Recently I was asked by a training company if I would coach their staging graduates on the physical aspects of staging a home.  Many people take a staging class but do not get enough one-on-one time to learn the details of what it takes to stage a property from start to finish since the classes are so large.  Hands-on learning is especially important since vacant properties are such a large aspect of the services professional stagers provide and many training companies do not teach stagers how to actually stage a vacant home.  

I considered mentoring the students but was told that I would have to follow the process that this organization teaches and could not change their custom step-by-step process. While I understand the need to have a method to stage homes, after staging over 300 homes myself I have found that it is nearly impossible to have a cookie cutter approach to staging since each property is a unique situation and floor-plan.

This however got me thinking about ways that I can coach stagers on a process that can help them achieve better results in vacant homes.

Below is the first of Simple Strategies for Creating Rooms that work. Subscribe to my Coaching Blog so you will not miss the next tips and tricks:

1. How to use color to create flow in a vacant home:

The number one concern clients have about staging vacant homes is that stagers typically do not use as much furniture as the home seller would use if the home was occupied and the home once staged can appear partially furnished.  Often times, vacant staged homes can end up looking as if someone merely plunked down furniture in the space and the room instead of feeling warm and inviting to buyers, still feels cold and empty. I call this look "floating islands" of furniture.

One tip that I recommend to achieve more warmth and to make the space feel fuller is using a color throughout the entire staged property to unify the spaces that you stage. This pop of color will excite the buyer's eye and immediately draw their eye to that color within the room and in adjoining rooms.

This is actually a very simple strategy to accomplish and in the end will make planning your staging projects very easy. Take the average vacant new construction living room for example:

In a room that has hardwood floors, cream walls and white trim you can place any neutral sofa, chairs and occasional tables.

•·          On the sofa you can then add your pop of color with a throw or some pillows- this draws the buyer's eye to the seating area mentally telling them that this is a great space for gathering and entertaining.

•·          You can then add this same pop of color in the artwork over the fireplace on the wall leading into the next room. This draws their eye to the fireplace which is a selling feature or expands the space by pulling their eye towards the opening to the next room.

•·          You can then add this accent color to a third area in the room- perhaps it is in the area rug you select or the window treatments or in the bowl on the coffee table.

A rule that I like to use is to add this color three places in the room and on three different height levels. For example:

•·          Adding the color to the area rug anchors the space.

•·          Adding the color to the sofa or the accents on the coffee table infuses the center plane of the room with that color.

•·          Adding the color to the window treatments or the art adds that color to the top portion of the room so the buyer can appreciate the height of the room or any architectural details.

To continue to pull the buyer through the home you can then repeat this process in the next room by adding the color you used in the adjoining room to this room as well.

I still have not come up with the magic formula to stage any room but until I do consider these recommendations to add more warmth to a vacant space.

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