Staging is not just decorating. It is not just bringing in newer nicer
furniture to give a house a more contemporary look. It is not just taking books and pictures off
shelves. It is not just painting
walls. Well then, WHAT IS IT? It is a psychological tactic used in order to
sell a home fast and at a higher value. When
one is decorating/designing their home to suit THEIR tastes, that is what it
remains--- THEIR taste. In some rare cases
sure, you will come across a 5 star award winning home right out of
Architectural Digest. But generally
speaking people tend to decorate for THEM, in a personal and comforting
way. This is how it should be when
residing, but not what is likely to sell a home at a value one might prefer. Sure, you may receive compliments from
friends and family when they walk into your home, but that still does not mean
that they would BUY your home.
As a designer, I have found that the HUGE majority of people
cannot VISUALIZE. When one does not
stage their home to sell, they are putting them self at a disadvantage. When prospective buyers walk through, they
are seeing your STYLE, not your house.
They see a purple wall with pictures on it, not a wall that can be used
for an upright piano. They see outdated
vertical blinds, not outstanding views of the lake. They see a huge clunky old bedroom set, not
the large bedroom that houses it. Prospective
buyers are looking for a house that they can envision as their own. They
need to be given the opportunity to see through the furniture to the POTENTIAL
that the house has for them. “Staging” a
home means making it neutral but appealing and increase the likelihood that it
will appeal to EVERYONE who walks in.
But why pay for staging when you have emptied the house of its
contents? Can’t people visualize better
when the house is empty? An empty house
can be helpful, but it is still not as likely to sell the property fast and at
a higher value. Why? Again, most people have trouble visualizing. A large room may seem small to a lot of
people because they have no concept of scale.
People do not pay extra for small rooms.
So if your rooms appear small to shoppers you are out of luck.
Let’s do a comparison--- an average size master bedroom with
existing furniture versus master bedroom with NO furniture. Today, most couples are opting for King or
Cal King beds. Mattresses are getting
thicker and taller. The bigger, the
better. Unfortunately an average size
bedroom with an oversized bed will appear as a SMALL bedroom, which does not
sell. Now, in the case of keeping the
room entirely empty, shoppers are walking into a master bedroom assessing the
space and GUESSING as to whether it can hold their Cal King size bed. These days, when bigger is better, an average
size bedroom will appear small. The
purpose of staging in this case is to use special tricks to give the ILLUSION
of a very large space. An average size
room with small-scale furniture will appear LARGE.
 |
| Average size bedroom with king bed, before staging |
 |
| Same bedroom, same furniture, after staging |
Staging is decorating in a sense, but “decorating” is a
vague term. A professional decorator or
designer may use any variety of styles and techniques. Whereas “staging” will consistently be done
in a “minimalist” style. “Minimalist”,
as the term implies, is void of excess clutter and adornment. Whether one is dealing with a 5 bedroom villa
in the hills of Orinda, or a 3 bedroom ranch style home in Dublin, the formula
remains the same: Use furnishings that
apply to the style of the HOUSE, but basic and neutral enough to be
non-conflicting with every shopper. Sounds
simple enough? Maybe, maybe not. Bland, neutral furniture may be to one’s
disadvantage if done incorrectly. You
still need to make a STATEMENT. You need
to make sure that while your home appears light, neutral, and large, it also
needs to be appealing ENOUGH to make that shopper remember your home if they
continue to look around. This is where qualified
interior designers can help.
Interior designers who offer staging services will take the
fundamentals of staging, and their expertise in design, and deliver a space
that will create a wow factor for all walkins---simple enough to be neutral,
but unique enough to separate from the competition. This is one service my company offers. Staging with that extra level of spark to
stick in a prospective buyer's mind… if they do not make an offer right away. I can stage with existing pieces, removing
clutter, re-arranging furniture, and perhaps adding a few fresh pieces. Or I can stage an empty space from
scratch. I can also advise on which
investments to make prior to selling, whether it be flooring, new windows, or
removing old wallpaper. See my
investment articles. "To Invest, or Not to Invest?" PART ONE
Old home, or new,
you can’t just post it online and expect millions. In this economy you need to take special
lengths to outshine your competition, just to come close to your asking
price. Don’t settle for less! Get your asking price and then some. Call me to set up a staging consultation, and
have the chance to select from the high bidders on your home! 925-895-1336
No comments:
Post a Comment