Staging: Defined
Staging a home is a phenomenon on its own. It’s marketing your physical home to make home buyers want to buy it when they see it. It’s more than decorating and cleaning your house, its an art in creating different moods inside your home. Staging makes your house look more spacious, bright, clean, warm, inviting to all who comes through to view your property which ultimately will encourage home buyers to buy it. 21 Interview Questions for a Listing Agent.
Staging is more than just preparing the house for sale, it’s what you have to do after you’ve cleaned, made minor repairs, and painted; it’s about accessorizing your house for sale. It’s about adding the small details, placement of candles, lipstick, paintings, furniture, flowers, fruits, etc., throughout the house.
What Is A ‘Home Stager’?
A home stagers are highly talented. They are an interior designer, artist, and they use all 5 senses to create their masterpiece. The canvas is your house. They are able to create dramatic scenery using psychologically pleasing techniques by:
- artistically arrange pieces of furniture in appealing sparse groupings
- using soft fabrics such as silk, lambswool, and satin throughout the house
- displaying unique trinkets in groups of 1, 3 or 5
- using simple window coverings
- adding interesting pieces to shelves, bookcases, fireplaces to enhance these already attention drawn pieces in the house.
How Do Stagers ‘Accessorize’ The House?
Accessories stagers use can vary from artist to artist. Depending on their style, vision and creativity of the stager, they have been seen to use: Mirrors, plants, silk flowers, floor and table lamps, area rugs, small love seats, pillows, inflatable beds, baskets, tables, chairs, etc.
Basic Staging Tips and Tricks
The concept of staging is to allow the house, and eachindividual rooms to ‘show’ themselves. An empty home is ‘soulless’. People want to see a house where they can call home. If they can see a room/house that is inviting and neutral, and they can see themselves living there, decorating to their own style, they are more likely to buy that house. The kitchen is the heart of the home and if you stage it so its warm and glowing, it will shine throughout to the rest of the house. A few tips: Apply oil to cabinets to give it their original glow. Put large bowls of colourful fruit on the table.
Bringing the outdoor greenery inside is essential in creating a clean, open, and warm environment. Bathrooms are easily overlooked and accessorizing it with gift baskets filled with soap, lotions, towels and creams, should make it look delightful.
The backyard is probably the biggest room to stage. Patios and decks can be staged with potted plants and flowers, patio tables should be set with bright dinner plates. Again, if prospective buyers can see themselves entertaining guests with barbecues in the backyard, that adds to the showing experience.
Does Staging Cost A Lot?
Staging costs depends on your location and the demand for it. Larger metropolitan centres will cost more as staging has been well known and used for years. Vacant homes show better when staged. Staging costs can range from $500 to $5,000 depending on the size of the house and the number of rooms staged and whether you need to rent furniture.
Happy Staging! It works 🙂