Effective Staging Presents an Inviting Face to Prospective Buyers

Staging comes in many different flavors, and it need not be expensive. You can hire a stager for their opinion only, using your existing furniture and fixtures. Stagers can bring in accent pieces or an entire house full of furniture if that’s what you’re looking for. Empty homes can be staged completely or enhanced with a few touches of color in kitchens and baths. There are even pop-up staging options (fake, furniture-shaped pieces that give you an idea of the space) and virtual staging (digital furniture inserted into photographs).

My opinion on staging falls somewhere in the middle. I don’t believe you need to completely overhaul your home to get the best possible price but I do believe that home buyers need to be able to picture themselves living there, so some and staging and decluttering is essential. The article below gives you some basic helpful tips.

Proper Staging Key to Attracting Prospective Buyers

By Keith Loria
In today’s competitive real estate market, staging has become a critical piece of the puzzle for sellers who are looking to position their home in the best possible light in order to attract prospective buyers.

Not only will a professional stager make sure your home is staged correctly to appeal to the widest range of potential buyers, hiring a stager can also help when it comes to moving your home off the market in a timely manner.

While some sellers prefer to take care of staging on their own, this can ultimately work against them since more often than not, they don’t have a true pulse on what those in the housing market are looking for. Not only could this undermine the success of the staging, it could potentially hamper the sale of the home as well.

When it comes to staging, the first rule of thumb is to not get too personal. Home staging is meant to create a neutral canvas that will appeal to the majority of buyers. In other words, it’s not the time to bring in your unique style and create a look that appeals to just you. It’s all about de-personalizing the space, creating more of a model home look that will appeal to the masses.

Keep in mind that you want potential buyers to picture themselves moving into the home without being influenced by your personal taste. If the color palette or decorating style is too far out, prospective buyers will be put off by the personality of the home, making it difficult for them to visualize themselves and their own belongings in the space.

This means taking the time to put away all photos, children’s artwork, trophies and other knickknacks that are meaningful to you and your family. In the end, remember that you want prospective buyers to look at your house, not your personal belongings.

One mistake that’s often made when staging a home comes in the form of not taking advantage of the natural light within the space. Blocking off light with heavy curtains or furniture can do more harm than good when it comes to selling your home, especially if the home offers attractive views.

Another common mistake can be as simple as incorporating furniture that’s too big for the space. When it comes to furnishing rooms, make sure the pieces you choose balance with the scale of the entire room—as well as the other furniture in the vicinity. Keep in mind that when selling a home, furniture is used to define the purpose of the room, so in most cases, less is more.

Finally, staging a home is not meant as a way to simply cover up for poor maintenance or structural problems. It’s important to ensure your house is in good condition and use staging to make your house truly shine.

To learn more about staging, contact our office today.