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Can You Make Accessories Only Staging Work?

As home staging professionals it is our job to help clients best market and present their homes for sale. Often times we are required to work within our client's budget constraints and our vision of how to best furnish and accessorize a space may not be feasible.

In the past, I have hesitated to offer "accessories only" packages because adding furniture and area rugs not only allows buyers to envision how they can live in a space but also properly shows the size and scale of each room.

In this current economy however I am finding that more and more clients cannot afford to completely stage their homes or need to invest their dollars in making updates or completing construction projects.I have started to offer "accessories only" packages and have been pleased by the results. When done correctly adding a few accent items can properly enhance a home's selling features. Below are a few guidelines that I have developed to help enhance a property using accessories only:

1. Focus on the key areas:

Add artwork, greenery or an area rug to add warmth to the foyer. Consider a large floor vase with reeds or artwork on an easel to fill a vacant entryway.

Accent the kitchen to showcase materials and finishes. Set the breakfast bar or set up the built-in desk as a command center.

Add artwork and accessories to highlight a mantle in a living room or family room.

Strategically place items in a built-in bookcase to add color and depth.

Soften a bare bathroom with greenery and spa accents.

2. Use a single color scheme to create flow from room to room:

Add color to the spaces that you want buyers to notice. As they move through the home keeping the color scheme the same will add to continuity and balance to empty rooms.

Use complimentary colors to add pop and balance to a neutral palate and neutral colors to soften a colorful room.

3. Select items that are in keeping with the price point of the home:

Nothing says budget staging more than inexpensive looking items! Items do not have to cost a fortune to look great as long as they match the profile of the buyer you want to attract.

4. Select items that are the proper size and scale:

Large scale artwork and mirrors can be expensive. Instead of adding skimpy pieces, stretch your budget with metal wall scrolls, or multiple pieces of art grouped together.

Items that are too small look cluttered- less items that are the right size will make a more powerful statement.

Have you done any "accessories only" home staging projects recently? If so did you find them to effectively market the home? Please share!

If you are looking to sell your home take a look at how home staging transformed this property. Hart Staging personally services the Main Line, Philadelphia, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery area of Pennsylvania. Visit our site at www.hartstaging.com to learn more about our services. For all other locations contact us at www.selecthomestagers.com to find an associate in your local area.

Kate Hart is an award winning home staging expert servicing clients in the Main Line and Philadelphia regions. Make sure to subscribe to her blog for money saving staging and home design ideas.

Posted by Kate Hart on 06/17/2009 03:42 PM

Comments (21)

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home staging main line, home staging philadelphia, hart staging, home staging vacant homes, home staging expert

Originally posted at: Home Staging Pennsylvania- Hart & Associates Servicing the Main Line, Philadelphia, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties. : Can You Make Accessories Only Staging Work?

Post is included in group: Stage It Forward...
Post is included in group: VACANT HOUSE STAGING & NEW HOMES
Post is included in group: Pennsylvania Professionals

21 Comments on Can You Make Accessories Only Staging Work?

JUN

I like this concept...certainly better than a total "blank slate". Whole house professional staging does highlight the homes potential but if it's not cost effective for the client this is a great alternative.

Thanks Tim, As you probably know since you work in the mortgage industry builders do not have the cash flow they used to- this means in some cases they have to make the choice between installing carpet and appliances or staging. We have to be flexible in today's maket and provide them with a service that enhances the home but still fits their budget. The photos above show homes in all price points $400k-3.2million. I think it is effective in all cases. KH

Kate, as a former home builder with hundreds of homes worth of experience, I would tell builders and sellers of vacant homes to "bite the proverbial bullet" and pay for staging. As I pointed out in a recent post, the question really isn't, "Can I afford to stage?" It is: "Can I afford not to?"

Holding the home for a longer period and paying construction loan interest or making mortgage payments, more than compensates for the money spent in staging. And, I have seen homes sell for more, after staging. The last home I constructed sat on the market for a couple of months after completion as I thought the home so attractive that I didn't need to stage it. After staging, however, I raised the price by several thousand dollars and sold it within a couple of weeks.

I have helped a friend stage some condos this year, both for rent and sale. We have not rented furniture for any of them, but are using a combination of my accessories and some small pieces of her own furniture. I go "shopping" at her house. I'm doing another one this week - blow-up beds, borrowed loveseat, her dining chairs & lots of my accessories. We do what we have to do!

Hi John and Beth,

thanks for your comments- I agree that completely staging the home is always the best choice for home sellers however in today's market often they cannot come up with the cash flow to make it happen. I think adding a few accents to give more warmth to the space can be effective if done well- I have seen all too many "stagings gone wrong" where people have thrown anything into a space. I appreciate your comments.

Kate, I have seen some success with this. It does look nicer, but I am not convinced that it shortens DOM if I look at the stats. That's my 2 cents

JUN

WE do wht we have to do but I thought we should define space. I guess I would rather see a table and no chairs than walls with art.

