Anatomy of a one room makeover for Staging to Sell

Ever wonder about the process a home stager goes through to transform a space from dwelling to selling? Well I'd like to share some tips for staging one room (an office) at a recent occupied home staging project Home Star Staging completed. It was an occupied property staging job with accessory enhancements provided by my company. 

Step 1:

• Meet with home sellers for an in home staging consultation. In my Texas market, for Home Star Staging, no occupied home staging ever starts without one. This is a paid for service but I can confidently say will surpass the investment & most likely return it immediately. There is always work to do prior to the actual hands on staging, no matter how well appointed or not. Each property is unique as is each room, furniture and decor choices of the home owner and then of course the demographic of the buyer needs to be considered as well. These things must be addressed, honestly, openly and tactfully.
• For the example I'll be showing you the sellers had considered renting furniture however I was able to assist them in purchasing items more cost effectively than renting & they could take it with them to their next home. This initial consultation actually saved them $1,000 in rental furniture that wasn't necessary! They spent less than $500 on furniture and decor items that they get to keep!
• I provided a consultation and left them with a punch list of items to purchase, update and complete before our scheduled staging.
• Clients opted to utilize our accessory package to offset the furniture purchases they made (a much more cost effective and easy way to go when you have no idea what kind of decor would work in your space. - believe it or not, there are many home owners who either don't know, care or want to have home decor in their houses for living)

Step 2:

• If the client decides to have Home Star Staging come back to do the work, contracts are sent, signed and job is scheduled. 
• If client opts to DIY they're given all the information they need to do the work and stage the property themselves.

Anatomy of a one room makeover for Staging to Sell:

This is what I saw during the initial consultation, Office Before Staging:

What do you see wrong with this photo? 

• How would you feel seeing this as your first impression of the home? 
• Does it speak to you or draw you in?
• Can you see how you'd use it? Even from the MLS photos it's not the best way to present this space.

Challenges I see:

• This was a "first impression" entry room. Upon walking in the house this was one of the first rooms a buyer would see and it didn't "speak" to me, no charm, sense of real purpose or emotional connection.
• Awkward furniture placement
• Dated decor (rocker, corner desk, office chair)
• More masculine than feminine with the hockey gear and decor, but what's up with the granny rocker?
• Dated drapery
• No identifiable purpose or scale to the space (which could also double as a bedroom) - which translates to the buyer "if they don't know how to use this room, how will I?"
• No personality

How the initial concerns were addressed by staging:

• A better aesthetic was necessary for a first impression room.  It needed to not only look right, but feel right. The owner's corner desk was relocated to another bedroom where it fit perfectly, tucked behind a door which showed buyers another usable space without objection. 
• Furniture, books and decor that didn't work was removed and an inexpensive desk ($150) and chair ($79) were purchased.  These items were more modern and stylish which appeals not only to the target demographic home buyer, but also went very nicely with their own bookshelves.  Owners commented that they wish they'd done this before.  You may ask, "Why is the desk 'floating'?" Good question!  Again it's more for aesthetics of the space than anything, however there was a wall this desk would work perfectly at but it showed best for SELLING this way!
• Decor that would appeal to both masculine and feminine tastes was brought in by Home Star Staging. We stuck with a red, black and white color palatte on the shelves and kept it simple. Don't stuff bookcases for selling. Staging to sell is different than staging to dwell! People can actually live without their paperbacks while selling! 
• Some items used that you could find yourself: Rock & Roll coffee table book (the demographic was two-fold; first time home buyers & potential empty nesters downsizing... The Who in their early days are greeting prospects on the desk), New York vintage postcard art, vintage clocks, a ceramic tea pot, old children's encyclopedias...
• Solid panels were purchased ($25 ) for the window treatments and complimented the sage and taupe striped accent wall, not conflicted with it.
• Room is now clearly identified and gives a much better first impression upon entering the home.