Organize the Living Room, Dining Room and Foyer

Tips to organize the living room, dining room and foyer to create a great first impression

These rooms need to look as inviting as they can be. Statistics show that you have less than one minute to impress a potential buyer once they walk in the front door, so these three areas need to be perfect.

Step 1. Declutter the Foyer, Living Room and Dining Room

If the home has been lived in for quite some time, there is a good chance there is just too much furniture in these rooms. A good rule of thumb is that for every year you've lived in the home after 5 years, remove one piece of furniture in each room.This isn't an exact science, but you get the idea.

• Starting with the foyer you'll want to make sure that it looks spacious and organized and there is room to move into the other spaces in the home. There should be a table or console, perhaps a chair if there is room, and nothing else in the room. Remove all shoes, boots and clothing items that may be lying around. The tabletop should be completely empty, we'll stage it later.Remove rugs and boot trays. Remove anything hanging on the walls such as photos, paintings, coat hooks.
• In the living room, start by packing up any photos, knick-knacks and decorative objects that are on top of the furniture. Remove the artwork from the walls. When you are done, the room should have a sofa, a side table, a coffee table, and one side chair. (Two loveseats can substitute for a sofa and chair.) If the room is especially large, you can keep an additional chair in the room. As for large pieces such as pianos and big screen TVs, it would be best if you can store these items until you move. If this is not possible, then we'll find the most advantageous spots for these when we stage. This is the point where you remove the existing window treatments. If you will be reusing them for staging (that is, if they look new and fresh and are not out-of-date), then set them aside until we begin staging.
• In the dining room, completely clear off the top of the table and sideboard (if any) and pack these items away. If there is a china cabinet (breakfront), take this opportunity to pack away all the china and crystal in there. We will stage this piece of furniture later. When you are finished decluttering, there should be a table with chairs (either 4 or 6 depending on the size of the room) and one other piece of furniture if the room size allows it. You should be able to walk all the way around the table without bumping into anything and you should be able to walk through the room if there is another doorway leading into the kitchen or other room. Like the living room, remove window treatments and either pack them up for your next home or hold them aside until the dining room is staged.

Step 2. Deep Clean the Foyer, Living Room and Dining Room

First impressions count for so much! The potential buyer should be greeted at the front door by a spotless home that smells fresh and clean and looks even cleaner. Think about what kind of message you are sending with a very clean home. You are telling the potential buyer that you care that your home is well-kept. To a buyer this says that you have taken good care of the other areas of the home as well. Then they won't be looking for problems when they tour your home, they will just be looking at the floor plan, the types of rooms, how they might use the living room, how their dining room table will look in the dining room, how organized they can be in your home --just what you want them to do.

• Cleaning these areas usually goes best when you start at the top and work down. Sometimes these rooms have high ceilings, so check for dust webs on the chandeliers and in the corners. Clean the crown mouldings (you have to clean them to paint them anyway) so they look fresh and have no blemishes. Now is a good time to caulk around mouldings that have separated from the drywall or in the corners. The chandeliers and light fixtures should sparkle if they are to stay. (If they are dated, we will will replace them when we stage these rooms.)
We strongly suggest that the walls in these rooms get painted. Remember, this is the first impression you will make on prospective buyers so these rooms need to be top-notch. Choices for paint colors will be offered when we stage these rooms. If they have been painted a neutral color within 12 to 18 months, then touching up the paint (where it has been nicked, or where you've filled in holes from picture hangers) is all you might have to do.
• Make sure the windows are streak-free and the mouldings around the windows are clean in each room.
• The front door should be cleaned. Check for accumulated dirt on the threshold.
• Is there a fireplace in the living or dining room? The fireplace should be cleaned out and the flue should be professionally cleaned. An old, fire-stained firebox can be painted with special heat resistent paint (black, usually) and this can make a huge difference in the attractiveness of the fireplace. The mantel should be cleaned and polished if it is stained or repainted if you are repainting the mouldings in the room.
• Any built-in cabinets or shelves in these rooms should be cleaned and finished just as you would the mantel.
• The flooring is next. If it is wood, it needs to be dusted and cleaned. We prefer Murphy's Oil Soap concentrate for this task. One bottle will do a whole house. If the wall-to-wall carpeting is fairly new and not worn, have it professionally cleaned. The pros know how to get out stains better than you could do with a rental model. If the carpet is worn and dated we strongly suggest that you replace it - especially in your "first impression" rooms.
• If there is a stairway in the foyer you will need to give it "first impression" treatment, too. The railings and spindles should be clean. Pay special attention to the railings - you don't want to have them be sticky to the touch. If you have carpeting on the stairs, make sure it doesn't look traffic worn and stained right up the middle. Have the professionals clean it when they do the other rooms. If you have exposed wood treads and risers,then clean them with Murphy's. They will shine and have a very pleasant, non-specific fragrance.





Step 3. Organize the Foyer, Living Room and Dining Room

Organizing these rooms is now much easier now that they have been decluttered. If you keep these rooms showing-ready, then you won't have a last minute dash to remove the clutter. When the home is for sale, these rooms need to be kept in a relatively unused and pristine condition. Just the items that we suggest for staging should be kept on display.

And the good news. You've already done most of the packing up for these rooms when you decluttered in Step 1 above. So your daily tidying up for showings should be a quick breeze!

Yes, staging a home to perfection is a lot of work. But as you know, you are adding value to your property with every step you take.

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