Admin

Boca Raton Home Staging Tips-Is Your Entry Saying What You Want It To?

By
Home Stager

Boca Raton Home Staging Tips-Is Your Entry Saying What You Want It To?

Whether you’re selling your home in Boca, Delray or Boynton Beach,  your house has about 10 seconds to capture the attention of a potential buyer.   Much has been written about the importance of curb appeal and with good reason.  Buyers have been known to cancel an appointment just from what they see when they drive up to a house.

What they see when they walk in the door is as important!  


So... head to your front door... step outside.  Now come in .... what do you  feel.  

The key word is “feel” because you want your Buyer to feel good about what they see... like this could be their new home.


home staging before-entry
The entrance of this condo was cold and uninviting.  After sitting for over a year,the seller asked Room Service Home Staging to stage it and received an offer in less than 4 weeks.


What you can do!
 

1. Add a light-  Lights add warmth to a house so why not begin with the entry.  Even in sunny South Florida, we can have cloudy days so adding a proportionately appropriate  lamp will help.

2. Add focus- Try a mirror or size appropriate picture.  Remember, your entry is what “greets” your buyer in your absence.

3.  Keep It Simple- remember the Entry sets the tone and you don’t want your buyer’s eyes wandering everywhere and settling on nothing.


staging-entry

We repurposed some of the owners own things to add warmth to this entry.



home staging entry

Keeping it simple always works!


 

Not sure what to do?  Give us a call at Room Service! Home Staging and ask for our Home Staging Consultation.  


Did you Step Outside?
What is Your Entry Saying About You?

 

Posted by

Kathy Streib
Retired Home Stager
and Interior Redesign

In Person Consultations in Texas
for Houston & Harris Counties
and
Virtual Staging Consultations
for all states


Follow My Blog for Practical, Creative,
Easy-to-Do Styling Solutions
Whether You're Selling
or Want to Fall Back in Love
With Your Home
 

561-914-6224
Call or Text

Email Me

About Me
My Blog
   Facebook
Instagram

 

Comments(26)

Show All Comments Sort:
James Dray
Fathom Realty - Bentonville, AR

Morning Kathy just a touch here and there if you please.  What a difference a professional eye has for the problem.  thanks and enjoy the day

Aug 21, 2012 09:46 PM
Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

Thanks for sharing these tips.  This is very helpful advice for home sellers and listing agents.

Have an outstanding week with your camera in hand.

Aug 21, 2012 09:54 PM
Sheila Anderson
Referral Group Incorporated - East Brunswick, NJ
The Real Estate Whisperer Who Listens 732-715-1133

Good morning Kathy. Nicely done. Amazing the little things that make a big difference. I hope you enjoy the day.

Aug 21, 2012 09:57 PM
Dianne Goode
Raleigh Cary Realty - Raleigh, NC
Realtor/Broker

Hi Kathy.  I use a stager who works mostly with people's own belongings -- and a few items that I've collected over the years.  I am always amazed at the dramatic difference that staging makes.

Aug 21, 2012 11:02 PM
Scott Godzyk
Godzyk Real Estate Services - Manchester, NH
One of the Manchester NH's area Leading Agents

Good Morning Kathy, Thank you for sharing some great ideas, the before and after pictures sure to say it better than words could.  Have a great day

Aug 21, 2012 11:12 PM
John McCormack, CRS
Albuquerque Homes Realty - Albuquerque, NM

Good morning Kathy -

Excellent tips on staging the entrance ... It is a big deal.  First we Realtors have to jump the curb appeal hurdle then next comes the entrance and you're right one get's a feel for the home as soon as the door is opened and steps inside.  Don't loose out ... get the entrance staging right!

Aug 21, 2012 11:13 PM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Retired Home Stager/Redesign

Sally & David- think about how much time the buyer and agent spend at the door while trying to get the key and open the door!

BarbaraT- right, and too often I walk in and you feel a little deflated.  You almost want to turn around and walk out. 

Janis- I think that's the problem with too much "stuff"... buyers do get sensory overload. 

Richard- and it is definitely true when it comes to your house.  So many of us enter our home through the garage that we forget about the entry.

Valerie- I love having a table with mirror and lamp at the entry, and yes.. it's a good place for your keys.

Chris- think about how excited you are as a buyer to see a house, then when you get there to be so let down by the curb non-appeal.

Kathy- and coming from you, I thank you!  I like to place entry tables in all my vacants where I can.  And  having the light on when showing adds so much warmth.

James- my favorite thing to do is use what the owners have.

Roy- thank you!  and hope you have a very photographic day!

Sheila- when I saw the long hallway in the first picture, even I didn't want to go in.

Dianne- glad you use a stager!!!  The owners love seeing what we can do with their own items.

Scott- And you too... have a very productive day.

John(QMan) - my husband refused to view a house because the curb appeal was about non-existent! 

