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Are you making your staged homes memorable?

Statistics show that on an average buyers will view 20+ properties before making a decision. What are you doing to make your staged homes memorable?

Some of the techniques I use are "themed" stagings. They say staging is about deleting...absolutely yes when it is an occupied home. I feel differently when it is new construction. I think making a home memorable is what help sells a home.

Recently I staged a home on the intracoastal waterway in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. The market has plummeted in this part of the country and this home is listed at 1.450 million. When I first previewed it for staging, I noticed that it was confusing when you walked in the front door. Looked like the kitchen was to the right as you entered.

Trying to get the potential buyer to see the beauty in the home, I chose to place art so that the eye would automatically go to the right and view the next piece of art then the beautiful view...so far it looks like I've succeeded. Buyers don't ask "is this kitchen" as they immediately enter the property, their eyes go to the next painting in the living room, fireplace then the beautiful view of the waterway.

Also, it felt like a corporate retreat so I played up that theme by creating a "faux" retreat with Dunder Mifflin employees. I have name badges throughout the home from the TV show The Office and even created a team building project "Building a boat" in the basement.

Coastal Homestyles which is in The Sun News from Myrtle Beach Faux crab feast Living Room Master suite will be using some of my before and afters in their January edition.

Posted by Renee Pratta ~ Renewed Rooms ~ SC on 12/15/2007 08:58 PM

Comments (14)

staged homes memorable, art of staging, stage a home, renewed rooms stages homes

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14 Comments on Are you making your staged homes memorable?

DEC

2007

Renee - Thank you for sharing this great idea. Do you have any ideas for staging a vacant home? I'm planning on hosting a broker's open this week. Thanks!

Thanks

On a personal note I grew up in southern New Jersey! Pennsville to be exact.

To make it memorable, think out of the box. What do you feel when you enter the property. Sometimes you just need an easel with some verbiage to help make the potential buyer understand the purpose of the room.

Beautiful, creative work Renee. My only problem with themes is I don't like to have too many of my staged homes look a like so I'm careful about overdoing it. When I do a mountain cabin or woodsy A frame, the lodge theme is almost always there or this time of year a snow/winter theme.

Love the golf clubs in your bedroom...wouldn't apply in any of my homes so far.

I agree. I spend hours thinking of new ideas to make the home memorable...wish I had a mountain cabin or woodsy A frame. Living on the coast of South Carolina...it's all about the BEACH!

Thanks for your comments.

Well you'd probably be surprised at how many of our mountain, lake and other area homes are done with a beach theme by the owners and they are usually insulted when I hint that this should change when staging a home for sale. I love shells too, but my home is not for sale. :-)

Renee - I also grew up in Southern New Jersey - Medford! I believe I'll use the easel idea - thanks!

Renee ~ I love the furniture you had to work with ! Great pictures!

Renee ~ I love the Old Bay/crab theme. We're up the coast in Chesapeake Bay country, and I've thought about how crabs and Old Bay in the kitchen would strike a chord here. Also, I love the living room - beautiful furniture and a great looking fireplace!

That's where I got the idea Andrea. I lived in Southern Maryland for 20 years. Three of my six children and four of my five grandchildren...all in Maryland.

I sometimes really miss going to Capt. Billys crabhouse in Popes Creek and seeing everyone eating the crabs and beer!

DEC

2007

Hi Renee- I'm particularly fond of your style for certain geographic areas. I'm not sure it would work everywhere - ie: high end lake vacation property - within reason. Downtown Boston - hmmm....maybe. Metro-West Boston? I seriously doubt it. I fear that the area I'm in the buyers would see it as gimmicky and it would be all over for me. That's not to say that I can't spend some down time looking at ways to incorporate some aspects.

Jackie

Hi Jackie:

It is amazing how different geographic areas can be and I definitely think you really need to understand your demographics to make the most impact for the seller.

I will say though if staging is setting the scene and only 5% of buyers can visualize how it can be...it is up to us to find creative ways that helps make the buyer "feel" it can and will be their home.

One of the reasons I followed this career path was because of my love of model homes and the ability of the stager/designer to create images of how I could live without putting an actual "families" personality into it. I also had the good fortune to work for a national builder where I sold homes. I worked from two furnished models that had what I will call "living" vignettes throughout...people loved the sushi on the kitchen table, the basket with a book on gardening, gardening gloves, hat and silk (yes silk) flowers to simulate fresh cut...it made the home memorable...it made the home feel warm...it made people say this is how I want to live...

Because of my experiences selling homes, because I like to be more on the creative and marketing end of selling a home rather than the "legal" paperwork end and because like the rest of us that do this I love to decorate, I found "setting the scene" to make it "memorable" is my way of helping the REALTOR and seller get to SOLD.

So, are my vignettes Cheesy?...perhaps but everytime I visit the home or see the photo, I still want to be sitting at that table with my friends on a beautiful South Carolina day drinking beer, eating crabs smothered in "Old Bay" watching the boats go by...

Renee- you will get no argument from me about incorporating emotional connection points into staging - I incorporate them all the time and have refined that skill especially as I grow and learn from some of the phenomenal stagers found right here on SIF. There's also much to be learned from the merchandising world in general.

I never called your vignettes cheesy and I wouldn't. If they're working, they're working. I did note with interest that some of the BIG box builders turned to stagers, deciding to cut back on the amount of personalization placed in their models in the last few years though and I do think that is telling. I'm not sure financial considerations were the final factor in those decisions. We walk a fine line and I personally try to keep that in mind - too much and I distract the buyers, too little and I don't even engage them.

Jackie

Renee - you can't have too much inspiration or too many ideas, they will all be used eventually.

I will never forget this one model had a boring floor plan and as you walked in the front door, all the public rooms were visible from the entry and I would be darned if I was going to hang another diptic on the kitchen nook wall. Left blank for what seemed like the longest time, D-day was closing in and in the middle of the night I woke up with the answer: I had three 4x8 sheets of white lattice installed on the wall and wove English Ivy through it. It was a hit! Keep pushing the envelope and by the way, I could so sit down in that kitchen nook and enjoy that beer right now!

Thanks to all for the input. I just love the diversity of opinions...always makes you think and try hard to stay on top of the game.

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