Staging Like a Pro

I have a little secret to share with you - if you want your home to sell quickly, presenting it in a way that allows buyers to imagine themselves there is a huge factor! It’s what us real estate professionals call “staging.” In fact, studies show that for both vacant and occupied homes, staged properties spend roughly 25% of the time on the market that non-staged properties do.

So how can we work together to get your home in gear for potential buyers?

1. Throw out the fruit
   A good rule of thumb is that if it's smaller than a grapefruit, it needs to be out of sight. Your Hummel collection is beautiful and very valuable, but if the person looking at your home is into Funko Pop figurines they might have a hard time imagining themselves there.

2. Eliminate non-essentials
   Get rid of or pack away anything that isn't essential to eliminate clutter, and try to minimize very personal items like copious amounts of family photos. Bonus, this helps you get a jump start on packing to move which we can all use! Everything else that is small but cannot be packed yet should be put away in a drawer or cabinet during showing appointments. This also applies to things that are accumulated on a regular basis, like the mail or baskets of laundry.

3. Beware of human curiosity
   Potential buyers will and do open closets and drawers throughout the house when they’re looking at your listing. It’s like the classic stereotype of the party guest poking through your medicine cabinets but on steroids - people can’t help themselves! Be sure to keep personal items that you do not want on display in drawers that are clearly your personal furniture. The more organized you can be, the better.

4. Change it up
   Now that you’ve cleared all the clutter and buried your personal effects, let’s take a fresh look at your home. Would moving the couch to a different wall open up the living room? Would setting out your fancy place mats that you used once after your wedding give your breakfast table a more styled, welcoming feel? So often there are plenty of fun things we can do with the stuff you already own to present your space in the best possible light to buyers.

5. Invest in professional services
   Selling your home is a big change, and you have a lot on your plate! I am more than happy to go through your stuff with you and help you make decisions about what to store and what to use for staging, but sometimes my clients prefer to just let a professional stager handle it. I know some very talented people in the industry that do wonders with every home they set foot in, and I would love to introduce you!