Whoa! What Happened Here?

(Perspectives on Real Estate and More from a Home Staging Pro)

        As you can imagine, every once in a while I walk into a house and think, “Whoa! What happened here?”  What may surprise you is that it is not the house that is full of clutter that surprises me as much as an occupied house that is practically empty.  Clearly there was a misunderstanding about what Home Staging is all about.  Yes de-cluttering or editing is an important part of Home Staging but it is possible to do too much of a good thing. 

        Below is a picture of one of my favorite rooms.  It was a room just off the patio that had a lot of sun.  I wanted to show it as a retreat of sorts and make it feel comfortable and inviting.   I did not pack it with furniture and there is not a tchotchke on every shelf, but the space is defined and according to the Agent and the Seller the room was very inviting.  I guess the Buyers liked this room, along with the rest of the house.  The house was under contract within two days of Staging.


Flex Room Staged

         

Home Staging is about a lot more than de-cluttering.  By Staging your house, you use a careful balance of furniture and accessories to draw attention to the best assets of the house and distract from the less than appealing features.  If you’re not sure how to use accessories along with pieces of furniture to make Buyers fall in love with it, talk to a Home Stager.  The Home Stager can either point you in the right direction or do the work for you.  It’s your call!  Whatever you choose, do not take de-cluttering to such an extreme that anyone thinks, “Whoa! What happened here?”

 

Wishing you a quick sale!

 

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 Kathy Strader, ASP

www.MemorialStagedHomes.com

Kathy@MemorialStagedHomes.com

 

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Star Posted by Kathy Strader, ASP on 08/22/2012 04:25 AM   Comments (45)   Seller Tips in the Home Selling Channel   home staging, decluttering  
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45 Comments on Whoa! What Happened Here?

20 Most Recent Comments Displayed Show All

AUG
22
159,370 Points 3 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Hello Kathy,

I guess we all have a different meaning when we say: "less is more"...
4:41pm • #26
1,030,837 Points 238 Featured Posts Outside Blog Attended Rain Camp Called Shot Master

Kathy- congrats on the feature.  I was actually moving back to FL when a neighbor asked me for a consultation (this was 2 days before my move).  I ran into a similar problem... all white walls, minimal furniture  and very little color.  Yikes!  
5:21pm • #27
580,485 Points 37 Featured Posts Outside Blog Attended Rain Camp Called Shot Master

Hi Kathy ~ The best staging shows the room's function but also allows the buyer to see the room's great features ... when it comes to furniture, less is more in my opinion too.  Great example, and  congrats on the Featured post!
5:26pm • #28
4 Featured Posts

Tatyana, you are oh so right!

 

Maureen and Kathy, I know you feel my pain!
6:16pm • #29
548,316 Points 9 Featured Posts Outside Blog Called Shot Master

Kathy:

I love a decluttered home.  I feel that each room needs some furniture in it that says I am a bedroom or I am an office.
6:27pm • #30
200,105 Points 3 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog Called Shot Master

I so agree with you.  I took the ASP course to gain some small basics.
6:49pm • #31
761,801 Points 106 Featured Posts Outside Blog Called Shot Master

Sometimes buyers just need a little help trying to figure out where the furniture should go. Staging can help them see things that otherwise they wouldn't.
9:12pm • #32
AUG
23
254,732 Points 9 Featured Posts Outside Blog Called Shot Master

I agree, empty rooms just don't work. I could use your help on one of my listings right now, wish you were closers. Sellers don't seem to get that the right furniture in the right place is better than no furniture ;)
6:56am • #33
839,193 Points 69 Featured Posts Outside Blog Called Shot Master

Kathy rules.....no clutter is safe or can live in her presence for long
6:59am • #34
280,196 Points 14 Featured Posts Outside Blog Called Shot Master

wow that is really the bare necessities! home run and congrats on the featured blog post too! well deserved for today in real estate!
7:11am • #35
123,971 Points

Kathy, well done! More open space aleaves buyers with a better feel for their plan and from there much is gained from offering standpoint. Great post and congrats on being featured. ;)
8:06am • #36
498,020 Points 13 Featured Posts Outside Blog Called Shot Master

Hi Kathy, we had that happen on a listing the other day - you could not see an inch of the counter tops!
8:16am • #37
586,545 Points 106 Featured Posts Outside Blog Called Shot Master

I love your comment that staging draws attention to the best features of the house. So many have the incorrect belief that somehow a stager will "cover up" faults.
9:20am • #38
2 Featured Posts Outside Blog

I always stage vacant homes they tend to be echoey and vast without a place for the eye to rest.  They also feel cold and for some reason people need a visual cue to identify what room is what.  I also have very contemporary taste and I lived in a home that was too big for me without a lot of clutter, my realtor told me I had to paint my white walls and add in some more stuff - probably the first time a client was told that :)
9:28am • #39
1 Featured Post Outside Blog

I agree--less IS more!  I try to help buyers understand that they are selling their space, not their stuff.  I always give the HGTV show "House Hunters" as an example--people can get caught up in the stuff and not the space and a sale can be lost!
10:06am • #40
1,023,886 Points 15 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog Called Shot Master

I cannot imagine living in a house and trying to sell it at the same time.  Great post.
3:52pm • #41
781,065 Points 38 Featured Posts Outside Blog Attended Rain Camp Called Shot Master

I once had a client completely empty her kitchen cabinets because she thought it would look better.  All her food and dishes were in boxes in the garage.  The husband was so relieved when I told her the stuff should be brought back into the kitchen.
3:55pm • #42
AUG
24
2 Featured Posts

Proper staging is so important in today's market.  Thank's for the great post!

 
1:09pm • #43
AUG
27
160,947 Points 1 Featured Post

Staging is critical. I had rather have it almost empy than to cluttered, though.
9:12am • #44
NOV
20
237,391 Points 5 Featured Posts Called Shot Master

Good stagers are worth their weight in gold. It takes a special knack to do it right.
8:36pm • #45

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Kathy Strader, ASP

Houston, TX

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Memorial Staged Homes

Address: Service Area: Greater Houston and Katy, TX

Office Phone: (713) 824-8542

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