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Staging your Home - What rooms are the most important?

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Real Estate Agent

Staging Your Home - What rooms should be staged?


While making a good first impression is your obvious task whenstaging advice,schaumburg homes, you sell your home which rooms are the most important?  This video gives suggestions and goes room by room with before and after ideas on where to put your energies first.

Foyer -
This is important because this gives that needed first impression.  Buyers make up their mind within a very short time about a house so don't blow it with a cluttered foyer. Tidy up the floors, remove boots and shoes and anything else not mandatory.  In fact, it might be a good idea to remove some furniture, plants, umbrella stands to give more room when buyers enter your home.  Since most buyers will remove their shoes as a courtesy, please be sure the floor is clean.  This is a pet peeve of most agents too - dust bunnies and dog hair on their socks.

Livingroom -
Should look inviting from the foyer area.  Buyers should feel encouraged to enter the room.  Please remove all family pictures too as we want buyers to focus on the room itself not who lives there.  Be sure there is enough light in the room also.  Pull back the sheers, open up those blinds, let in the sun.

Dining Room -
Most buyers look forward to getting that formal Dining Area on their wish list.  But is yours now the 'Pink Barbie' room?  Your son 'Bobby' is now 'Speed Racer' with all his assembled race tracks?  Please return the room to what it was originally intended - a family Dining Area.  Is there enough room to walk around the table?

Kitchen -
No stuff on the refrigerator (pictures, schedules, magnets) and no stuff on the counters except for one item - just pick one, be it the coffee pot or toaster.  This portion of your home has to be squeeky clean and everything has to shine.

staging advice,schaumburg homes,Family Room -
How big is that TV of yours?
 Is it larger than your couch?  It shouldn't be and how much furniture is in your Family Room?  Be sure there is a clear traffic flow in this room to show it's potential.  If 'Bobby' has taken over this room with 'Speed Racer' you'll have to pack it up for assembly at the new house.  We're selling space here!

Master Bedroom -
How much furniture have you got in here?
 Since most Master Bedrooms are the largest in the house, does it also have the most furniture?  Be sure that the room feels relaxing and spacious.  Take a critical eye and remove/stash/hide all personal items from view.  Be sure there is enough light available for viewing and be sure all lights are on and window treatments are open for all showings (banish those black out draperies).


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  Lyn Sims    Schaumburg IL Area    Northwest Chicago Suburbs  ●  (847)962-7104
 
 
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Comments (8)

Dean Carver
United Brokers Group/Carver Home Team - Ahwatukee, AZ

Great post for this market! If you have limited resources, don't feel like you have to tackel the whole house -- deal with the most impactful rooms!

Mar 09, 2011 01:20 AM
Karen Crowson
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage - Rancho Bernardo, CA
Your Agent for Change

Absolutely, the ones you see when you walk in the door!  I'm helping a young man sell his parent's house after their passing, and he's really understanding the idea behind some minimal staging. We won't do all the upstairs rooms, but the downstairs ones are a must!

Mar 09, 2011 01:24 AM
Keith Vermilyea
Boise Homes Realty brokered by Found It LLC - Boise, ID

I have told my clients all along that it's the main level and/or main living areas plus the master that are most important to stage.  If a house has great curb appeal and is nicely staged on the main level then the right buyer will have already been sold on it before they ever get to secondary bedrooms and living spaces.  This has always been a way for me to offer a compromise to those clients that resist staging efforts.   

Mar 09, 2011 01:58 AM
Ellen Caruso
Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty - Glen Head, NY

Lyn, a great blog and video, however my challenge is that I usually have a New construction and to stage all those rooms would cost me a fortune.

Mar 09, 2011 03:43 AM
Lyn Sims
Schaumburg, IL
Real Estate Broker Retired

Ellen:  That's true in your price market you would have to do exceptional furnishings for those rooms. I think people understand about the new construction.

Dean & Sonia: For people on a strict budget, make a plan & tackle it so you can make that great 1st impression that you are after.

Keith:  It depends on what the kids rooms look like.

Karen:  Age of the owners also seems to determine decorating style.  Now the son is required to do a little updating in order to make a good first impression.  Great way to enter the market with the updates or freshening up.

Mar 09, 2011 04:18 AM
William Feela
WHISPERING PINES REALTY - North Branch, MN
Realtor, Whispering Pines Realty 651-674-5999 No.

If most people would do just half of this, it would make a big differnce.

Mar 09, 2011 04:20 AM
Janice Ankrett
Burlington, ON
Staging Professional

Lyn, There is a staging level for everyone's budget. Picking the essential areas is a good way to start.

Mar 09, 2011 05:24 AM
Kathy Burke
Sensational Home Staging~~Danville, CA - Danville, CA
S.F. East Bay Home Staging

I always talk with clients about the "key rooms" to stage that may differ on the home but will always include the Living Room and Dining Room....from there it's the Family Room or the Master Bedroom!

Mar 09, 2011 12:05 PM