Staging Your Home

What is the first thing you think of when you think of staging your home? 

also, do you think this only applies if you are selling your home? 

Well, staging your home applies to how you want your house to present to anyone who comes over, as well as for your own peace and enjoyment.

What type of space do you want to sit in? Do you want it to be clean, relaxing, and comfortable?

Well, these are things you would like to have all the time, not just when you’re selling your home, although especially when you are selling your home.

Setting Yourself Up For Success

When I’m assessing what to do, the first thing I like to do is to stand in the doorway of whatever room I would be walking into first. I usually start at the front door looking in. I look in all directions.

Where does my eye take me? What do I see? This is what your potential home buyer will see also. Or anyone that walks through the door.

The first thing you need to do is remove the distractions and clutter. You don’t want to have jackets, papers, and empty drinks just laying around. You also don’t want disarray. Straighten things up a bit.

The next thing you need to do is to make sure everything is clean. If you have smudgy walls, wash or paint them. If you have dingy door knobs or switch plates, wipe them down. Make sure everything looks neat and orderly.

Every time you stand in a doorway you kind of want to scan the room and look at it as though you are saying, “What would my first impression be? Could I edit this room? Could I remove things that are distracting to me and make it appear more open and airy? Could I eliminate some colors or give it a more cohesive look?”

I personally like a lot of accessories and bric-a-brac, so for me, removing things is a little harder. Additionally, I like to have a well-traveled, cultured look.

I like to have a look that includes quality, timeless goods, not as if I just went to HomeGoods and everything I have was purchased within the last 2 years. 

Although that can have a very fresh and clean look, it doesn’t necessarily have a realistic or accumulated look. Meaning things you have collected over time, reflective of your interests and life.

Considering The Age Of Your Home

Depending on the age of the home you are buying or selling, decorating accordingly, is also a factor. 

If you are selling a newer home, having newer accessories that are from HomeGoods, or a more modern style, makes sense. Keep in mind you are appealing to a person looking for that look. 

If you have an older home it is nice to have some more classic materials and decorations in your home, including antiques.

Why Stage?

I am a firm believer in staging your home. I do believe that it increases your property value. 

Some people argue that it can increase your property value between 13 and 20%. I am not sure of the exact amount, I just know that if you are in the market competing against others, it gives you a more competitive edge. Not only do staged homes typically sell faster, they also sell for more money.

Homes that are staged help others to see furniture placement, and dream of a lifestyle they hope to have.

Different Reasons for Selling

Sometimes when people are selling a home they are doing it because they have aging parents.

They are now entrusted with selling their parent’s home. This can cause a lot of different feelings and sometimes they are difficult to deal with. 

Some just want to sell it as is, as quickly as possible. Many times if this is done, they don’t get the true value that they could have, if they put in a little bit of time. 

If you have time and resources to clean some things out, and set the stage to sell, you’re more likely to get a better return.

Your Potential Buyer

Figuring out the type of potential buyer for your home can help you style it accordingly.

Is it going to appeal to a first time home buyer, someone who is looking for an historic home, or a person striving for low maintenance? All of these things can be catered to in your staging style.

That being said, sometimes people have really outdated things in their home that just need to be removed. For example: dark colors, bright colors, unappealing wallpaper, furniture that’s really old and unattractive. Sometimes removing some of these items, or lessening it, will give a more open feel.

I would have done well to remove some additional things, but I’d rather enjoy them while I’m there, then throw them in storage, so alas, it’s a bit more cluttered.

Placement

Placement is a pretty important detail. You want your home to appear balanced, airy, and harmonious. Centering furnishings on windows or in the center of a wall is a good rule of thumb.

Having things offset doesn’t always sit well with our mind. Like a couch half in front of a window and half off. Straighten those things up and try to have some symmetry if possible.

It’s also good to not place everything on one side of a room or tightly up against a wall. Everything should have a little space to breathe.

Ideally curtains should be hung from the top of the wall and extend all the way to the floor.

Finding An Agent

The first thing you need to do, is find a good agent. I started by searching for agents that sold homes within my neighborhood for the top dollar. 

I was able to find this information by searching on any of the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) search platforms for “recently sold.” 

When searching, you can click on a home within your neighborhood, and open up the information so you can find more comparable homes. Meaning similar size, bedrooms, baths, etc.

You can see the list price, sold price, time on market, basic house information, name of the agent, and lots of other good information. 

Anyway, I made an excel spreadsheet of several agents that sold homes within my neighborhood. I added the agency name, phone number etc.

Then, for further research, you can go to Zillow, search the agent’s name, and it will give you a rating, reviews, and tell you their specialties.

It will also tell you how many homes they’ve sold or listed within the last year. You can click on each of those, if you choose, and it will tell you more information:  if they sold under or over the asking price, and how much, among other things. 

I also searched the agent’s names online and watched some videos of them to see if our personalities would click. Kinda weird I know, but it is nice when you feel like your agent is real.

