Home Staging… Dressing a House for Success
Home staging is more than decorating, home staging is about illusions. It’s how David Copperfield would sell a house. It’s beyond decorating and cleaning. It’s about perfecting the art of creating moods. Staging makes your house look bigger, brighter, cleaner, warmer, more loving and, best of all, it makes home buyers want to buy it. Contrary to what you might think, it’s about more than preparing the house for sale. Staging is what you do after you’ve cleaned, decluttered, painted, made minor repairs; it’s all about dressing the house for sale.
Here are some secrets from a professional home stager:
- Arrange sparse pieces of furniture in an appealing grouping
- Showcase a generous usage of soft fabrics such as silk, lambswool, satin
- Display unusual knickknacks in units of 1, 3 or 5
- Drape window coverings with simple lines
- Add unique elements to shelving, bookcases and fireplace mantels, which draw attention to predetermined areas
Accessories to use:
- Mirrors
- Plants
- Silk Flowers
- Floor & Table Lamps
- Area and Throw Rugs
- Small Love Seats
- Ottomans
- Pillows
- Inflatable Queen-Size Beds
- Baskets
- Plastic Tables & Chairs
Tricks & Tips:
Kitchen
- Apply orange oil to cabinets that appear dry, which will renew their original lustre
- Put out large bowls of fruit such as polished apples, bright oranges, luscious grapes
- Arrange colourful and fun cookbooks on the counters
Bathrooms
- baskets filled with spa treatments
- Towels, tied with ribbons
- Scented soaps
- Creamy lotions
- Moisturizing & Facial jars
How much does hiring a professional home stager cost?
Fees range from $1000 to $15000, depending on square footage and the number of rooms staged.
How to prepare your house for sale
The first step to preparing a home for sale is to let go of your emotional attachment to it. Every seller wants his/her home to sell fast and bring top dollar. Does that sound good to you? Well, it’s not luck that makes that happen. It’s careful planning and knowing how to spruce up your home that will send home buyers scurrying for their chequebooks. Here is how to prep a house and turn it into an irresistible and marketable home.
Disassociate yourself with your home Say to yourself, “This is not my home; it is a house, a product to be sold much like a box of cereal on the grocery store shelf.” Make the mental decision to “let go” of your emotions and focus on the fact soon this house will no longer be yours. Picture yourself handing over the keys and envelopes containing appliance warranties to the new owners. Say goodbye to every room. Don’t look backwards — look toward the future.
De-Personalize
Pack up those personal photographs and family heirlooms. Buyers can’t see past personal artifacts, and you don’t want them to be distracted. You want buyers to imagine their own photos on the walls, and they can’t do that if yours are there! You don’t want to make any buyer ask, “I wonder what kind of people live in this home?” You want buyers to say, “I can see myself living here.”
De-Clutter
People collect an amazing quantity of junk. Consider this: if you haven’t used it in over a year, you probably don’t need it. If you don’t need it, why not donate it or throw it away? Remove all books from bookcases. Pack up those knickknacks. Clean off everything on kitchen counters. Put essential items used daily in a small box that can be stored in a closet when not in use. Think of this process as a head-start on the packing you will eventually need to do anyway.
Rearrange Bedroom Closets and Kitchen Cabinets
Buyers love to snoop and will open closet and cabinet doors. Think of the message it sends if items fall out! Now imagine what a buyer believes about you if she sees everything organized. It says you probably take good care of the rest of the house as well. This means
- Alphabetize spice jars. -Neatly stack dishes.
- Turn coffee cup handles facing the same way.
- Hang shirts together, buttoned and facing the same direction.
- Line up shoes.
Rent a Storage Unit
Almost every home shows better with less furniture. Remove pieces of furniture that block or hamper paths and walkways and put them in storage. Since your bookcases are now empty, store them. Remove extra leaves from your dining room table to make the room appear larger. Leave just enough furniture in each room to showcase the room’s purpose and plenty of room to move around. You don’t want buyers scratching their heads and saying, “What is this room used for?” or “How am I going to squeeze my furniture in here?”
Quick Tips:
- Make Minor Repairs.
- Replace cracked floor or counter tiles.
- Patch holes in walls.
- Fix leaky faucets.
- Replace burned-out light bulbs.
- Fix doors that don’t close properly and kitchen drawers that jam.
- Consider painting your walls neutral colors, especially if you have grown accustomed to purple or pink walls. (Don’t give buyers any reason to remember your home as “the house with the orange bathroom.”)
- Make the House Sparkle!
- Wash windows inside and out.
- Clean out cobwebs.
- Re-caulk tubs, showers and sinks.
- Polish chrome faucets and mirrors.
- Clean out the refrigerator.
- Vacuum daily.
- Wax floors.
- Dust furniture, ceiling fan blades and light fixtures.
- Bleach dingy grout.
- Replace worn rugs.
- Hang up fresh towels.
- Bathroom towels look great fastened with ribbon and bows.
- Clean and air out any musty smelling areas. Odours are a no-no.
Scrutinize
Go outside and open your front door, stand there, do you want to go inside? Does the house welcome you? Linger in the doorway of every single room and imagine how your house will look to a buyer. Examine carefully how furniture is arranged and move pieces around until it makes sense. Make sure window coverings hang level. Tune in to the room’s statement and its emotional pull. Does it have impact and pizzazz? Does it look like nobody lives in this house? You’re almost finished.
Check Curb Appeal
If a buyer won’t get out of her agent’s car because she doesn’t like the exterior of your home, you’ll never get her inside.
- Keep the sidewalks cleared.
- Mow the lawn.
- Paint faded window trim.
- Plant yellow flowers or group flower pots together. Yellow evokes a buying emotion.
- Trim your bushes.
- Make sure visitors can clearly read your house number.
Now your Realtor is ready to sell the product that you have prepared for market!
adapted from professional staging consultant Elizabeth Weintraub’s About.com guide