Porch staging is a proven way to enhance the appeal of any outdoor enclosed, screened-in or open-air seating area. Front and rear porches are always nice features to have in a home. The best way to make these exterior rooms into real equity-builders is to stage them properly before placing your home for sale on the real estate market.
This essay provides an overview of the usefulness of front and rear porches and how these areas of the home should be enhanced when selling the property.
Porch Staging Troubles
Porches come in a wide range of styles and uses. Exterior open air porches typically face the front or rear of the home, although the wrap-around style is very popular in older homes. Open air porches typically suffer from weathering far more than any indoor space, so it is crucial to check these spaces for signs of undue wear and tear.
Enclosed porches are really just extensions of the interior of your home. However, some are not heated and many develop water leaks or structural cracks, especially if they were an addition to your original home design. Screened-in porches suffer from both of the above issues, in addition to the infamous holes and runs which appear in the protective screens over time.
Home Staging Tips for Your Porch
Here are some of my recommendations for helping your porch to woo buyers, making them more likely to make solid offers on your home:
Paint and clean all spaces which are open to the weather. Check that there is no rotten wood or damaged finishes anywhere and repair any issues that are located.
Rescreen windows and doors which have holes or runs. This is very easy and inexpensive and makes a perfect DIY home staging project.
Check the foundation of the porch and the seams to the main house, particularly if the room is an add-on. Repair cracks and gaps using appropriate materials from your local home improvement store.
Once the structure is sound, work on designing an aesthetic atmosphere, featuring proportionate furnishings, interesting accessories and at least 1 piece of art. Make sure the materials you choose will work well with the demands placed upon the room by weather and family.
Do not clutter a porch space. Instead, focus the attention on the outdoor spaces which surround the room. Be sure to highlight these spaces by making sure all exterior aesthetic issues are properly addressed.
Remember to keep an open traffic flow throughout the room, being especially careful not to block or deter access from the main house or to the yard beyond.
Porch Staging Recommendations
A porch is a frontier area between the outdoors and the interior of the home. This can be a truly charming space, full of life and character. However, it can also become a liability if left unattended to, or worse yet, allowed to fall into disrepair. Home staging is all about making the most of every space on your property, inside and out. Apply this principle to your porch and watch the space brighten up your home and appeal to potential buyers in a whole new way.
To learn more about setting up an idyllic staging design on your porch, meet with a qualified full service home stager or property staging consultant today.