If it works I'm happy for all of you

I agree with you ladies- defining space is more important. I have just started doing this so I will let you know about DOM.

hi, Kate:
Locally, they refer to this as Vignette Staging. I can't say Vigentte with out giggling, but that's another story.

Most of the top producers I have come across want this service. They are big believers in Accessorizing, but not Full-Staging. So, I fill the market's need with this service. I've performed three of these in May, and all were De-Staged within 30 days after the option period closed.

I hesitate to go on record as to whether I believe this service is effective. Let me just say this: Does it add a little warmth to an otherwise blah home? Sure. Does it really help sell these homes? I can not say, as I am not aware of what the buyer's reason for purchasing was. Will I continue to offer this service? You betcha!

On one occasion, I was setting up in a home where the family was relocated and had rented the house. The owner was in town making touch-ups and cleaning up after the tenants and before listing again, so I had to work around him. At first, I thought this was annoying. Then the conversation really picked up as he was impressed by the service. And when his friends came over, they were impressed. So, the REALTOR not only had a happy client, but the client's happines was reinforced by his friends' positive comments. I tell this story as Vignette Staging is a relatively inexpensive way to set the listing service apart from the rest. Making the seller happy is just as important as enticing the buyer.

It also gives the REA leverage (and I've seen this in action): "House looks good, warmed up by vignette Staging, getting traffic. So what else could it be? Price... "

One of the things that REAs seem to like about my service is that I bring in a conole table or other small hall table to put in the entry way/foyer. They seem to like to have their marketing materials right there when buyers walk in.

Good luck, Kate!
The Stage Coach Home Staging

Kate,

Potential buyers purchase homes when their emotions are triggered, and they see key enticing highlights. If you can EVEN add a bit of HOME into a property - It is ALWAYS better then empty.

Your techinique is spot-on, and talent unlimited!

Yes, in this market offering accesories only is important. I often use small accent tables and chairs as well. My most recent one went under contract in 3 weeks (had previously been listed vacant for 6 months!

Thx, Kate, for sharing this!

Kate ~ Although I've never done it, accessory-only staging can help enhance some properties where the budget doesn't allow actual furniture. (However, your mention of using quality items is so important! I've seen some properties with accessories that looked as though they were all picked up at junk sales and the look was worse than leaving the home vacant.) In today's market we need to be flexible and consider all options for our clients, so thinking in new ways is critically important isn't it?

I've only done a couple "accessory only" stagings, but they were for Owner Occupied homes that needed some....help. I haven't done any vacant ones though, and your results look great.

Hello Kate, good to see you. Our experience has been that different levels of staging bring different levels of results. As you know Linda and I are big statistics gatherers and statistically fully staged vacant homes bring much better results than partially staged vacant home, Partially staged vacant homes bring better result than accessory only staged vacant homes, but again statistically they all offer much better results than non staged vacant homes. With the downturn in the economy we have shifted our education efforts with clients to high lite this point as strongly as possible. Again, it's good to see you.

Kate, I'm glad you brought this up. I've had some inquiries by other stagers in my area about whether it works. I haven't tried it, and was a little wary of it to be honest. After reading your blog and the comments, I may consider offering the service, but adding a disclaimer that it may not work as well as a fully staged home.

JUN

I think you did a fine job!

JUN

It does help warm up the space and is affordable. Yours looks great.

This is a really interesting debate. In Australia I doubt I could get away with this level of staging. The accessory only look would not really work in my market and would not mean that much to home owners, agents or buyers.

My preference would be to stage one or two key rooms that prospective buyers could engage with (maybe a living space and a master bedroom) and if the budget was an issue, just tone down the amount of stock I include in the rooms.

It is hard when the market turns sour and you have to look for new ways at marketing your business and the services it offers. So if this approach is working, keep it up I say!

Kate,

I have never offered accessory Staging before...but I appreciate your efforts to find the best way to help your clients. As Stagers we need to find new ways to be creative and think outside the box. I have enjoyed reading the comments and would love to hear the rusults of DOM. Keep us up to date and thanks for posting this. Great job!

JUN

Great question Kate! Your photos look great!

However, not just anyone has the vision to accessory only stage. If it is not done right, it will look much, much worse than plain vacant. I have seen this concept work very well just as your photos show, and I have seen train-wrecks as well.

My advice is to only do this if you KNOW you have the ability and then get a second opinion about your ideas before you actually do it (even if it's here on AR). The home stagers name and reputation is on the line, not to mention the staging industry as a whole. Thanks for bringing this up because it's a HUGE issue that can benefit from a great discussion.

JUN

Kate: I have set a few properties with "accessories only", but with the existing furnishings in place. I do not know if it helped or not. It definately gave the house more impact. I still feel that a buyer needs to see actual furnishings in place to determine if that home will work for them. Who will throw stones at you? Whatever works is great. More power to you!

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Kate Hart

Radnor, PA

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