Staging a mudroom is a great way to enhance the appeal of an entrance area to any home or apartment that features a dedicated outdoor to indoor transitional space.
Mudrooms are interior areas that allow occupants and visitors the opportunity to remove and store coats and shoes, facilitating a comfortable change from outside to in. Likewise, mudrooms also allow people the chance to prepare to face the outdoors by donning appropriate clothing and footwear.
Not all properties feature mudrooms, but for those that do, the space should always be highlighted with home staging to embody beauty and functionality.
This instructional essay details some simple tips for making the most of your mudroom when selling your house or apartment on the open real estate market.
Staging a Mudroom Definitions
There are 2 distinct types of mudrooms that may be present in any given property.
The first type describes a room or hallway that is located directly from the main entrance to the home, as long as the room is not already defined as another specific role. In essence, we are discussing a main foyer that is designed to accommodate the needs of people coming and going from the exterior to the interior of the home and vice versa.
The second, and best, definition of the true mudroom is a dedicated space that is located right off a secondary entrance to the home, typically in the back or side of the property. This room is designed specifically to store coats, shoes and outdoor gear, so that these items, and their accompanying mess, do not need to be brought into the remainder of the home’s interior.
Basically, a mudroom is a frontier zone that insulates the inside of the home from the dirt, moisture and dust that enter on shoes and clothing. Furthermore, it is a place to hang wet items, dry shoes, store coats, gloves, hats, umbrellas and footwear so that these items will always be readily available when people are once again ready to leave the residence.
Mudroom Home Staging Strategies
In order to best represent a lovely and useful mudroom, sellers might have to perform some fixes to improve the appeal of this transitional space. Here are some tips for maximizing the desirability of any mudroom:
Clutter is a huge problem in most mudrooms. Therefore, the first job is to remove everything that is not necessary for immediate day-to-day life while the home is for sale. The remainder of items should be packed up and moved to a dedicated storage unit.
Be sure that the area is well lit and clean. Be certain that the traffic flow is unobstructed, so visitors can come and go through the entrances without any impediment.
Seating options should be available to highlight the ability to sit and remove shoes and other outdoor gear. Choose furniture that will be able to handle moisture and the possibility of stains, since this area will endure tremendous wear and tear.
Provide lots of covered storage, in the form of large closets, furniture cabinets or bins, to contain all the items that remain in the mudroom. Separate each storage area by function, with dedicated areas for shoes, coats hats, umbrellas and other items that reside within.
The floor must be tile, stone or some other surface that will resist moisture, salt and dirt. Never place carpet in a mudroom and wood floors should be protected with many layers of hardened varnish. Furthermore, place feet-wiping mats outside the entrance, as well as inside the doorway in order to minimize mess.
Some wall hooks are useful for holding personal possessions for short-term visitors, but these hooks must not be filled with permanent items that will remain exposed for visitors to see while evaluating the home.
Pay attention to the overall atmosphere created when a visitor enters the home. Having some nice soft music playing is welcoming, while a wonderful aroma will draw visitors inside to see the remainder of the residence.
Staging a Mudroom Goals
Mudrooms are tough to stage perfectly, since they must be both aesthetic and functional. After all, their main purpose is to catch all the dirt and water that would otherwise end up throughout the home.
However, mudrooms must still embody warmth and a cohesive design sense, setting the ideal tone for a positive prospective buyer experience. Homeowners must sell the idea that their mudrooms work so well that there is simply no dirt to be found anywhere, including in the immediate vicinity of the entranceway.
Maintaining an orderly and charming mudroom will certainly take some effort, especially for families with children or during inclement weather.
Just remember that primary entrance mudrooms will set the tone for the remainder of the home showing. Meanwhile secondary mudrooms are buyer favorites, particularly for families with young kids or buyers who enjoy an active outdoor lifestyle.
Home staging techniques can be implemented in any mudroom to make it the star of the home, therefore inviting buyers to place lucrative offers to purchase the residence for their own future enjoyment.