Let’s just say, some agents seem more down to earth than others.

I compiled a list of several agents I thought would all work and chose to call and interview three finalists.

I asked them numerous questions of why I should choose them to list my home. I felt that all three of the finalists would have done a superb job for me. I felt sad after I had interviewed them and used up their time, that I could only choose one. I felt they were all capable, willing, and truly terrific agents.

There were a few things that helped make my decision:

1. Proximity to my neighborhood or recent sales within my neighborhood, which meant they were more familiar. 

I think when people live in a different city or area, they don’t really have as good of a grasp on the neighborhoods as someone that is close and familiar. 

2. I also appreciated that my agent, Holly Jeffery, made life easier for the appraisers by giving them a comparison folder. 

It is important to have homes that have sold and appraised for a value that compares to your asking or sale price. In some places, if you end up selling your home and it doesn’t appraise for what’s being offered, that could bring your price down. 

I was happy to have that extra service as I thought that it was a very nice touch.

3. Additionally, she had great negotiating skills.

Appraisers

Funny story, agents can no longer pick who is going to come and do the appraisal on a home. It’s kind of luck of the draw.

Well when my appraisers arrived, they happened to have been like an 80 year old couple. I felt like, “Oh my gosh! They’re going to appraise my house really low!”

It’s like the old concept of a grandmother giving you $2 in your Christmas or birthday card. Haha!

Anyway they were quite lovely people and my house did appraise for what we were offered, so it wasn’t an issue, but it was a funny thought that ran through my mind!

Photography

The agent that I chose, Holly Jeffery, also had a professional photographer named Quentin VanHoozer.

I can tell you one thing, I am not nearly this good of a photographer! Not only did he take beautiful photos but he also edited them and did a video. I assure you, photographers are not all created equal. Some care, some don’t. As evident, he truly did a terrific job!

I think those extra steps make such a difference when selling a home. 

Have you ever looked at a house listing where all the pictures are dark and it’s like “What am I looking at?”

Or have you ever looked at a listing that only has a couple of photos? Sometimes the photos are taken so close up, you assume the house must have very small rooms, as all you can see is a bed or a window. 

You want somebody that’s going to sell your home, by presenting it at its greatest potential, not just throwing it on the internet.

Walking Through

So back to walking in the door to the entry of each room. If, when you look inside, something isn’t making the place look nicer, just remove it. 

I’ll take you through my home room by room. You’ll see that these photographs are well done. They are taken from different angles that really show off the home. 

Even though I have a lot of decorations out, I think you can still get a feel for the home and space.

Over all, I think it feels clean, cozy, and livable! Not to mention lots of areas with flexibility of space. Many of these rooms could be used for multiple options.

At the end of the day, I think whoever is going to buy my home will love it too! After all, they’re getting a well loved and fabulous home!

I have poured a lot of my heart and soul into making this home as beautiful as I can. There is not a room in this house that has not had something done to improve it. Everything is clean and well presented.

Ideally, your home should present as a dream home to your potential buyer.

Exterior

The outside of your home should also be welcoming and orderly. You should not have things laying around like hoses and garbage cans and unsightly things. Take a little time to tidy it up. 

Trim trees and shrubs and clean up the debris. Make sure things are wiped or sprayed off. If you have dead plants, remove them. Sometimes this is harder to do, depending on the season.

Success!

A successful sale means you have received a good return by presenting your buyers with the potential of your home. Basically, they should see how the space could be used to its maximum appeal for them. 

You are setting the stage for entertaining, making memories, raising a family and creating a lifestyle.

Curb Appeal

To have good curb appeal, you will need to ask yourself, “What do you see when you drive up? Is it clean and well cared for?” This will set the tone for the expectation of the rest of the home. 

A well cared for home is not something done over night. It is the love and care that’s been put into it over time, through investment, updates, and beautification. 

Routine maintenance cannot be overlooked. A well taken care of home shows in many ways: cleanliness, fresh paint, professional looking work, things in working order.

You don’t want loose handles, knobs, or leaky faucets. Everything should be functional and not dilapidated.

High Impact Improvements

Some things can be done with a lower out of pocket expense. You do not need to completely alter the kitchen and bathroom to make your house sellable. 

Make a list of some high impact improvements and implement them. Some quick updates could include painting, installing updated lighting, bathroom fixtures, doorknobs, and outlet plate covers. We did a few quick kitchen updates and bathroom improvements, including updating the mirrors.

Add some modern accessories and especially remove clutter and personal effects.

Simplifying the space will make it look more open and spacious, allowing the potential buyers to see themselves living there.

Ultimately your goal is to get the maximum return from your buyer. Opening up the presentability and palatability to more buyers increases your odds. 

Best to you on selling your home and finding your next home that just feels right.

Let me know if you have any other recommendations for setting the stage of selling your home.