Selling your home? Staging it will be crucial. To do it right, you’ll want to redecorate and declutter your rooms and rearrange some furniture. For improved chances of success, you can also consider taking photos of your property to post online. In this article , we note that taking the time to capture every part of the house in the best light possible will make it easier for potential buyers to visualize what it would be like to live there. That can help you better communicate the value of your property in today’s crowded real estate market, which is why professionally staged homes net an average of $40,000 over the asking price.
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If you’re ready to stage your home, consider starting with the living room. Architectural Digest reports it’s the highest priority room for buyers. Over 34% of them are also more likely to go through with a sale if the room is decorated to their taste, so you’ll want to carefully strategize how you furnish your living area before taking some photographs.
The first piece you can look at is the couch. The right one will anchor your living room, helping you more easily decorate around it to create a space that better catches the eye. Thanks to its distinct characteristics, the L-shaped sectional couch will be one of the best for your purposes. If you have one, here’s how you can use it to stage a living room.
Accentuate focal points
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When showcasing a space, you need a focal point to catch the eye. In the living room, that can include permanent, in-demand fixtures like fireplaces, floor-to-ceiling windows, and custom built-in cabinets. The unique build of the L-shaped couch means it can easily fit into corners and follow the contours of your living room, so consider using it to accentuate those features and better draw potential buyers in. For example, you can create a cozy nook by slotting it into a corner near a bay window. L-shaped sofas can also look great in the middle of the living room, facing the fireplace. You can add other centerpieces, like coffee tables, in between the two to further bring out the comfort offered by the space. The communal, fireplace-themed Hearth coffee table from Industrial Craft exemplifies how doing so can add more soothing heat to your living room, potentially enticing more buyers.
Declutter the room
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An overstuffed living room will prevent buyers from actually seeing the space and can even make the whole area look smaller. That’s why Architectural Digest’s report also reveals decluttering to be the top home improvement task agents ask sellers to do. L-shaped sectionals can help here because you can use them as the only seating option in the room. The L-shaped couches featured on Living Spaces are much more spacious than regular sofas and can accommodate up to five people, so using one when staging your living room means you won’t need to crowd the space with additional pieces like armchairs and ottomans. Since many L-shaped models, like the Utopia and Chenille II, are also deep-seated and come with down cushions, using them won’t sacrifice the comfortable and relaxing mood your living room will give off—despite them helping you minimize how much furniture you put in your living space.
Demonstrate the space’s versatility
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Using furniture to create different “zones” can be helpful if you’re staging a home with an open-plan layout. According to realtor Suzy Minken, that’s especially true now that more buyers prefer homes with modern floor plans that involve fewer walls and create bigger overall spaces great for fostering human connection. Here, the broad back of the L-shaped couch will be perfect for setting boundaries between your living area and other parts of the home dedicated to working, eating, and more. For example, one tried-and-true strategy is to place it between your fireplace or TV and your dining table. Doing so offers an additional benefit: it creates a smoothly flowing layout the buyer can follow. By using the L-shaped couch to demonstrate the versatility of your home’s living spaces, buyers looking at images or visiting in person can intuitively navigate their way through your property and more easily picture themselves living there.