Home > Blogs > Kathy Streib > Home Staging For You

Home Staging Tips in Palm Beach County- Distraction or Detraction... Doesn't Matter... it Needs to GO!

By Kathy Streib

Home Stager

February 20, 2011 07:52 AM

Home Staging Tips in Palm Beach County... Distraction or Detraction... doesn't matter.. it needs to go.

House with question mark Whether you're selling your home in Palm Beach County or Palm Springs, Boca Raton or Boca Grande buyers need to be able to "see" your house. Square footage, liveability, condition, location and price are what's important. Buyers will see the location and List Price easily enough but what about the first 3?

If you want your Buyer to be able to see the "liveability" of your house and the space it has to offer you need to address these 2 things:

DISTRACTIONS- What are they? They're anything that will take the focus of your buyer off of your house! This is not to say that a Seller must remove all personal objects, or that your home has to be model perfect. But, if a Buyer is spending time looking at your photos, or admiring your doll collection.... they're NOT looking at your house.

                   Personal Photos
                   Taste specific art, decor or paint
                   Your collections all around the house
                   Clutter

DETRACTIONS- This is anything that takes away from your buyer seeing the value of your house. You're hoping to get the most you can for your house. The Buyer needs to see its value; it's all about their perception of the home's value based on condition and local market statistics.   Detractions can take away from the value of your home.

                    Repairs that have not been made.
                    Worn flooring or carpeting.
                    Outdated kitchens, bathrooms,light fixtures, and lighting
                    Overgrown landscaping, trees and bushes that need trimming, lawns in need of care
                    Walls that have not been painted in 10 years.
                                                                                                                                                                house

If your house is on the market, make the most you can from each showing and increase your chances of getting the best value for your house....

Remove the Distractions and Detractions!!!!!

For more information call

Kathy Streib
561-914-6224
Kathy@MrsHomeStaging.com
www.MrsHomeStaging.com

Re-Blog

Comments(23)

Comment

Show All Comments

Sort:

J. Philip Faranda

Howard Hanna Rand Realty - Yorktown Heights, NY

Associate Broker / Office Manager

Excellent summary. I still struggle with completely making a place antiseptic and anonymous with regard to photos but I understand the rationale.

Detractions can be out and out sales killers, however.

Feb 20, 2011 09:25 AM

Kristine Ginsberg

Elite Staging and Redesign, LLC - Short Hills, NJ

NJ Home Stager

Kathy - as always you hit the nail on the head! Show the home, not your personal life when selling your house - end of story!

Feb 20, 2011 09:49 AM

Shar Sitter

Rooms With Style - Minneapolis, MN

Home Staging and Redesign Minneapolis/ St. Paul, M

Ah, the double D's are deadly. LOL. I hit suggest because it is very well said.

Feb 20, 2011 10:08 AM

Roger D. Mucci

Shaken...with a Twist 216.633.2092 - Euclid, OH

Lets shake things up at your home today!

Who's better than you BARFF? Good stuff here.................

Feb 20, 2011 11:24 AM

Sharon Tara

Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH

Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

Amen to that sister stager!

Feb 20, 2011 11:39 AM

Kathy Streib

Cypress, TX

Home Stager/Redesign

J. Philip- Stagers will differ on this but I don't think a house has to be completely devoid of pictures. I recently consulted with a widow who wanted to keep a special photo of her husband in the house. I don't see the harm in that. We're talking about the whole walls of photos, and every flat surface covered with pictures.

Kristine-Sellers take their homes very personally, so when we go in and tell them to "depersonalize"... it's not that easy.

Shar- Ah-h-h-h the Double D's.... have no idea what they are!!!! Thanks for the "suggest"

BARFF- well, as Shar said, had to focus on the Double D's!

Sharon- Thank you, my sistuh!

Feb 20, 2011 11:54 AM

Judy Klem

Transition Stage LLC - Shelton, CT

Home Staging, Senior Move Management, Fairfield/New Haven counties

Hi Kathy - This is a great way to put this! Distraction/Detraction - both negative. I hit Suggest.

