With millions of people now working remotely, staging a home office in your property can make it more appealing to potential buyers. It can also help your listing stand out in the real estate market and even give you the chance to sell above the asking price.
In this post, we’ll give you some practical tips for staging a home office to sell a property fast on a tight market. Read on and see the techniques our expert home stagers swear by!
Why staging a home office can be your biggest market advantage
Homebuyers could be more willing to make an offer if you have a well-staged home office in your property. Even if they are not actively scouting for properties with home offices, discovering that your listing have one will make it stand out among other houses they will see.
With that said, here’s why you should ask our home staging experts about designing an office space in your house for sale:
- Enhancing your home’s functionality. Staging a home office for sale will also help buyers see the functionality of your home. It will greatly help attract buyers who are working remotely or is already planning to run their business from home.
- Highlighting your property’s flexibility. A home office will also show buyers that a spare room is more than just an extra space. It can be their fully functional and professional-looking office at the same time.
- Leaving a good first impression. Even if buyers don’t make an offer right away, a home office in your property will make them remember your house. So, after going to multiple showings, potential buyers would more likely consider yours as their next home.
8 home office staging ideas you should try
Are you looking for home office ideas for staging? Here are some hacks that our experts actually use for home staging in Los Angeles:
1. Use quality and functional furniture
When it comes to home office staging, you need to get high-quality and functional furniture. Start with the essentials like a spacious desk and a sleek office chair. You can also add a desk lamp, a document tray, a bookshelf, and even a fully functioning computer.
You want buyers to visualize themselves working in the home office, which means you should have a realistic setup. For example, you should have an actual office chair instead of a stool chair.
At the same time, you should avoid too much clutter. Take it easy with storage, and don’t install a bunch of screens in an effort to give an ‘office’ vibe. Having the essentials is usually enough, especially if you’re working in a limited space.
Whatever home office furniture you need, HolmeStage can provide it for you. We offer luxury furniture rental, so you no longer have to look for another provider when staging your home.
2. Focus on good lighting
Every remote worker consider good lighting as a premium feature for a home office. So, when staging your home office, make sure that you position the desk near a window, so you can take advantage of natural light.
At the same time, you can layer it up with task lights, such as desk lamps, as well as ambient lighting to light up the whole room in the evening.
3. Mind the acoustics
Noise is one of the biggest enemies of remote workers. In this case, avoid choosing a room exposed to traffic, household activities, or other outdoor noises. If possible, pick a room that’s secluded, so the home office will be quiet and conducive for working.
To reduce ambient noise, you can add area rugs, blackout curtains, and acoustic panels. You can also seal the windows to make them more soundproof, especially if your property is near a busy road.
4. Come up with an organized workspace
When home staging an office, your goal is to help buyers imagine living and working in your property. You’d want to avoid distractions due to clutter or over the top decorations.
Remove any items that don’t have any practical use in the home office. You should keep the work desk tidy and always mind the flow of all the furniture and décor you will add.
You can also utilize storage spaces like shelves, drawers, and more, which we discussed in a separate section below.
5. Stay neutral
Whether you’re staging a home office or any room in your house, we always recommend sticking to neutral color schemes like beige, white, or cream. This way, your home office will appeal to a wider range of homebuyers. Also, neutral colors give a more professional look, which is a big plus for remote workers.
Still, it doesn’t mean you can’t inject brighter colors into your staged home office. You can add patterned rugs, brighter shades, or colorful office supplies. However, don’t overdo the colors about 2 to 3 bright-colored additions would be enough.
6. Depersonalize the space
It’s also important to depersonalize the home office, especially if you’ve been using it personally before listing your home. Make sure you remove personal items, documents, family photos, awards, and any items that will reflect your personal life.
Always remember that the moment you list your home in the market, it’s no longer for you but for the next owner. You’d want to give them a blank canvas where they can see themselves.
However, it can be challenging for some owners to depersonalize due to their over-familiarity with their homes. If you’re struggling with the same problem, you can call our house staging experts to help depersonalize your home office or entire house.
7. Choose the right storage
You can add more functionality to your home office staging by adding storage solutions.
For example, when staging a small home office, you can add wall shelves and stackable trays to avoid eating up floor space. At the same time, you can get desks with built-in shelves or drawers to save space.
Also, you should place the storage furniture strategically, so they don’t look cramped inside the home office. You should also ensure that the storage pieces are up to scale with the size of the room – something that our expert stagers can do for you.
8. Add texture to your design
Once you have all the essentials covered, it’s time to add some finishing touches to make the home office more appealing. You can incorporate various textures to add character to the room.
For example, you can use soft-textured rugs combined with furniture pieces with sleek metal finishes. If the dedicated space allows, you can also add decorative and functional baskets, paperweights, and more.
Additional home office staging tips
Aside from the office home staging ideas, below are some of the additional dos and don’ts you should keep in mind. This way, you’ll have an attractive home office that will boost your home’s market value and appeal!
- Don’t force an office into a tiny space. As much as you’d want to have a home office in your property, forcing it in a cramped room won’t do you any favor. Take note that you should never convert a walk-in closet as a home office just for the sake of having one. This will easily put off potential buyers right away.
- Don’t make the office gender-specific. Again, always go neutral when staging and decorating a home office. After all, you don’t know yet who’s going to request a showing next.
- Don’t skimp on quality materials. Although staging is often used to improve visual value, you shouldn’t cut back on quality furniture. Cheap materials like cardboard drawers or wobbly desks will sabotage your staging efforts and turn off a potential buyer.
- Don’t forget about the scent. Take note that a foul smell will give a negative impression to buyers, no matter how aesthetic and visually appealing your home office is. To be sure, you can use mild air fresheners to have a nice whiff all over your house. As true to our fundamental home staging tips, always keep the scents neutral.
Need professional help staging a home office?
If you want to design a home office on your property before selling, you can contact HolmeStage for one-stop staging solutions. We offer comprehensive home staging services, whether it’s for a single home office or your entire house.
Our stagers have 11+ years of real estate experience and has helped sell hundreds of properties all over Los Angeles and Greater LA area. We can also stage both occupied and vacant properties to maximize its market appeal.
Recently, we’ve staged properties that sold in as fast as 11, 9, and even 5 days! With our staging solutions, you’ll get the biggest market advantage in LA, so your listing will get the most inquiries and showing requests.
Instead of leaving your home selling to chance, you can partner with our professional stagers to sell your property fast and for a higher price. Contact us today to talk to one of our specialist and to get a free quote!
