houses for
sale in Calgary, or searching mlslistings.ca,
visit her website here.