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Home Staging

Published January 1, 2009
By Brad Bergamini  

Don't take it personally!

Your first step: separate yourself from the personal feelings you have about the house–it's not your home now; it's a commodity you intend to market.

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This is exactly why seasoned Real Estate Agents talk about the “house” you are selling as opposed to the “home” you are buying.

Home staging can be accomplished in many ways, so trust your instincts. Try to evaluate the house as if you are seeing it for the first time.

If you were a home buyer, what would you think about the house?
What changes would make immediate improvements?

What are the house's best features and how can you show them off?
Some home stagers like to create a look that says “comfort.” Others choose a popular decorating theme, such as the vintage, casual look.

Home staging involves the same commonsense advice that real estate agents have been giving home sellers for decades, but with some fresh additions. The process takes preparations for getting a house ready to sell a bit further, showcasing a house so that home buyers can visualize living there.

Professional home stagers are available for hire.
Some home stagers work with your own furnishings to create a new look, while some often have a warehouse of furniture and accessories to draw from.

Will home staging help you sell your home? Most definitely yes, but if you're not ready to hire a professional, there are some things you can do to stage the home yourself.

Home Staging Tips

Tips For Vacant Homes

Vacant homes often greet agents and home buyers with a blast of stale or mildew-laden air. As soon as buyers smell mildew, they are out the door. Deal with the mildew before you list the house.

Have you ever noticed that during cold months the interior of a house without heat always feels colder than it is outside? Leaving the heat or air conditioning running while a home is on the market reduces odors and makes the house more inviting.

Keep the lawn and landscaping tidy, even if you have to hire someone to do it.

Create A Mood

Is there a mood that you could create? If you're near a lake, how about breezy fabrics and blue-green colors that remind us of the beach? If you're in the mountains, maybe you could go rustic.

Study the house and brainstorm with friends or family members to come up with ideas.

Pack It Up

Pack away most of your family photos. Buyers should be allowed to imagine their possessions in the home. When home buyers start deciding how their furniture will fit into your rooms, you're on your way to a contract.

Pack up the bulk of large, personal collections, so that buyers don't get so interested in looking at them that they forget to look at the house.

Make It More Spacious

Remove excess furniture to make rooms more spacious.

Clean and organize the closets.

Store boxes in an out of the way location or rent a temporary storage unit so you can de-clutter every part of the house.

Expose Desirable Features

Remove rugs if they expose nice hardwood floors.

Remove heavy drapes that keep out natural light, especially if there's a great view out the windows.

Add Some Life

Plants go hand-in-hand with nearly any home staging theme – living plants, not artificial versions.

Freshen Up

How about fresh paint. Are walls in the house dingy? Are the colors dated? Should you clean curtains or other window ornaments?

Create A Pleasant Ambiance

Bake bread during showings, or place a fresh loaf in a basket on the counter.

Classical music playing softly in the background is nice, but choose something that enhances the mood you are trying to create.