Feb 20, 2011 12:07 PM

Al & Peggy Cunningham, Brokers

RE/MAX West Realty Inc., Brokerage - Brampton, ON

Our Family Wants To Help Your Family!

Kathy we suggested this as a feature because these are the things we go over with Sellers time and time again. You are so right!

Feb 20, 2011 01:13 PM

Kathy Streib

Cypress, TX

Home Stager/Redesign

Judy- They're both negative and yet are easily addressed. Thanks for the suggest.

Al and Peggy- I bet you feel like you're talking to a brick wall sometimes, right? I think if you explain the "why''s" and not just say depersonalize it, then sellers might begin to "get it". Thanks for the suggest!

Feb 20, 2011 01:36 PM

Wanda Kubat-Nerdin - Wanda Can!

Red Rock Real Estate (435) 632-9374 - St. George, UT

St. George Utah Area Residential Sales Agent

Kathy, Some people do not understand the difference and think a good clean will hide potential problems that exist. Thanks for the simple explanation, it is much appreciated!

Feb 20, 2011 02:05 PM

Kathy Streib

Cypress, TX

Home Stager/Redesign

Wanda- I agree with you... many sellers still think that cleaning is enough. Yes, it's important but much more needs to be done.

Feb 20, 2011 03:03 PM

Rebecca Gaujot, Realtor®

Lewisburg, WV

Lewisburg WV, the go to agent for all real estate

Kathy, two good tips on distraction and detraction...

Feb 20, 2011 04:37 PM

Maureen Bray Portland OR Home Stager ~ Room Solutions Staging

Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR - Portland, OR

"Staging Consultations that Sell Portland Homes"

Hi Kathy -- Good post that will help sellers understand the importance of removing those distractions. Yesterday I had a consultation with a retiree who had every single surface covered with framed family photos. When I told him that buyers would find them distracting -- and prevent them from noticing his home's charming features -- he said he'd never thought of that. We need to continally educate the public about the value of presenting a home so that buyers want to move right in.

Feb 20, 2011 06:17 PM

Laura Cerrano

Feng Shui Manhattan Long Island - Locust Valley, NY

Certified Feng Shui Expert, Speaker & Researcher

Hey Kathy,

great simple tips with how to address staging your home. thanks for sharing :)

Feb 21, 2011 01:14 AM

Kathy Streib

Cypress, TX

Home Stager/Redesign

Rebecca- Many mistake a Stager's "zest" to remove personal items as trying to make a house sterile, but it's really an attempt to remove distractions!

Maureen- I know that when I was 'home shopping' several years ago, my Realtor and I must have spent a good 15 minutes looking at a huge family portrait and all of the family photos along the staircase instead of looking at the house.

Laura- I think if sellers see the "why" then they be more willing to pack up their "distractions"!

Feb 21, 2011 02:35 AM

Kathy Burke

Sensational Home Staging~~Danville, CA - Danville, CA

S.F. East Bay Home Staging

Kathy....GREAT post with some GREAT examples of both distractions and detractions...and your soooo right there is a difference!!

Feb 21, 2011 04:08 AM

Barbara Heil-Sonneck

Design2Sell - Atlanta, GA

Home Staging Atlanta

Kathy, you are spot on. Distractions and detractions can keep a great home from selling.

Feb 21, 2011 04:47 AM

Kathy Streib

Cypress, TX

Home Stager/Redesign

Kathy- There's a big difference and both are what we stagers see in our consultations!

Barbara- It's not about the photos and collections... it's that they are distractions.

Feb 21, 2011 05:12 AM

Janice Ankrett

Burlington, ON

Staging Professional

Well said as usual Kathy! I once had to talk someone out of displaying nudes LOL.

Feb 22, 2011 08:53 AM

Kathy Streib

Cypress, TX

Home Stager/Redesign

Janice- OMG... I hope you wrote a post about it. I had a seller who had one coming out of the wall above her bed. She would not take it down!

Feb 22, 2011 11:52 AM

Older Post

Newer Post

Home Staging Tips in Palm Beach County- Distraction or Detraction... Doesn't Matter... it Needs to GO!

Comments(23)

Kathy Streib

Service Areas

Real Estate Resources

Recent Posts

Popular Posts