Home Stagers are Personal Stylists for Your Home

You’ve just selected a real estate agent to market and sell your home.  While touring your home, the agent recommends bringing a Home Stager.  Chances are, if you don’t live in California or a large metropolitan area, you may be asking, “What does a Home Stager do, and why do I need one?”

The Role of a Home Stager

Think back to a time when you were getting ready for a hot date.  Did you run out and buy something new to wear that made you feel confident and stylish, visit the salon for a trim and manicure, clean up, groom and primp to present the best possible version of you - to make the absolute best first impression?  This is exactly what a home stager does for your home.

Home staging is the process of visually preparing your home for sale to make it stand out from the competition.  Simply put, a well-staged home generates more interest and attracts more interested buyers, so the home sells faster and commands a higher sale price.  (Can you say bidding war?).

Grabbing Buyers at the Curb

Any discourse on home staging starts with a home’s curb appeal.  The reason for this is simple…your home has a teeny, tiny window of time (some say 15 seconds) to grab a potential buyer.  Chances are if you miss that window, you lost that buyer (unless they’re bargain hunters looking to make a low-ball offer).  Curb appeal is crucial if you want to stop the drive-by buyer, grab the attention of an Internet browser, or draw in the potential buyer standing on your front walk.  Regardless of how they find you, there is only one chance to make a first impression.  A stager knows how to turn up the curb appeal, adding that WOW factor to your home’s exterior.

Shutting Down the Deduction Meter

Once inside, a home stager takes the steps in preparing your home for sale to the next level.  With a keen , well-trained eye, a home stager can identify any issues that will be detrimental to the perceived value of your home, like visual impairments, outdated finishes and fixtures, and shabby flooring; and then make recommendations on which improvements will bring the greatest return on investment, all working within the seller’s budget.  This will keep potential buyers from turning on what I call “the deduction meter.”  (Potential buyer: “Ooh! Look at that dirty, worn carpet…we’ll have to replace ALL of it… - $5,000.  Those light fixtures are so outdated…we’ll need ALL new ones… - $2,000…and so on).  By taking care of these fixes before listing, sellers will actually add to the perceived value of the home rather than prompting buyers to deduct from it.

Neutralizing the Home

The home stager helps sellers neutralize their home, broadening its appeal to the highest percentage of potential buyers.  At some point after move-in, new home buyers make decorating choices and improvements to the home to put their personal stamp on it and make it their own.  A home stager addresses the sellers’ choices of color, decorating style and personalization, removing their personal stamp, so potential buyers can visualize themselves and their furnishings and preferences in the home.    Neutral in no way means completely void of color and life.  But a more toned down palette of lighter, muted shades and a quieter decor will appeal to a wider range of buyers.

I’ve heard REALTORS share that buyers name or label a home to distinguish it from another home they’ve seen.  The home with the collection of German steins in the family room becomes “The Stein House.” The home with red living room walls and oriental furnishings and artifacts is known as “The Oriental House.”  You get the picture.  One issue not yet mentioned is that neutralizing applies when there is a pet presence as well.  No one wants their home to be known as “The Cat Urine House.“  Enough said.

Stage One Act Two

At this point, the home is a neutral backdrop, but it’s not quite ready for prime time.  In my next post, we’ll discuss the final steps employed by a Home Staging Professional to make your home the star of your neighborhood.

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