Where is the dining room?

How many times have you walked into a new home with a buyer and there is a very small or no dining room?

Numerous homes being built today are forgoing the formal dining room and making that room a den. Is it a wise decision? This can mean disaster for all invested if the designer or builder is wrong.

I was asked to preview a beautiful new home which had been on the market for almost a year. It had been staged before with a furniture company so I was anxious to find out why it was not sold. In the first few minutes I told the builder why I thought he had a problem, no dining room. There was a small breakfast nook to accommodate only four people, but in a house with five bedrooms this was not going to work.

I suggested that he drop a nice large pendent light in the den instead of the flush mount that he had installed, and I'll stage it as a dining room. Five weeks later he had multiple offers.

When a family walks in their potential home for the first time, they will envision all aspects of their lives. Where are they going to work and play? Where will they entertain their friends? Where will their parents sit when they come for Thanksgiving? The breakfast nook?!

It's absolutely true, people work a lot more now than ever before - often from home. Families may not eat together as often, or have as much time to entertain as they used to. Still they yearn for a lifestyle that carries on these traditions. Regardless of what the reality is, you will kill the sale if you think the formal dining room is a thing of the past.

Helping you get your listing SOLD!
Angela Voss
Designology Home Staging
Spokane WA