As a professional home stager, you know that a good bathroom can make or break a sale. Buyers are looking for homes with bathrooms that look and feel like places of luxury and relaxation. Remember, first impressions form after 3 seconds, and a bad one is hard to shake. Your job is to make your clients’ bathroom feel like a spa or a 5-star hotel for any potential buyer who walks through the door.
As with the rest of the house, the key is depersonalizing the space to appeal to the largest number of potential buyers. They should be able to imagine themselves coming home and drawing a relaxing bath after a long day at work.
Whether you’re new to the game or a seasoned staging veteran, here’s a list of tips to help you work your magic in your clients’ home.
1. Do the repairs
While your clients have gotten used to the leaky faucets and ominous flickering lightbulbs, potential buyers won’t find them charming. From fixing or replacing the squeaky door hinges to applying a new layer of enamel over the chipped bathtub, repairs must be done first and foremost! Who wants to spend time getting their bathroom looking its best just for a plumbing crew to march in and destroy all their hard work?
2. Make some upgrades
Doing some minor upgrades in and around the house can help boost your clients’ asking price. It can be as simple as changing the paint on the walls to a semi-gloss neutral color, installing high wattage lights to make the room brighter, or changing the cheap, plastic shower curtains for white cloth ones. Some households might need to upgrade their faucets, toilets, or sinks, but at the end of the day, it’ll increase the resell value of the home.
3. Clean, clean, and then clean some more!
This tip should be pretty obvious, but there are some places that are left neglected. The floors should be mopped, the grout between the tiles cleaned, the mirrors spotless, the mold eradicated—basically everything should ooze cleanliness. Especially in the minutes leading up to a showing, if your clients find themselves having to use the bathroom, make sure that they clean up after themselves and wipe up stray water droplets and soap suds when leaving.
4. Get buffing
All the hardware found in the bathroom should match. Faucets, light fixtures, knobs, toilet paper holders—whatever has a metal finish should be rust-free, shined, and squeaky clean. These days, chrome or nickel are the metals of choice. They exude modernity and can help reflect some light to keep the place looking bright.
5. Clean towels
Never underestimate the power of a clean towel. It can do wonders to make the bathroom look like a luxury spa. You can’t go wrong with brand new, white, fluffy towels. Add some oomph by folding into thirds and draping them over the edge of the tub or on a rail. For more inspiration, check out this video.
6. Take out personal belongings
While it would make sense for toothbrushes, medication, razors, and extra toilet paper rolls to be in a bathroom, they don’t belong in a showing. Following the rule of depersonalization, remove personal care products like makeup, hair brushes, toothbrushes, shampoo—the works. Cleaning products like a toilet brush or the garbage should also be absent. By clearing the area, buyers will see more counter space and envision how they’ll be able to use the space.
7. Accessorize!
While depersonalization is the name of the game, you don’t want the bathroom to look boring either. Add interest and the feeling of luxury by strategically placing groups of candles, jars, soaps, and plants. Be sure that these smaller décor items are in odd-number groupings of varying heights to create interest while not seeming like clutter. For extra comfort, add an upholstered chair to the bathroom. Lastly, remember to put in a fresh roll of toilet paper before the showing.
8. Add some art
Make sure that any hanging art is immediately seen by potential buyers when they peer into the bathroom. The art should match the frame it’s displayed in so the potential buyer won’t be distracted. For example, modern pieces can be framed in thin metal or lacquered wood frames, whereas traditional artwork is better suited to ornate brass or carved wooden frames. Above all, make sure that the art AND the frames match the rest of the room! You don’t want to make a confusing or jarring contrast that leaves potential buyers scratching their heads.
9. Mirror, mirror on the wall
Not only will a large, strategically placed mirror make the space feel roomier, but it will also reflect natural light coming in from the window or coloring from the plants and accent décor. A mirror doesn’t just have to be on the wall above the sink. Nowadays, mirrored panels for shower doors are a popular option to open up a room—plus, who doesn’t like a full length mirror?
