My house is your house. How do you make someone fall in love with your house, your castle, your space? One word, Staging.
We have all heard by now the staging mantra; Staged homes sell faster and for more money. Yes, and yes. What is Staging and why Stage?
Staging is not painting everything white and hiding your pictures. Staging is not interior design. Staging is playing to your audience. It’s finding out who your demographic is, targeting the most likely buyers that will pass through your doors and helping them see themselves in your home. You create a space that will make them feel like they are home. You trigger their emotions and give them a visual experience that stays with them and has them daydreaming of your space. Buying a home is an emotional process.
There are different ways to stage. Whole house staging (or vacant staging) will be the most expensive as you are filling a vacant home with both furniture and accessories. Statistics show that buyers typically stay up to 15 minutes longer in a staged home. Almost all buyers “home shop” online before setting foot in the homes they choose to see and are much more likely to visit a furnished home. A completely staged home with beautiful pictures captures their attention.
There is also furnished home staging (non-vacant staging) which is decluttering, organizing and pre-packing items to show off the homes space and features. Redesigning the space using your own (homeowners) furniture and accessories to showcase the home's features. Professional Home Stagers and “lighten” up your home and put together a fresh look (sometimes bringing in additional rented accessories) to make your home shine.
Then there is Staging with Vignettes. This is a lower budget way to highlight a few areas of the home with small vignettes to draw the eye. For example, a bowl of fruit on a kitchen island, a chair and a small table in a room with a few accessories. Vignettes can work in staging smaller areas but remember, buyers, want to shown how to use a space so the more a space is clearly defined, the better.
Staging has been proven to be an effective tool to get you to sold. Remember, you only have one chance to make a good first impression!