Home staging is the process of adding furniture, art and décor to a home to highlight its spaces and features to appeal to potential buyers. Home staging is not only the art of showing potential buyers the possibility of what their new home could look like, but also an effective way to increase its real estate value. 

Most sellers in this day and age recognize the value of staging a home's interior, but what about the backyard?

Especially in the summer months, when outdoor spaces often look their best, a well-staged backyard can be a major selling point and might just help you seal the deal with a buyer.

Real estate experts have long touted the importance of properly staging a property to look its best when selling, and now a high-tech option has joined the ranks of traditional home stagers.

When it comes to staging a home, the best advice is usually to make it look like you'd want to live there. But what do you do when you're staging a space that will be home to vehicles rather than people?

In a competitive housing market, if you want to sell your home faster and get your asking price, a degree of home staging is a must.

Homeowners usually have the best intentions when it comes to selling their home, but it's still easy to make mistakes. Avoiding those mistakes wherever possible is especially important in a difficult market, such as the one Calgary is currently experiencing due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

With that in mind, here are the top-five mistakes sellers make and how to avoid them, according to Tamara Stearns, a local REALTOR® and one half of Central Calgary Real Estate Group, along with fellow Realtor Sam Crick.

Staging your home for a successful sale

While many people are likely reluctant to spend extra money on their home right before they sell, the act of staging a house for sale is important when it comes to drawing in potential buyers. Staging can make a home look far more desirable and appealing, which can often be the difference between no offers and a done deal.

Here are some of the best staging tips to ensure your home puts its best face forward for potential buyers:

The costs associated with selling a home

Deciding to sell your home is a big decision, so it's always good to remind yourself of what that decision entails, including the associated costs you might incur. Many real estate industry groups have resources available to the public on the home-selling process, such as the Real Estate Council of Alberta's Home Seller's Guide. However, most resources don't specify selling costs, in part because they can vary greatly depending on the individual property and circumstances of the sale. To provide a frame of reference, here is a summary of costs associated with selling a typical $500,000 home in Calgary: