Home Staging Blog

The point of staging your home is to ensure that it is merchandised to showcase its best selling features and to appeal to the widest range of buyers.  It will really help you get past your personal style preferences if you can think of your home as a property for sale instead of as a reflection of your individual tastes.  Your home probably needs less pieces of furniture and less accent items than you imagine to show its best and attract the most interest from buyers.

As a seller, resist the temptation to insist that your stager use your favorite style furniture in your property.  Let the pieces that are used reflect the style of the home itself.  Consider factors such as who will likely be buying the home, the location of the home and the lifestyle of who may be living there.  A small one bedroom urban condo will be attracting a very different buyer than a sprawling five bedroom ranch style house with a pool and a large backyard in the suburbs.

Stage your home from the perspective of the buyers of your house.  Even when you are staging your occupied home, consider who may be moving into your house next.  Decide what to keep out and what to eliminate based upon what fits in the house now rather than how you have been living in your home.  Merchandise your home for buyers and start looking for your new place.

Living in a gated community provides many with a great sense of security, but for some it can make them feel as though they are living in a prison.  Before you make a decision to move into a gated community, ask yourself if it is really right for you.  Will those gates which are meant to keep intruders out also make you feel like a prisoner in your own home?

              Photo by Scott

Some people need the added security of a gated community.  They feel the need for protection from the outside world.  The idea of having a guard makes them feel nurtured and supported.  For some, it may be a symbol of prestige and is representative of their success. 

For others, living behind guarded gates can have adverse effects.  In Feng Shui, physical blocks can be felt as emotional blocks.  So be wary of the blocks you place between yourself and the rest of the world.  You could be causing yourself to feel isolated or locked in.

Evaluate closely your motives when choosing to purchase a home in a gated or guarded community.  Consider the other people that will be living in your home with you and how they will be effected by the gates and guards on a subconscious level.  Your home should be your retreat and never feel like a prison.  Think clearly about all the messages a gated community may be sending and decide if living behind those gates is the lifestyle for you.

In the spirit of Sellsius’ question on which photos should an agent post in their marketing, here is a tip that I really can’t believe needs to be given.

I just saw a real estate listing flyer with photos of a dining room and kitchen each with leftover plates of food in them.  Really agents!  Scooting the dishes to the edge of the table and brushing the crumbs under the plates is not staging a dining room.  Piling dishes complete with food on them atop the countertop is not showcasing the kitchen’s best features.

There really is no excuse for posting these types of photos in your marketing materials.  Whether the home is new construction or a fixer, an agent should have enough common sense to pick up the dirty dishes and take out the trash before shooting a photo to place on a flyer.

Real estate photos are a key part of marketing your home for sale.  Your agent is going to do their best to show your home at its best advantage.  Properly preparing your home is going to make your home not only show better during actual buyer showings, but it will dramatically improve your agent’s ability to successfully market your house.

Visit Sellsius’ post where there is a discussion on what to do when homeowners either cannot or will not get their home show ready and see what others think about the issue of real estate photos and decide for yourself how you want your agent to be able to represent the condition of your home.

When marketing a home for sale, every square foot counts.  Small rooms and closets are just as important as large ones.  Show buyers the best use of every space in your home and leave no question in their mind as to the value your house offers.

Truly interested buyers are going to look in every area of your home.  Staging the main living areas is a given, but remember those hidden areas too. 

• Medicine cabinets and bathroom drawers have a tendency to collect old miscellaneous oddities, many of which you would rather not share with the public.  Chances are most of the products are outdated as well, so before placing your home on the market, go through the items stored in your bathroom and discard any old or unused items.  Remove any medications and store them in a secure location.  Thoroughly clean the cabinets before neatly returning the remaining items.

• Buyers love storage in the kitchen.  Check inside each of the kitchen cabinets and drawers and ensure that each one is clean, organized and neat.  Remove and pack extra items that make your cupboards look crowded.  Stack dishes neatly and arrange the items in a decorative fashion.  Even the inside of your cabinets are merchandised while your home is up for sale.  Avoid leaving cabinets empty.  Placing items in the cabinets will show they are functional for day to day living.
• All closets need to be neat and orderly.  Remove out of season clothing and extra linens so there is space within your closets and cupboards.  Ideally, there should be a bit of space between the hangers illustrating that while there is plenty of room for your clothing, there is still room to add more.  Keep the top shelves empty or just add one or two decorative items such as a basket or neatly folded sweaters.  Be sure nothing touches the ceiling as it will make the closet feel smaller.  Remove all shoes and other items from the floor if possible.  If this is where shoes are stored, make sure they are neat and are all pointed in the same direction.
• Some homes have odd rooms resulting from awkward spaces between additions that were added to the house.  If you have such a space and have been using it as a catch all or worse, a pet’s bathroom, you must clean it up and give it a positive purpose.  These areas can be turned into small home offices or workout rooms.  You do not need to invest in expensive equipment to stage a workout room.  A yoga mat, exercise ball, hand weights, lighting, mirror and a tray table with a water bottle on it will define the use of the room.

