Staging to Sell

Staging is no stranger to editor JoElle Knight, who shares her views on why is makes financial sense to stage your home or hire a staging company to help put your home's best face forward before listing.

The goal is to create a space that feels attractive to the most potential buyers, that feels current, and most of all, allows them to envision themselves living in it – NOT envision themselves living in someone else’s house! As we live in a home, we get used to its quirks and design our lives around the furniture and items we have.

If someone came into your home to take a photo today, how do you feel it convey to people who have never stepped foot in it? Even as a designer and home stager, I, too, would change many things about my home and furniture layout before putting it up on the market. Even good design does not always translate to home sales.

But let’s talk dollars and sense! Did you know, the average staged home sells for around $10,000 more on average than non-staged homes? Think about it. A seller would only need to spend $500 to $2500 (depending on

the size of the home and scope of staging needs) and net thousands more in sales profit! You want to know why? Because a properly staged home gives potential buyers the best visuals and physical proportions to easily see if a home will work with their lives and meet their desires.

Here are some easy ways to see if your home is sale ready.

1. Is your face in their face? We might be sounding like a broken record but, a house needs to feel neutral to potential buyers. The quickest way to take away the idea of them living in your home is to have family photos, cutesy signs and personal items out for all to see. Strangers do not need to see your kids' Disney trip nor do they need to see toothbrushes or bath toys displayed. Stash those items in drawers or bins. The more a buyer can imagine themselves in your space, the more likely they are to put a bid on your house. And the more buyers putting bids in is the better for you!

2. Cluttering up their view You may have great spaces, storage and square footage in your home, but if you have it filled and packed to the gills, it will look the opposite. No one should see all your stuffed clutter (see number 1) or feel that the furniture and household items are overwhelming the house. So clear the clutter, clear the counters, purge the closets and get rid of impractical furniture – we’re looking at you curio cabinets!

3. Proportions are all wrong Yes, you may love your super-size sectional or your gargantuan dining room table but they will do you no favors when putting your house up for sale. Large, oversize furniture can take all the space out of your space. The last thing you want is for a buyer to think rooms are smaller than they are or worse, they cannot imagine how a room works because only one giant couch is in there. Swap out large furniture with smaller, more appropriate size items. You may be thinking, but, they can see how many people can fit around this table! The opposite it actually true, by placing a smaller table, buyers will see the ample space there is in the room and draw their own conclusions as to how much bigger they can go with a piece of furniture.

4. It’s all about the flow Nothing is more daunting to a buyer than trying to envision furniture in a space that is empty or worse, a space that is undefined by typical walls. So if you have a great room or a unique space, you need to show its potential off. The easiest way of doing this is placing appropriate sized furnishings in these spaces to show how buyers can utilize them. Whether you are creating multiple seating areas in a large great room, or showing how an odd-sized space could work as a home office, kid space or reading nook. Don’t leave an empty shell. No matter how great the finishes, if buyers cannot easily see how a space works, they will pass on your house for one that is better defined.

5. Design minded This one is a tricky one for most people. So, to put it simply, I want you to recall a time you entered a house of someone who is elderly. Could you tell as soon as you walked in that the home was occupied by someone whose design style sways to the 70’s? Or what about an artisty maven? Did the walls come in every color of the rainbow and patterns and fabrics burst from every crevice. These, along with other niche styles or outdated designs, are a sale killer. Instead think neutral, new and updated. The easiest fix for this usually comes in the form of paint. Giving your walls a fresh coat of paint will instantly freshen your spaces not to mention the new paint smell that evokes care and newness to buyers. This is when hiring a staging consultant can really help. A professional stager can walk through your home and give you ideas on quick fixes, aesthetically pleasing ways of arranging your furniture and helpful tips on editing down your distinct personality to allow others to envision themselves in your space.

JoElle Knight is the Editor-in-Chief of HOME River Valley and experienced home stager. Check out more info on her staging services at www.joelleelisedesign.com