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Creating A Positive First Impression One Room at a Time

By
Home Stager with Sharon Tara Transformations

 

As a Home Stager I mention first impression a lot. It's an aspect of real estate that most agents and sellers are well aware of....

"You never get a second chance at making a great first impression"

When speaking about first impression, people are usually referring to mls pictures online, curb appeal from the street, or those precious first few seconds upon entering the front door.

Here's something else to consider....

Consider the importance of "first impression" upon entering each individual room.

When preparing your house for sale, take the time to stand outside each room and see how it looks upon entering. Is it visually appealing? Is the room's purpose clearly defined? Is it clean and clutter free? Is the furniture positioned to make the room feel spacious?

For the best impression, a room should be clean. It should be spacious and comfortable. 

 

Here's an example, using a room from my past home, just before we listed it for sale. 

Before and After photos taken from doorway....

Upon entering the room, the desk (and the mess that comes with it) set the tone for the entire room....a negative tone.

Furniture placement can have a lot to do with a potential buyer's impression of a room.

Simply changing the position of a room's furnishings is sometimes all that is needed. 

 

Here are some other examples of creating a positive impression

from the doorway.

It may involve a lot of cleaning and painting....

 

It may involve purchasing new accessories and curtains...

 

It may involve adding new accessories and new hardware to cabinets...

 

"If you can't make it good, at least make it look good"

Bill Gates

 

"Two things remain irretrievable;  time and a first impression"

Cynthia Ozick

Comments (37)

Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

Ron and Alexandra Seigel  Thank you!

Tammy Lankford,  Thank you! Painting is a lot of work, but if you are able to do it yourself it's not expensive and makes a huge difference!

Michael Jacobs  I was pretty excited when I found it. I had never heard it before.

Rebecca Gaujot, the Go To Realtor®  Even though it's been said a million times, sellers and many agents still just don't get it!

Aug 31, 2016 05:30 AM
Michael Jacobs

And I liked the quote so much I shared it again on Facebook this morning.  

Aug 31, 2016 05:36 AM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

Lisa Von Domek  The first impression is usually a lasting one....whether it's positive or negative.

Robert Vegas Bob Swetz  Happy to say I was finally able to post my Wordless....I didn't think it was going to be able to happen this week. Happy that the AR techs were able to fix the problem.

James Dray  Thank you. The feature was a surprise! A nice surprise!

Kat Palmiotti  Thank you. It usually helps to have pictures to make the point.

Ginny Gorman  Whenever possible, I keep it as simple and as budget friendly as possible for my sellers.

 

Aug 31, 2016 05:34 AM
Richie Alan Naggar
people first...then business Ran Right Realty - Riverside, CA
agent & author

Sharon Tara ...teaches homes how to speak for themselves....

Aug 31, 2016 05:58 AM
Gene Mundt, IL/WI Mortgage Originator - FHA/VA/Conv/Jumbo/Portfolio/Refi

Brilliantly said, Richie Alan Naggar ...


Gene

Sep 01, 2016 02:19 AM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

Richie Alan Naggar  What a great way to put it! You have such a way with words!

Aug 31, 2016 06:27 AM
Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

Congratulations on your feature recognition. This is excellent advice for home sellers.

Aug 31, 2016 07:06 AM
Ed Silva, 203-206-0754
Mapleridge Realty, CT 203-206-0754 - Waterbury, CT
Central CT Real Estate Broker Serving all equally

Nice change to the bathroom in that last photo with a few cabinet knobs

Aug 31, 2016 07:28 AM
Harry F. D'Elia III
WEDO Real Estate and Beyond, LLC - Phoenix, AZ
Investor , Mentor, GRI, Radio, CIPS, REOs, ABR

This is one of the reasons why I like to fix up properties--see before and after pics.

Aug 31, 2016 08:20 AM
Scott Godzyk
Godzyk Real Estate Services - Manchester, NH
One of the Manchester NH's area Leading Agents

Congratulations on the feature Sharon Tara . Great advice and a good lesson

Aug 31, 2016 09:06 AM
Janice Ankrett
Burlington, ON
Staging Professional

Great advice Sharon! I tried to comment earlier but AR wouldn't work LOL. 

Aug 31, 2016 09:49 AM
Robert Vegas Bob Swetz
Las Vegas, NV

Hello again Sharon and tell me about it, I was trying to post this morning and I gave up and expressed my frustration on FB.

I am headed over to you Wednesday post ... ;o)

Aug 31, 2016 12:09 PM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

Roy Kelley  Thank you!

Ed Silva  Adding hardware can make a big difference. It's an inexpensive fix.

Harry F. D'Elia  I love seeing before and after pictures from other stagers. It's always fun to see a good transformation.

Scott Godzyk  thank you! I appreciate it.

 

Aug 31, 2016 12:18 PM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

Janice Ankrett  Thank you. I was trying this morning to comment and couldn't. It was frustrating.

Robert Vegas Bob Swetz  I was frustrated trying to get the WW post up this morning. Better late than never!

Aug 31, 2016 12:19 PM
Robert Vegas Bob Swetz
Las Vegas, NV

Well you did it and I was also able to post later on this evening!

Aug 31, 2016 12:21 PM
Gene Mundt, IL/WI Mortgage Originator - FHA/VA/Conv/Jumbo/Portfolio/Refi
NMLS #216987, IL Lic. 031.0006220, WI Licensed. APMC NMLS #175656 - New Lenox, IL
708.921.6331 - 40+ yrs experience

You bottle inspiration in your photos and post, Sharon Tara ... and I think many times that's what is needed most.  A little "boost" to get us going ... thank you!

Gene

Sep 01, 2016 02:19 AM
Caroline Gerardo
Licensed in 20 states - Newport Beach, CA
C. G. Barbeau the Loan Lady nmls 324982

Great examples that demontrate what your staging can do. Telling someone is not as great as showing them 

Sep 01, 2016 08:17 AM
Praful Thakkar
LAER Realty Partners - Andover, MA
Andover, MA: Andover Luxury Homes For Sale

Sharon Tara - yep, divide the mammoth task into small pieces - it's been said, one yard at a time....

Sep 01, 2016 03:44 PM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

Gene Mundt, IL/WI Mortgage Originator - FHA/VA/Conv/Jumbo/Portfolio/Refi  Sometimes simple seeing the difference that can be made does inspire others to get to make the improvements. It's usually just elbow grease!

Caroline Gerardo  Most people are better able to understand the value when they see examples.

Praful Thakkar  Or in this case...one room at a time!

Sep 02, 2016 05:35 AM
Sally K. & David L. Hanson
EXP Realty 414-525-0563 - Brookfield, WI
WI Real Estate Agents - Luxury - Divorce

Lighter ...brighter....eye candy....mmmm....a taste of an offer in the works !

Sep 04, 2016 11:13 PM
Sharon Tara

Better chance of an offer....a good offer...when the prep work has been done! 

Sep 05, 2016 01:43 AM
Grant Schneider
Performance Development Strategies - Armonk, NY
Your Coach Helping You Create Successful Outcomes

Good Morning Sharon - you are right on track with this post.  Those first impressions are so important that people should prepare each room of the home before ever showing or taking photos.

Sep 09, 2016 08:33 PM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

Grant Schneider thank you!  It should be obvious

Sep 10, 2016 12:15 AM