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Remember, you are selling a house not your home.

By
Home Stager

 

Families come in all shapes and sizes. Whether they are constant or fluctuate they have to fit into our home.

Some of us work from home so we fit our job into the space available as well.

We can get very creative as we fit everything and everyone into a home.

When it comes time to sell this home, remember, you are selling a house not your home.

You are selling a product to a stranger who does not have your memories or experience with the house.

You need to show off the square footage available at its best.

This may mean:

  • removing the extra cots used for naps in your daycare.
  • folding up the camp cot in the office that your step child sleeps on when they visit.
  • cleaning out the home office so that it looks larger.
  • getting the computer station out of the master bedroom.
  • using the spaces as the builder intended so that the buyer can see all the features of the house.
  • re-arranging the furniture for good traffic flow instead of good TV viewing.
  • putting back closet doors you removed because they were inconvenient.
  • taking the change table out of the hall.
  • removing those Toon decals the kids put up in the foyer.
  • clearing off the small appliances you store on top of the kitchen cabinets.
  • placing all those shoes, boots and coats left in the foyer into the closet.
  • storing the many pet toys and accessories while you sell.
  • finding a dog sitter for Fido while you are at work.
  • clearing out the basement storage areas.
  • making room for the car in the garage.

It's time to turn your home back into a house, a product ready for inspection.

 

Posted by

Retired Home Stager

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments(22)

Janice Ankrett
Burlington, ON
Staging Professional

Thank you Sheila! It's unbelievable how common these items are in homes.

Mar 04, 2012 11:25 PM
Diane Casale
Coldwell Banker First, Huntsville, AL - Huntsville, AL
REALTOR®, ABR®, CNAS®, SNP, Selling North Alabama

I totally agree!!! I was showing property this weekend and many of the homes we went in needed to follow your list. I wanted to rearrange everything just to show what potential the homes had. Thanks for sharing.

Mar 04, 2012 11:36 PM
Janice Ankrett
Burlington, ON
Staging Professional

Diane, this happens so often. Sellers just have trouble seeing their home as a product.

Mar 05, 2012 12:50 AM
Gail Fabiani
Right at Home Realty Inc., Brokerage - Burlington, ON

Great advice Janice.  Also pack away all the nicknacks and dust collectors.  If you are moving, pack the excess away and save time after the house sells.

Mar 05, 2012 03:09 AM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

Good solid advice!  A wise seller will take this message to heart and follow your advice.  Otherwise you just may be pointing out flaws in the floor plan and issues with space instead of  impressive architectural details.

Mar 05, 2012 03:59 AM
Peg Barcelo
Fluff My House! Home Staging Inc. 250.486.6369 - Summerland, BC
The FlufftasticStager from Summerland, BC

Janice, I love the list you have made! I'm sure it would have been overwhelming for them to try to do this without a professional Stager like you to help!

Mar 05, 2012 05:07 AM
Janice Ankrett
Burlington, ON
Staging Professional

Gail, that's very true. What you pack now is done for moving day!

Mar 05, 2012 05:17 AM
Janice Ankrett
Burlington, ON
Staging Professional

Sharon, it can be hard to tell a client their room looks to awkward to impress the buyer but we have to do it.

Mar 05, 2012 05:19 AM
Brian Madigan
RE/MAX West Realty Inc., Brokerage (Toronto) - Toronto, ON
LL.B., Broker

Janice,

I can really say that my own house is not ready but the good side of that is that we are not planning to move. So, there's a Spring project.

Brian

Mar 05, 2012 05:19 AM
Janice Ankrett
Burlington, ON
Staging Professional

Thanks Peg! I think our consults provide a solid plan of attack for our clients.

Mar 05, 2012 05:20 AM
Sharon Lord
Maracay Homes - Peoria, AZ
New Home Advisor

Janice - a great list to remind sellers that they need to NEUTRALIZE their lifestyle to be open to the greatest amount of potential buyers!  It's a slight inconvenience, but only for a short span of time - their home WILL sell faster!

Mar 05, 2012 06:07 AM
Peter Pfann @ eXp Realty Pfanntastic Properties in Victoria, Since 1986.
eXp Realty, Victoria BC www.pfanntastic.com - Victoria, BC
Talk To or Text Peter 250-213-9490

HI Janice,

sometimes our clients are so close to the subject matter that they just can not see what is right or wrong anymore, and your list is Pfanntastic to assist with that.

Mar 05, 2012 09:46 AM
Janet Jones
Just Your Style Interiors, LLC - Kihei, HI
Home Staging, Interior Redesign Kihei, Maui, Hawaii

Hi Janice--the old adage of, "how we dwell is not how we sell".  Sellers are so in love with their homes and so accustomed to how they spend their time in it that they can't/don't think of what buyers will see/feel when evaluating the property.  Hopefully many smart sellers are reading your post and following your advice. 

Mar 05, 2012 05:49 PM
Janice Ankrett
Burlington, ON
Staging Professional

Brian, if we keep up with the sorting, donating and tossing it is less work when we do decide to move. Unfortunately most of us do not do it.

Mar 05, 2012 10:11 PM
Janice Ankrett
Burlington, ON
Staging Professional

Very true Sharon! The broader the appeal the better their chances of a fast sale.

Mar 05, 2012 10:12 PM
Janice Ankrett
Burlington, ON
Staging Professional

Thanks Peter and Linda. It is hard to see your own home objectively.

Mar 05, 2012 10:14 PM
Janice Ankrett
Burlington, ON
Staging Professional

Thanks Janet. Sellers have to separate themselves from their home and turn it back into the house they had on 'X' street. Staging or preparing their home for sale, helps them do this.

Mar 05, 2012 10:16 PM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

Janice- as always great advice.  I have a feeling you've seen all of the items you pointed out at one time or another.  Sellers have such a hard time getting past the fact that their house is about to be "on stage".

Mar 09, 2012 04:25 AM
Janice Ankrett
Burlington, ON
Staging Professional

Kathy, I have seen every one LOL. Sellers have to go into selling mode and put their home on stage.

Mar 09, 2012 04:54 AM
Janice Ankrett
Burlington, ON
Staging Professional

Valerie, I have had a few clients with daycares in their homes. It certainly does complicate things!

Mar 23, 2012 10:41 AM