Aug 21, 2012 11:44 PM
Kristin Johnston - REALTOR®
REMAX Platinum - Waukesha, WI
Giving Back With Each Home Sold!

My hubby and I are putting on all new windows on our home and are investing in a really nice front entry door, all glass!

Aug 21, 2012 11:46 PM
Brenda Mullen
RE/MAX Associates - San Antonio, TX
Your San Antonio TX Real Estate Agent!!

That hallway certainly looks better.  I am amazed that they waited a year though.  I agree, what does the home feel like to a buyer...making it feel like home is what you want :)!  Great job Kathy!

Aug 21, 2012 11:55 PM
Ron and Alexandra Seigel
Napa Consultants - Carpinteria, CA
Luxury Real Estate Branding, Marketing & Strategy

Kathy,

This is a wonderful illustration of before and after.  It is so true that some people will not even get out of the car if the curb appeal is not there.  For most, it signals that the inside will reflect the outside.  A

Aug 22, 2012 12:41 AM
Broker Patty Da Silva Da Silva
Green Realty Properties® - 954-667-7253 - Cooper City, FL
Top Listing Broker

I like your transformations Kathy. Sometimes so subtle, but so effective.

Aug 22, 2012 12:43 AM
Jennifer Chiongbian
Specializing in all types of Manhattan apts & townhouses - Manhattan, NY
Real Estate Broker - NYC

What you feel when you walk into the door is so true.  Especially sincew the home buying process is so emotional!

Aug 22, 2012 06:42 AM
Gary L. Waters Broker Associate, Bucci Realty
Bucci Realty, Inc. - Melbourne, FL
Eighteen Years Experience in Brevard County

So true. We all form an opinion when we walk in the front door. And usually it does not change after we have walked twenty steps!

Aug 22, 2012 08:38 AM
Sally Weatherley
EXIT STAGE RIGHT - Vancouver, BC
Vancouver Home Staging, Home Stager Vancouver, B.C

Kathy - Agreed!  Staging the entrance is key to intriguing buyers to see more.  I really like your last example where you've edited the console table.  Often, less is more.

Aug 22, 2012 10:21 AM
Debbie Reynolds, C21 Platinum Properties
Platinum Properties- (931)771-9070 - Clarksville, TN
The Dedicated Clarksville TN Realtor-(931)320-6730

Kathy, It's not only what you feel but what you smell. I am more affected by smell than anything else. We use all of our senses to evaluate.

Aug 22, 2012 12:58 PM
Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
Pasadena And Southern California 818.516.4393

Hi Kathy -- Mission Accomplished.  Your story of this condo sitting on the market for a year versus selling after the transformation is a textbook example of the importance of staging.   As usual, very nicely done.

Aug 22, 2012 11:54 PM
Janice Ankrett
Burlington, ON

Well said Kathy! You have to continue the great feelings that the curb appeal created as soon as they step in the door.

Aug 23, 2012 01:07 AM
Patricia Feager
Appraisal Review Board, Denton County, TX - Flower Mound, TX
Licensed to April 2027

Kathy,

What a great post and thought provoking too. The buyer with eyes looks for the best in show. Unless you're an investor, the buyer is looking for all the things you described, warmth and a good introduction. An invitation like that gets the buyer more interested in seeing what else there is to see.

Lovely photos that confirms the lesson you're trying to illustrate.

Thanks Kathy! 

Aug 23, 2012 01:28 AM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Retired Home Stager/Redesign

Kristin- that sounds like a great project!  You'll have to share your porject with us. 

Brenda- yep.. sat on it for one year.  We didn't even stage every room either. 

Alexandra- I know that my husband drove up to a house when we were looking and would not go in. 

Patty- thank you.  It really doesn't take much. 

BARFF- K.I.S.S. right!  How did Mickey like her dinner?

Barb- Some sellers have just too much on the entry table!

David- so good seeing you!  People need to buy more lamps!!!

Jennifer- you're going to have a feeling as soon as you walk in.  And that's going to stay with you as you view the rooms.

Gary- exactly..often the feeling if one of being let down. 

Sally- thanks!  This particular house was quite the challenge because so much of the seller's furniture was made for her "home-to-be" which is larger.

Debbie- oh that is probably one of the biggest  turn-offs.  It's one of those things that stays with you, too.,

Michael-thank you.  I tell my clients that our staged homes get offers within 3-4 weeks or sooner IF they're priced right. 

Janice- so many people neglect the entry.  They'll place furniture in the Master bedroom and living room but forget the entry. 

Patricia- how are you!!! I know that when I bought our own homes, I would stand at the kitchen sink and try to picture myself there. 

 

Aug 23, 2012 10:14 AM
Beth Atalay
Cam Realty and Property Management - Clermont, FL
Cam Realty of Clermont FL

Kathy, this is very informative, thanks for sharing the pictures with us.

Aug 27, 2012 03:27 AM