Tips to Maximize Your Space Before Selling Your Home

Making the best use of space isn’t necessarily something we give much thought to. during day-to-day life. Most of us manage the space in our homes for convenience and as support for our family routines. The essence of our lifestyle is clearly reflected in hundreds of small details, that’s what makes a house a home. But all that changes when we decide to sell.

Maybe you’ve outgrown your space or the floor plan no longer suits you. Whatever your reasons for selling your home, this is the time to take your own lifestyle out of the mix, make the most of your space and emphasize your home’s best features. Even if your home is not large, there are things you can do to highlight the space it does have, allowing potential buyers to imagine their own life there.

— Thinking of Selling Your Home? You’ll Love Our Moving On Advantage Discount —

I know you’ve heard it before but it bears repeating- when staging your home for sale, decluttering is always task number one followed immediately by depersonalizing. For the short time that your home is on the market; clear kitchen counters, put away family photos, pare down furniture to necessities only. Then work on promoting your home’s best attributes allowing architectural features to shine through. You can give the appearance of spaciousness even in the smallest areas. For instance empty closets of anything non-essential. Often renting a storage area or portable pod makes sense. The more attractive your home is to potential home buyers, the quicker the sale and the higher the price.

Below are just a few ways that small spaces can be visually magnified.

— — —

Small spaces have both their own charm and challenges, but every home, regardless of size, can benefit from visually adding space. Thankfully, there are a few easily implemented tricks to make your rooms look bigger.

Scale Down
This may be obvious, but a massive couch will swallow a small room. If your room is small, or you would simply like to maximize your available space, opt for smaller furniture and even smaller art. Keep everything appropriate for the scale of the room. Remove all but one key piece or rearrange to reveal one large space in the center of the room. Many modern furniture designs feature helpful hidden storage compartments and pull-out extensions, adding function as well as style.

Use Vertical Space
As much as possible, keep the floor uncluttered by using vertical space instead. Opt against horizontal storage options like large trunks or long bureaus. Strategically staged tall bookcases and upright dressers can serve to house the same items without compromising floor space. Hang artwork higher and install curtains and window coverings at ceiling level rather than just above the windows, giving your ceilings the illusion of extra height.

Go for Minimalist
Even when organized, too many items in a small room can look like clutter. Lean towards a minimalist aesthetic to ensure that you are not visually cramping your space. Incorporate matching storage cubes or fabric bins placed on shelving, giving the eye a smooth surface to slide over rather than a confusion of individual items that divert focus.

Let in the Light
A well-lit room feels airy and spacious even when it’s small. Avoid light-blocking curtains, open up the blinds whenever possible and try to keep the room bright. For the evening, turn on track lighting or recessed lights and lamps to keep the space looking roomy, warm and inviting.

Choose Sleek Lines
Bulky and overstuffed furniture of the past should be banned from your small spaces. Instead, mid-century modern, danish, or contemporary furnishings help create an impression of open space. This style works very well in a small area because its elongated lines elevate the appearance of the ceiling and the furniture itself takes up less square footage.

Keep Your Color Scheme Basic
Bright, dazzling colors certainly have their place, but that may not be in your small room. Pale, softer hues work much better to keep a room looking spacious and airy, and a monochromatic color scheme keeps your home from being too visually stimulating or having a sense of being overly busy.

Preventing a cluttered and claustrophobic feel should be the goal in any sized home but none more than when you list your home for sale. You do yourself and your finances a huge favor when you present your home in its best light.