Having an extra room in the house can be very beneficial depending on how you use it. Some people turn it into a dedicated hobby space, a walk-in closet for extra clothes, or use it as a makeshift storage unit to stockpile old and obsolete belongings. How you want to designate it is totally up to you! When it comes time to sell your home however, an undefined auxiliary space can turn into a bit of an obstacle.
While it is true that more rooms make a house more valuable, the challenge is in preparing an unconventional or hardly used space for the showing process. You want to make the most of every one of your home’s assets, which means staging each room as an open, accessible space to attract potential buyers. An extra room is great, but if it has no focus and offers no distinct possibilities then buyers won’t be able to see its potential.
A room without a purpose is easy to forget; don’t sacrifice an advantage by leaving it empty. Check out a few of these versatile ideas for making sure prospective buyers walk into a space they can see themselves using—and one they’ll remember when they go to make an offer!
Stage a Guest Bedroom
Staging an unused room as a guest bedroom is always a safe bet because the concept is flexible enough that it will appeal to most buyers. A guest room adds a level of hospitality and finesse to a house and supports a warm and inviting overall atmosphere.
Securing an extra bedroom set you won’t end up needing long-term may seem like an expensive venture, but if you plan thoughtfully and ahead of time it doesn’t have to be. Scour Craigslist and other online classifieds for cheap or free beds or mattresses that you can cover and embellish with the extra blankets and pillows you have in the hall closet. Borrow an old one from a friend or see if you can use their son’s bed for a month or two while he’s away at college. You could even strategically throw some dense padding and bedding on an air mattress to create the illusion of a full bed!
Keep the rest of the furniture down to the basics—a bed, dresser, nightstand, and maybe a chair. Use extra pieces from other rooms in your house to help balance out those spaces as well. Too much furniture in any room will be distracting, as well as crowd the functional space you want to highlight for your buyers. Choose a neutral wall color with a few decorative accents to add some character to the room—colored or patterned bed linens, a wicker basket on the dresser filled with guest towels, a vase of flowers on the night stand, etc.
If you want to make things even easier for yourself, just choose one of the simple and effective packages we have at Stage2Go to temporarily furnish your guest bedroom—and a couple other rooms in the house while you’re at it! This way you don’t have to worry about haphazardly throwing something together and hoping it flows. We can take care of that for you.
Create a Home Office
Haven’t we all wished we had a home office at some point? These days it seems like everybody can work from home—or ends up putting in some extra hours there anyway. Staging an extra room as a home office is a great way to entice potential buyers and encourage them to imagine actively using your space.
Like any other room you’re staging, you only need to include essential furniture and will want to keep the décor simple. You’ll probably want to find a desk to set the scene and make the room feel productive. Again, check the Internet for something used and cheap. Of course, you’ll want a chair to go with it, and maybe even a small bookshelf or file cabinet if you can find one.
Style the desk with trendy supply organizers or other elegant accessories, like a globe or a desk lamp. Just don’t go crazy creating a workspace that’s ideal just for you, because you want your home office to engage as many people as possible. Choose one or two unassuming art pieces for the wall, or a bulletin board without anything on it.
Paint the room light beige or green, or any hue that feels soothing and conducive to keeping you focused. The most important thing about staging a home office is to create a space where buyers feel they would be able—and want—to get work done.
Make it a Den
Another reliable theme for extra space is a den. This one is also pretty straightforward, since what you’re essentially doing is staging a scaled down version of your living room.
All you really need for a quick family room setup is a comfy place to sit, an extra table or shelf, and a few interior design accents to add some personality. Grab one or two comfy chairs to arrange, a loveseat, or even a small couch if the space allows. Adorn them with a few decorative accent pillows and a throw blanket to make it cozy.
Try hanging a great piece of large art on the wall in front of the seating area to act as a stand in for a TV. Putting a small console table underneath it will take it another step further! Hang one or two décor pieces on the wall and liven up the space with a plant or two.
The nice thing about this staging option is that you don’t have to go out of your way to furnish it—just use some of the extra pieces you already have laying around or a quick and easy DIY staging kit.
When you’re selling your home, an extra undefined room is an opportunity to further convince potential buyers that your space has the most to offer them. You can’t afford to waste any leverage you can use to put your house at the top of the market.
What you can afford though, is one of Stage2Go’s expertly crafted, convenient home staging packages that come with the freedom to install them however you’d like. Give us a call today to learn about how you can stage your space yourself—and on a budget!
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