Yard Home Staging

Lifestyles are trending towards utilizing outdoor spaces as extensions of the home. If you can extend the appeal of your home beyond the curb, then you can play up its additional usable square footage by staging the outdoor spaces as outdoor rooms.

Our methodology for staging outdoor spaces is to punch up the curb appeal first, then stage one or two outdoor rooms for entertaining, dining, recreation or hobby pursuits.

Mother Nature has so wonderfully selected our starting colors - all shades of green. It is our job to get the structure and yard to harmonize with those greens.

• From the curb, your home's structure should showcase three colors. Red bricks might be one color. White trim might be another. Black shutters and a black front door would be the third. A three color scheme will highlight the architectural features of the home separately. If your home is a cape cod, you might have gray shingle siding, white trim, and a blue front door. Colors should blend with the surroundings, not fight or overpower them. Paint stores will usually have brochures showing exterior paint color suggestions. Collect several of these brochures and one of the combinations will certainly be workable for your home.
• Another way to add color is with flowers and flower pots. We will usually use red or yellow flowers exclusively in ourplanters. They create the greatest impact and are seen easily from the street. For even more color, select a bright red glazed planter. If your home has blue trim or a blue front door, selecting a matching blue planter might be a good option. Try and keep your colors limited to the three you've chosen for the home's colors and one more so that the picture doesn't gettoo riotous.
• Painted house numbers and the mailbox should coordinate with the three-color palette. Make sure the numbers can be seen easily from the street.
• An outdoor terrace, deck or patio make great spaces to stage for entertaining. If the space is right outside of the family room, for example, repeat the family room color scheme outside. Because it's out-of-doors, you can use stronger shades of the same colors.

The furnishings and accessories outdoors should look fresh, new and vibrant. Sun and weather damage can make furnishings look old in a hurry.

• If you can swing it, newer furnishings will help keep your outdoor spaces looking up-to-date.
• New planters in carefully chosen colors also will help your spaces look spiffier. Think about how the garden center looks in the spring with all the new planters.
• A new barbeque can help define an outdoor eating area if you don't have one already that's in good shape. You can further define this type of space by setting a table with colorfuloutdoor dinnerware.
• If front porches are the norm in your neighborhood, consider a bistro table and chairs for the space. It will welcome buyers with a setting that says "casual, friendly, warm afternoons lounging on the porch with a glass of iced tea".

• Assuming the weather is cooperating, you should strive for a few lush planters in the front of the home.
• In the yard, the planting beds should have flowers massed for maximum visual impact. Strong colors such as yellow and red will really stand out against fresh mulch.
• Want to make your home look 10 years younger in a hurry? Trim or remove overgrown foundation plantings and replace with fresh flower beds and new, smaller bushes. You won't believe the difference.

In most parts of the country, lush green lawns are a very important part of the appeal of a landscape. No matter what size, make sure that the lawn is fertilized and mowed regularly to create the best impression.

For a general overview of the importance of curb appeal, click here.


If you have carefully following each of our three steps and have completed all the tasks, your home should be a staging dream!Your perseverance will pay off handsomely at closing time!

Yes, it has been a lot of work. To help you along in your pursuit of "home staging gold", we have assembled a few "Random Tips" for you to fine-tune your staging skills. You can find them here. Be sure to check out our information on home staging training and schools, as well.

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