Staging Your Fix & Flip for Success

Fix and flip investing takes a huge variety of skills. You need to be a researcher, an accountant, a construction worker… but you also need to be an artist. Some house flipping pros are veritable Monets when it comes to staging homes. They complete the hard, straightforward work of renovations then seamlessly flip the switch and become brilliant interior designers, landscape artists, and lighting technicians.

If you don’t have an artist’s eye, don’t worry. There are a number of simple staging guidelines that you can follow to ensure that your investment property draws in potential buyers.

1. Don’t overdo it.

If you don’t have the most unique or interesting sense of style in the world, that’s ok. In fact, it’s probably to your benefit. The way to appeal to the most potential buyers is by staging your rehab property in a manner that is subtle and simple. Paint the walls white or a soft beige. Bring in furniture that looks comfortable and basic. No need for a brightly patterned sofa or an excessively elegant chaise lounge. You’re creating a canvas, a blank space that potential buyers can walk into and start visualizing as their own. If they instead walk in and feel like they’re in someone else’s home – someone with a strong sense of style – they’ll have a harder time imaging their own things in the home.

2. Don’t overlook the front yard.

The importance of curb appeal can’t be overstated. It doesn’t matter how gorgeous a home is on the inside; if it looks like a wreck from the street, you’ll never get anyone to step inside. Take the time to do simple things like mowing the lawn, painting the trim, and cleaning the gutters. If you have space in your budget, do a little landscaping to make the home seem more welcoming and, well, homey. A barren yard instantly makes a home look dingier. Planting a few flowering shrubs and vines can make a home seem instantly warmer and more appealing.

3. Use cheap fixes to add the appearance of value.

Say you didn’t have the time or money to completely redo the kitchen. You can still give the kitchen a facelift and drastically improve its appearance by changing out old appliances for new ones, refinishing or painting the cupboards, replacing old handles with new hardware, or adding accents like a tile backsplash. Elsewhere in the house, putting in new base boards or adding some crown molding can make any room look more elegant at a very low cost.

4. Decorate the rooms people care about.

Ideally, when staging your fix and flip property, you’d make every room look amazing. But if you’re on a budget or a time crunch, focus on the rooms that people care most about – the kitchen, the family room, the master bedroom, and the master bath. If these rooms are appealing, buyers will be able to visualize for themselves how the other rooms will fall into place.

5. Use space to your advantage.

If one room is a bit small, group furniture together to make the space look bigger. Put the emphasis of your staging efforts on the features you want to highlight. At the same time, look for tricks and superficial fixes to minimize weaknesses. Remember to think about the lighting and ensure that dark spaces are brightened by carefully placed lamps. A well-lit room always looks more cheerful and bigger.