DIY: 31 Days to a Staged Home :: The Bonus Room, Day 21

I'm so glad that you got here!

If you're a first-timer, welcome!

You may want to begin this Home Staging series
HERE, from?the 1st day.

When you read or hear the words "bonus room",?

what comes to mind?

Do you think of a loft, sun room, home theater,?

sewing or craft space, guest room, or play room?

Or do you think of a catch-all space, a resting spot for cast-off furniture,?

a place to store the iron and ironing board or Christmas decoration storage?

I've found that "Bonus Room"?is a puzzling term?

describing a room that eludes description.

An extra room is a wonderful selling point in a house,

but the space must be clearly defined as a useable space

or buyers will have a difficult time envisioning themselves using the space.

And they don't want to envision their stuff mingled with yours

if you don't transform that catch-all space.

How do you decide how to use the space?

You will need to know who the typical buyer for your neighborhood is.

Which age group or demographic has been moving to your street

for the past few years?

You can also get this information from your Realtor.

Keep this information in mind when deciding how you want to present this space?

and trying to creatively use the furnishings that you already have.

• Pack anything extra that isn't going to suggest to the buyer the purpose of the bonus room
• If the room is rather large, you can suggest another activity in the space (I usually do)
• If you have a loft, which is on the upper floor and typically an extension of the bedrooms, consider staging it as an extra living area with a loveseat, chair, floor lamp, and end table, or a reading space or office with a chair, desk, and floor lamp; a picture of a dreamy far-off place should be hung nearby
• For a game or a recreation room, either upstairs or in a basement, a game table (foosball, ping pong, pool), a few chairs, and a table between them are enough; a wall dart board, wall pool cue holder, a few board games on ?the table also suggest fun times together with friends
• Theater rooms should have a big screen television and some chairs facing the screen or a sectional to suggest a family gathering to catch a show together; some empty ceramic popcorn bowls as props on a table are nice and a few framed classic movie posters (nothing horror-related!) are excellent as art
• In a children's play area or hangout make a small sitting area (adult- or child-sized); keep only one bookshelf or wall with storage shelves, with toys and games in baskets or neatly stacked (see this post for ideas for a children's/teen's hangout/play space in the basement)
• For the sun room, a loveseat, a coffee table, and a pair of chairs makes a pleasant spot to relax (a few rocking chairs is lovely, too); suggest reading or birdwatching in this room
• A craft space is fine in a staged home: simply pack all of the "littles" and keep only the pieces you need (put the rest in baskets or bins and hide most of it); a work table and a few shelves should suffice for staging purposes (too many small things left out translate as clutter in online pictures and in person)
• A closed-in garage can be staged as practically anything (see above)
• In an unfinished storage room, pack and remove everything except a few neatly packed storage bins or plastic tubs to give the suggestion that the buyers could also use this space for their seasonal or storage items (don't leave half-finished projects, extra furniture, or things that should have been donated long ago in this space!)
• A finished basement needs to be transformed into entertaining or guest spaces (if there is a seperate bedroom area or two); you could also make one of the basement guest rooms a workout space (just keep the equipment minimal and provide walking room around the gear)

This upstairs room was a catch-all, a place that couldn't decide what it was.

After moving a few extraneous pieces out,?

creating a focal point with the bookcases?to suggest a theater space,

bringing up the loveseat and tables from the living room,

a rug from the office, a guitar from the attic,

and placing a few games and a wooden train set on the floor,

this room now suggests family quiet time and relaxation.

The loft below was transformed
from a storage room?for leftover childhood mementos

to a relaxing writing area.

An unfinished, off-the-basement storage area

got de-cluttered and simplified to show off?

the floor space?available to prospective buyers.

This room had a personality crisis.

Originally a craft room gone cluttery,

it received a coat of neutral paint and a drawing desk.

On the wall above the desk is an oil drawing?

of the house that belongs to this room.

On the floor, a colorful quilt with throw pillows,?

a book, a cell phone, and some dumbells.

This room, off of a young adult girl's bedroom,?

This sun room was being used for homeschooling.

After purging some unused things and rearranging some furniture,

this is now a cozy space to watch the squirrels play outside.

This play room had been taken over by toys.

They were paired down to the minimum?

and an adult spot?to sit and read was also created.

This room suggest several uses, an important selling feature.

Buyers are excited about having?extra square footage

with which that they can do anything they like.

However, for the purpose of selling,?

YOU have to present the space

as a "bonus" to them,?

as a place with a purpose.

Give buyers ideas for how to use the room:

the promise of being extra usable space,

?no matter what they dream up?for it,?

once they sign the closing papers.

Tomorrow, I will be discussing?the all-important?

Remember, Day 31 is Q & A Day,

som if you have any questions,?

please ask them below in the comments.

Y'all have already asked me about 70 fantastic questions!

Keep them coming!

Source: http://www.goodbyehousehellohome.com/2012/10/31-days-to-staged-home-bonus-room-day-21.html

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