What does "Staging" mean? Staging is not decorating. Staging a home is all about appealing to a buyer and not about your personal taste. Remember the idea is to sell your home not to make it pretty for you! When you stage a home it is to show off the best features of your home and to de-clutter it. It needs to look like a showplace, not a home at this point.
A well staged home will make a great impression to buyers and other realtors alike. A well staged home will be clean, uncluttered and showing your home in its best light. Staged homes usually sell faster and at a better price. A little bit of investment on your part with a stager or your realtor helping you will help you to move your property and get you on the road to your new home.
You have to make your home stand out from all the homes on the market. And lets face it there are a lot of homes on the market at this time. If you live in our area, its not really foreclosures that are flooding the market, but rather the AT&T move out of the San Antonio area. So what you want to do is hit the buyer in a positive emotional way with fresh flowers, candles, or the smell of baked goods, fresh fruit (bright oranges & apples, or limes and lemons are great choices). Shine the place up by putting citrus oil on all the cabinets and making sure all the windows are clean and sparkling. Add coziness with afghans, throws and pillows on the furniture.
If you have decided not to use a professional stager or your realtor make sure to get a second opinion from your realtor, your neighbor or a friend to see what they think of your newly staged home. You can also get ideas from magazines & model homes for arranging furniture, creating walk space and using your accessories effectively.
Some definite do's:
- Remove personal items, family pictures, trophies, DVD & VHS tapes.
- Clear of the floors of all clutter
- Clean your closets and take out all the extra clothes and stuff so that the closet will look bigger
- Really deep clean the kitchen and baths, removing extra things so that the cabinets look like they have a lot of room in them also.
- Make sure your walk ways are free of clutter so that the home seems very open
- Reposition your furniture to accent a great fireplace or a beautiful view.
If you live in the San Antonio or Texas Hill Country Area and feel that a stager might be right for you, please give Sandra Sursa.
I wish more Sellers would stage... it makes a huge difference on how the Buyers feel about a home. Great post... Brenda :)
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It's great to declutter a home that is currently occupied. What about a vacant home? What do stagers do...have the owner rent some things to furnish the place? (See, I didn't even mention dryer sheets once.)