How to Stage an Entryway

The entryway (foyer or entrance hall) is literally the first impression buyers will have of the interior of your home. Knowing how to stage the entryway is the first step in helping buyers establish a particular feeling about your house. As with all first impressions, buyers will form an opinion about your house within a matter of seconds — either positive or negative. If the first impression was a good one, they tend to look for attributes throughout the home tour that will support those initial feelings.

How Do You Stage an Entryway?

Highlighting the best features of your entryway is crucial to making a good first impression when selling. From clearing out the clutter to adjusting the lighting, follow these tips to stage a warm, welcoming entryway that will have homebuyers falling in love at first sight.

1. Be objective

This can be hard to do on your own so you may want to enlist the help of a friend, real estate agent, or (ahem…) a professional home stager. Take a hard look at your entryway. Is it inviting and easily accessible? Are you tripping over your shoes and looking at a tangle of keys and dog leashes hanging on the wall? Do you need to create an entryway? 

Photo by The Staging Team – Look for entryway pictures

2. Identify your strengths and weaknesses

Do you have a soaring ceiling or beautiful hardwood floors? How about a crack in the tile or an outdated light fixture? Identify the pros and cons when you’re preparing to stage the entryway. What are some ways you can help emphasize your positive features to make them stand out and downplay your negatives?

Photo by Curated Home Staging – Discover entryway design inspiration

3. Simplify and reduce

This area should be almost completely devoid of any untidiness. When in doubt, get rid of it.

• Remove coat racks, shoe racks, key holders, leashes, etc. Get rid of any piece of furniture or decor designed to collect and organize the clutter of daily living.
• Remove rugs and mats, at least for listing photos and showings. They are a visual distraction and break up the floor space, making it look smaller. The exception is if you’ve got awful or damaged floors and need a distraction.
• Remove any items that allow the buyer to profile who lives there (i.e., religious icons, family photos, etc.) They create a distraction for buyers. 
• Replace or update old lighting and door hardware. Again, simply spray painting them will sometimes do the trick (this won’t work for all homes). We like the color “Oil-Rubbed Bronze” by Rustoleum. Use high-lumens bulbs to add extra brightness to this area (just make sure the bulbs are the right color).

Related: Choosing the Right Light Bulb: Watts Aren’t Everything

Photo by Gather Projects – Search entryway pictures

4. Create a marketing “hook”

Use a few props and decor to connect with your buyers on an emotional level. Create a space that says life would be “just right” if they bought this house — clean, welcoming, uncluttered, organized.

• Create a welcoming spot for buyers to envision walking in from a long day at work. For example, have just the right spot to set down their keys and mail. Use a simple, low-profile table with a large piece of art or a mirror over it to reflect light. Add a lamp for warmth. Alternatively, you could create the perfect spot to put on or take off shoes by adding a bench or chair.
• A potted plant or a beautiful, fragrant bouquet smooths the transition for buyers by bringing the outdoors in. Maintaining a fresh/living flower arrangement is hard for most sellers when their home is on the market. It’s practically impossible to do in a vacant house. Instead, invest is beautiful realistic-looking faux plants.

Related: 4 Pro Home Staging Tips on How to Style a Console Table

Photo by Bella Staging & Design – Discover home design design inspiration

Need Help Staging Your Entryway?

Three Bears Home Staging loves helping home sellers work with what they already have to transform their entryways (and the rest of their homes)! If you’re getting ready to put your home on the market, take a look below at some of the ways we can help…

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