While decorating is about personal taste,
Even if you’re not selling
staging makes a home appealing to the largest your home, staging makes
number of prospective buyers. Experts say buyers
your home more inviting.
Fernanda recommends
make up their minds within the first 10 seconds
that you:
of walking through the door. Proper staging gets
them past the foyer and may encourage them to
1 Startoutside,makeyourentrylookwelcoming.
Inwinter,putgreensinapotbythefrontdoor,trim
thebushes,shinelightfixtures,paintthedoorand
seal the deal sooner.
purchaseanewmat.
Extensivehomestagingin
2 Makesuretherearenoodorsfrom
whichprofessionalsfurnish
cookingorpets.“Youwantittosmellnice,not
andaccessorizetheentirehome
ofdisinfectant.”
canrunfrom$4,000andup,
dependingonthesizeofthe “Alotofpeoplethinkstaging
property,saysrealtorJeff isspecificallyaboutfurniture
MacdonellofNewHope. arrangement,”saysFernanda
3 Unclutter,“Thisgoesbeyondcountertops.
Thisincludesaminimumtwo- HermoofColdwellBanker
Closetsneedtobeclean.Whenyouopenthedoors
monthfurnitureandwindow HearthsideinLahaska.“It’strue
ifthingslookreadytofallout,itwillappearasif
treatmentrental. Homestaging, thatifyou’rehavingapartyor
there’snotenoughstorage.”
headds,canbeacompetitive puttingyourhouseonthemarket,
advantage,amarketingtactic, youwantroomstolookasbig
aninvestmentthatcanbringa aspossible,butyoufirstneed
4 Rentastoragefacilityforyourexcess
bigreturn–especiallyinthe tobringpeoplein.” Witha
belongingsinsteadofusingyourunfinished
currentmarketwhenhouses backgroundininteriordesign
basementorgarage.
aremorequicklydiscounted. andretaildisplay,Fernandaknows
howtoprepareitemstosell.
Jeffbeganacareerinreal
estateafterstaginghisown
5 Depersonalizeyourhouse.Takedownfamily
one-bedroom,1,340-square-foot
photos,religiousitemsandcollections.
homeinSolebury,whichsold
for$580,000. “Afterextensive
staging,Ialsosoldahouse
quicklytosomeonewhosawit
6 Fixwhatisbroken.“Somepeoplesabotage
whileitwasemptyandwasnot
theirhomesbecausethey’renotreadyemotionally
interested,”saysJeffofKeller
Stagersalsorecommendthatyou
tomove,”shesays.
WilliamsPreferredRealEstate.
addlight.Aimforatotalof100
“Myphilosophyisthatyou
wattsforevery50squarefeet.
packageahousejustlikeany
Theninstalldimmerssoyoucan
otherproduct.”
varylightlevelsaccordingtoyour 7 Replaceitems,likeachandelier,thatyou’re
moodandthetimeofday.And takingwithyouandputtheminstorage.You
Stagingcostscanstartaslowas
makesureyouhavedifferent don’twantthebuyerstofallinlovewithyour
$100foraconsultationwitha
kindsoflighting–overhead,floor, grandmother’sheirloomandhavethatbeadeal
checklistofminorimprovements
tableandaccent–tomakerooms breaker.Also,thehouselooksincompleteifitems
andsuggestionsforrepurposing
moreinteresting. aremissing.
itemsandrooms.“Peoplewant
tofeelgoodaboutwhatthey’re
Rightnow,it’sabuyer’smarket,
buying,”Jeffexplains.“Tasteis
andthebuyerwantsthebestdeal
irrelevant,butifsomethingis
intheneighborhood,Fernanda
8 Makeitbrightandcomfortable.Clean
sloppy,dirtyoroutdated,itloses
says.“Whentheyseeahouse
thewindows.Addfreshflowers.Burnan
value.Thepurposeofstagingis
thatiswellcaredfortheythink
applepie-scentedcandleorbakecookies.
toaddvalueintheheartsand
everythingelse–eventhingsthey
mindsofthebuyers.”
can’tsee–arewell-caredfortoo.”
“Whenyoustagesomething,you
Thatassumption,perpetuatedby
9 Createintimateseatingareas.Removeexcess
furnitureandaleaffromthediningroomtable.
N
aretakingawaypeople’s
properstaging,helpshousessell.
A
Floatfurnitureawayfromthewallstomaketraffic
M
objections,andobjectionsare floweasierandareaslooklarger.
O
StorybyMariaMartinoEvans W
whatkeeppeoplefrombuying
yourhouse,”Jeffexplains.
T
Y
N
10
U
Reassessyourwindowcoverings.
O
C
Windowdressingcandateahousevery
quickly,gotraditional.
K
S
C
B
U
4
7
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