Home Staging Tips

Staging Your House

In a buyer's market, the pressure is on the seller to create an inviting atmosphere that touches all the senses and says "welcome home" to prospective purchasers. If you have decided to sell your home, ask your real estate agent to make suggestions about staging the home. The agent may very well recommend a professional staging designer.

Staging the home means applying the welcome home greeting to every room in the house and to the grounds around the property. When homeowners stage their residence, it must be a consistent effort. Every room as well the garage, basement, attic and outside bushes and plantings must look sharp and decorated.

While selling a home in today's marketplace, staging is absolutely essential to a happy outcome. Prospective purchasers are selective. You know the old adage, "you only get one chance to make a first impression." If two identical homes are on the market, the staged home has a decided advantage and better chance for success than the un-staged property.

When a home is staged, it may well change the lifestyle in the home until the house is sold. Because first impressions last, ask your Realtor what improvements need to be made. Develop a can-do list, call a contractor and make sure everything is functioning.

• Inside the home, public enemy number one is clutter. Start with the basement, garage and attic and discard or put in storage any semblance of clutter. Shelves should show open space. Traffic areas and walking areas should be easily accessed. Everything should be in its place or out of the home. Once the area is clutter-free, clean, clean and clean some more. You may have taken these areas at face value, but cleanliness and orderliness creates multiple options for a buyer.
• Inasmuch as we are staging a welcoming message, let's get the sense of smell working for us. How about leaving chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven? If you are having a turkey dinner, have it in the oven and cooking slowly. Our first experience with staging came about 20 years ago in Santa Barbara. A developer had three model homes. Every day, the models had a turkey, a ham and beef in the oven. It smelled delicious. Of course, if we are drawing the buyer to the kitchen, that area must be sparkling clean.
• Serious buyers cannot help themselves. They are going to get a feel for the house. That can mean a inconspicuous white glove. To better understand the seller, the buyer will run a finger over tiles, across bookshelves and over countertops. We do not want to lose a buyer due to chipped tiles or dusty blinds. If you cannot handle this yourself, you may consider hiring a dependable cleaning service until the property is sold.
• When the prospect enters the home, greet them with tasteful, low-keyed background music. We want to use their hearing to create an inviting experience.
• Many sellers go so far as to leave some baked goods out for the prospect and agent. If your house is being previewed by other agents, use all of the above staging effects before any agent other than yours sees the property.
• If you are a good stage, you will know how to create the feeling of spaciousness that buyers want to see. Forget what is most practical and go for space. Clear cupboards and shelves, arrange the furniture for an open feeling.
• Develop a lighting plan for each area of the house.
• Do not be present when agents are showing the house. This is an absolute necessity. Let buyers roam.

If your agent is hosting a caravan of agents, he or she will have sandwiches and other appetizers. This is the agent's chance to get feedback on your staging arrangements. Take the suggestions with an open mind. Selling the other agents is often as meaningful as staging the home for their clients.

Ironically, many homeowners present their home in a better light than before they listed the property. Sellers should also ask the Realtor to see the photographs the agent will attach to the multiple listing service (MLS). Today the majority of purchasers use the Internet to locate homes they would like to see. Your online images can attract real prospective buyers.