The activity or practice of styling and furnishing the property for sale in such a way as to enhance its attractiveness to potential buyers.
Yes, tastefully supplied and arranged furnishings are the standard for modern home staging… But that is too limiting and doesn’t cut it for me.
Most of us have a time we remember seeing a familiar face at a special occasion such as prom night or a wedding we were moved by how attractive they looked beyond their everyday appearance. To me that is the essence of staging, to make a home look it’s prom night or wedding day best for potential buyers to fall in love with.
Good photography is nice but if a home does not look at least as good as the online photos it’s a disappointment when people show up in person. It is difficult to come back from this bad first impression. I believe the photos should be good enough to get people to the home but seeing the home live and in person should outshine the photos. That’s the first impression I strive for.
The three key moments of the staged property are as follows: first, when driving up to the home, and seeing it for the first time, the good experience one feels before even getting out of the vehicle. The allure should be enough to excite one’s expectations of what they will see inside, second, immediately upon entering the home before even passing the entry the home must not disappoint. Potential buyers should be impressed and happy they made the trip and be hungry to see all the home has to offer, and last, they need to be impressed at least a third time, whether it be a great kitchen or master bedroom suite or backyard. If there impressed more than a third time it’s even better.
General guidelines: there is no such thing as too clean, too neat, too uncluttered and too beautiful. With that in mind I like to start with thorough and obsessive cleaning. Appliances, counters and floors should be so clean they look brand-new. Windows and patio doors so clean they look open.
Fresh paint, at least where necessary. Key areas to paint would be the front of the home, the entry and the kitchen. From there it’s relevant as to what is necessary and your budget. Colors are important. If you’re not good with colors you can usually hire a decorator as a color consultant or use pre-determined color pallets found on most paint brochures at most paint suppliers.
Good lighting is important. Allow the most natural light possible to enter the home. If not enough and it often isn’t, put in the brightest bulbs possible. This is now easier with new LED lighting. Use warm not cool lighting. Sometimes replacing light fixtures is necessary for good lighting.
Outside the home, the landscaping should be well groomed. If you don’t have a green thumb I recommend contracting a landscaper to keep up the lawn or leaf blowing and plant some fresh flowering plants. Remember the plants will need to be flowering for at least a few months while the property is on the market and in escrow. Fresh bark is an inexpensive way to cover barren dirt. Remember to have a weed block put down first.
Identify and correct the problem. This is quite an understatement but the key to great staging. If a home is too small use brighter colors and sub size furniture and less furniture. If a home is too large use slightly duller colors, and pull the furniture away from the walls creating a smaller seating area. This will make a large area cozy. Decide where you want the potential buyer’s eyes to go and direct them there with small but bright splashes of color, artwork flowers or whatever. Maybe you want them to look up a great vaulted ceiling or across a huge room or deep into the backyard even if still in the home. If the ceiling is too low, lower the height of the artwork. If the view through the window is good, leave it uncovered and available to be seen, but if the view is not so pretty block the window with window covering. I know a plethora of tips and maybe that will be a book one day but for now this will suffice.
Oh, never have anything so interesting in or about the home that it steals attention from the home such as antique cars, exotic art or collectibles.
My staging guidance is available to my clients at no cost when I’m selling their home. If you have any questions feel free to reach me directly, Alex Schauffert 707-332-8301
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