Show buyers the value of every square foot of your home and make your home the best value in the neighborhood.

Did you know that something as simple as the shape of your table can inspire great conversation?  It’s true.  A round dining table places everyone at the table in an equally great spot; no one is left at the edge of the corner and no one is dedicated as the “head” of the table.  Everyone is included and encouraged to participate, ensuring that your mealtime gatherings are not only nourishing for your bodies, but for your souls as well.

                           Photo by Adamo Photo

Think about classic examples like King Arthur and his Knights.  What table did he choose to gather around to share meals and build camaraderie?  A round table of course.  When great minds gather to brainstorm and create plans for the future, what are those meetings called?  Round-table Discussions or Round-table Meetings.  Placing all members equally at the table allows each person to feel as though they matter as much as the other.  They will feel valued and honored by the group and know that their thoughts and feelings matter. 

Conversations are encouraged in situations where people feel safe to share their feelings.  If you want your evening meals to be accompanied with great conversation, use a round dining table.  A wooden table is best.  Glass tables, while beautiful, are water elements and are not the best choice for a dining room.  There is also an insecure feeling about the lack of privacy sitting at a glass table.  If you want to see more interaction between your employees at work, be sure your conference table is round too. 

Small changes can inspire big improvements.

Your home can benefit from home staging regardless of its current condition.  Home staging is not a one size fits all opportunity.  Whether you have the type of home that is filled to the brim with treasures or is zen sparse, professional home staging will make your home show better and will help get it sold faster.

You have heard it before, the way you live in a home is different than the way you market your home and that is absolutely true.  Even if your home is a showplace, that does not guarantee it is market ready.  There are many parts of day to day living in a home that are best removed before showing a home.  If your home is one that is very sparse, you will want to add a few things to pump up the wow factor so buyers are not bored when they walk in.  A professional home stager will get your home in its best showing shape no matter its current condition.

Here are a few key tips help you determine what size home staging project you have:

You live in the home and will continue living in the home while it is on the market.  Your home is quite full and you will not be renting any furniture.  You are on a budget and are willing to do the work yourself.

• Solution:Home Staging Consultation.  Very affordable.  Most home stagers are willing to spend 2-3 hours with you to review your entire home and discuss in detail the objectives required to get your home in its best market ready condition.  A written report can be prepared as you tour the home or it can be emailed.

You live in the home and will continue living in the home while it is on the market.  You have very little in the way of furniture and accessories and need to rent or purchase additional items to get your home show ready.

• Solution:  Home Staging Consultation and Proposal.  Very affordable to expensive.  Your home staging consultation will make the most of what you already have.  Creative ways to re-purpose existing pieces will keep new purchases and rental items at a minimum.  Shopping recommendations will be included with your consultation should you choose to purchase accent items rather than rent.  In most cases, rental items are available for sale should you or your buyer decide to keep them.  A home staging proposal will be sent separately from the staging consultation.

You live in the home and will continue living in the home while it is on the market.  Your home is picture perfect and shows beautifully.

• Solution:  Home Staging Consultation.  Very affordable.  Yes, even picture perfect homes can benefit from home staging.  Your home stager can help you target any trouble areas that may come up during the sale process.  Closets, cupboards, garages, the exterior of the home will all be covered by your stager.  Your stager may edit your personal items as well, so don’t be surprised if you are asked to pack a few things.

Any of the above except you do not wish to lift a finger.  You are way too busy.

• Solution:  Home Staging Consultation with Return Visit.  Very affordable to expensive.  In an occupied home, it is difficult if not impossible to stage a home without some assistance from the homeowner.  There are always certain areas where it is best to at least have the homeowner present while decisions are being made on what is going and what is staying.  In this situation, your stager will provide you with a consultation report with a list of things to be done before your stager returns to perform the actual staging.  Should you choose to have your stager provide all packing, including your personal items, most stagers will require you to be home during the packing of private items.

Vacant Properties or Soon to be Vacant Properties. 

• Solution:  Home Staging Proposal.  Affordable to very expensive.  Typically there is minimal or no charge for a home staging proposal.  The cost varies for each project and can be determined after a visit to the property.  Most home stagers will assess your property within a short period of time, take photos and return your proposal to you via email.  The cost to stage your vacant home depends upon several factors including the size of your home, the style of your home, the part of the country where your home is located and your budget.  It is best to be upfront with your home stager regarding your budget.  While watching the staging shows on TV is fun, the costs presented on most shows is unrealistic.  You must remember that there is a team of contractors working on those shows-and not just the ones you see on screen.  Labor is a large factor in any home improvement project, including staging.

Moving into your new place or you just want your place to look and feel better.  Maybe you’re bored, uninspired, or you want an affordable new look.  You want to use what you have and may wish to add a few new things to spark things up. 

• Solution:  Home Redesign Consultation.  Very affordable to very expensive.  Discuss your goals with your stager and schedule an appointment.  Your stager will provide you with a written report much like a staging report except that it will be fashioned with you in mind, not the buyers.  Paint, flooring, furniture, lighting, accessories, linens can all be part of your home redesign.  Home Redesign usually works best with a return visit.