Last week I was invited to visit a wonderful woman named Deanne at her mother's home in Dover, New Hampshire for a home staging consultation. Her Mom had died fairly quickly from an aggressive brain tumor, and it had only been a week since the funeral. Deanne was raw with sadness and understandably nervous about the job of selling this home. Soon she would fly back to her home in the Midwest, and finish the selling process from miles away. She was open to discussing a detailed plan that will help the house to sell faster. And she was smart to get this plan in place BEFORE putting her Mom's house on the market.

It didn't take long for me to spot some obstacles that might get in the way of buyers wanting to purchase this house. If Deanne staged her Mom's home, it would appeal to more buyers, and increase the chances of getting an offer. Staged homes sell faster.

Challenge #1: Letting go. Deanne's Mom loved color, bright color. Cherry red and bright lemon yellow walls, and a guest bathroom with a black ceiling. I explained to Deanne, who is a clothing designer, that if she left the walls these colors, she would be limiting the number of buyers who would fall in love with the home. "But someone will like these colors just like Mom did." The analogy I gave this designer was this: if you created only size 18 dresses, how many would you sell? You are limiting your buyer pool to size 18 women only, and you are limiting your buyer pool here by keeping bright colored walls in the home. When you put your house on the market, it's not about you anymore. It's about the potential home buyers. Go neutral with colors and style to attract more buyers.

This living room in Kensington, New Hampshire was painted a dark brown before staging. It was given an updated lighter wall color, areas were staged to look larger, cleaner and more relaxed. Home staging makes a house appealing to a greater number of people.

Staged Living Room

Challenge #2: De-personalizing. Deanne's Mom had lots of beautiful photos of brides and babies decorating her home. Human beings are attracted to human faces, we can't help it. The problem is that buyers will be staring at her photos instead of looking at her home. Not good! Buyers spend only a few seconds per room checking it out for the first time. Precious seconds spent looking at your stuff takes away from showing off your home! This is not only true of personal photos...if you have an incredible collection of signed baseballs, precious Hummel s, antique doo-dahs etc on display, the buyers will be staring at your collection instead of concentrating on your house. Another area to de-personalize is your bathrooms. When there are face cloths, razors, toothbrushes etc on display in the bathroom, it gets too personal. Hide all bathroom items in a cabinet prior to showings and of course prior to your listing photos. Bathrooms should look like they do in a hotel, spotless and empty. And close that lid!

This bathroom in Lee, New Hampshire had pink feminine wallpaper that may not have appealed to a lot of buyers. It was painted a neutral color and personal items were hidden.

Staged Master Bathroom

Challenge #3: Welcoming in 2007 with open arms. We all have some "comfy old favorites". Perhaps the comforter on your bed has kept you warm for many, many years. It's broken in, you say, nothing wrong with it. Updating the style of your home does matter when it comes to selling it. If you were getting dressed for a job interview, would you wear a 15 year old suit? Or would you spiff up a bit, look your best? This isn't a dress rehearsal for your home, this is show time!! Put its best face forward.

This master bedroom in Greenland, New Hampshire needed a boost to beam it up into 2007. Blue mini blinds and a tired bedspread needed updating. Home staging gave this room a fresh updated look to help it appeal to more buyers. Turn on your lights for showings; light and bright is cheerful.

Staged Master Bedroom

Challenge #4: The front entry creates the first impression. It's the Universal Law of Wrappers when it comes to selling a product. Take a chocolate truffle for example. The prettier the wrapper, the better the chocolate is assumed to be, the more money you might be willing to pay for it. Successful confectioners know that presentation matters when it comes to selling pricey chocolate! Home staging prepares homes for market by using this same principal. Staging adds colorful accessories to transform your home into a beautifully packaged product to sell.

And staging includes the exterior of the home too. The first impression buyers have when they pull in to the driveway should make them want to see more. It should be clean, welcoming and friendly.

This staged New Hampshire front entry says, "Come on in!" It looks clean and well kept, it lets buyers know that the hard work has been done for them. Ahh, move in, and relax. The front of the house is almost always the first listing picture that buyers see on the Internet when they're browsing homes for sale, so make it good!

Staged Front Entry

Challenge #5: Making Peace with the current market. As your home stager, I'd like you to have realistic expectations. Just because your house is staged beautifully doesn't mean you can bump up the price in a buyer's market. Your staged home will most likely sell faster in a buyer's market if it is staged. The market is what it is! No one has a crystal ball to determine the best time for you to sell your home. But think about this: if your home sells for less than you'd like, you're probably going to buy one for less too.

Staging your home before putting it on the market ensures that your home's first impressions are top-notch. Statistics show that the first 30 days after listing are when the most activity on your home occurs. Stage it, then list it, then sell it. 

Staged First Impressions in Hampton, NH helped Deanne and many other New Hampshire home owners by creating attractive and comfortable houses to sell. We also provide excellent staged photography services. If you would like personalized instruction on how to stage your home so it sells faster, please call us in New Hampshire @ 603-926-2676. We've got a life raft ready & waiting for you!