The real estate buzzword “staging” is a term borrowed from theater. The idea is to to customize a home so it has universal appeal to buyers.
Staging can range from sprucing up a house with new towels, bedding and live plants to renting art and furnishings
Often, realtors will recommend their client spiff-up a house with suggestions to depersonalize the home by removing all decor of personal nature, such as photos, certificates and trophies.
They may also suggest clients clear “command central” from the family fridge and even stash the calendar out of sight. And they’ll offer such obvious pointers as please have the house thoroughly cleaned, carpets shampooed and windows and screens washed, oh, and hide the kitty litter box and bowls of pet food.
It may sound pretty simple and straightforward, but it is often the emotional investment of the seller that inhibits effective staging.
Few things in life are as personal, or even sacred, as where we live. One’s dwelling is intimate, like a bird feathering a nest, a place of unique personality and distinction.
The time comes when that home is put on the market, and the formerly endearing attributes of your distinct style and decor could be the same features detrimental to having it sold.
“Hmmph! Are you saying that my home could be repellent to others?!”
Sorry. Yes. But this is no time to take offense. Your house is on the market and you are moving on (God willing). Your house needs every possible opportunity to be viewed as Someone Else’s dream home.
But what if time passes with no bites? What if you’ve already complied with realtor recommendations of cleaning, de-cluttering and removal of personal effects?
Perhaps you’ve even enlisted a friend or relative for observations. The problem is that you have done all that you were aware of, and even friends and family (often of like mind and tastes), might agree that everything is shipshape.
But is it?
Though few people can truly maintain the required objectivity necessary for staging their own home, look around and take an honest evaluation of your place. Ask yourself about that one-of-a-kind wall color you love in your dining room. Is it universally appealing? Or how about wallpaper, like that rose-trellis print that your daughter grew up with. It may turn into the single issue that sends a buyer running out the door, which is too bad since removing wallpaper is an easy fix.
The reason many buyers flee when they see things like that is it’s hard for them to imagine your place anyway other than the way they see it now. When that happens, unfortunately the baby is thrown out with the bath water over such easy fixes as paint or flooring. I’ve seen buyers turn their backs on a house because they were put off by a lime-green den or because they couldn’t see the laundry room through the mountain of clothes on the floor.
This is why things like outdated, ugly hardware handles or corroded faucets – inexpensive face lifts – can become deal-breakers for many prospective buyers.
Sadly, in my profession, I am often called upon for staging when the situation is dire: the house has been on the market for a while, and the price has been reduced to entice buyers. I try to keep my ego out of being called upon in the final hour, as I accept the ultimate challenge to stage the client’s home to its fullest potential. Staging may include repairs, paint, deep cleaning, rearranging furniture, adding art and accessories, or even rental of supplemental furnishings. And new purchases of curtains, rugs, bedding and towels serve as welcome “housewarming” details. Landscaping is another important feature in staging, beginning with the curb appeal.
Also, a new, or painted front door, as well as porch lights, a new mailbox and fresh plantings are details that seem subtle, but carry impact.
Typically, the seller has been convinced by the realtor to “bite the bullet” and hire a stager. I’ve also been hired by the realtor, who risks investing personal funds toward the goal of getting the house sold.
That said, I prefer to be hired as a stager earlier than later but certainly, before foreclosure, because by then, it’s too late.
The budget for staging is assessed after the consultation, based upon recommended tasks. (In case you’re wondering, I have found a good gauge regarding how much to spend to stage your house for sale is about the equivalent of one month’s mortgage. Investing more is sensible step toward getting the house sold more quickly, for a better price.)
A satisfied client is one whose house sells in response to benefits of being properly staged. Interestingly, the history (Bay Area and Southern California) of staging was not initially intended for merely selling a property, as much as it was to get a better selling price.
What a pleasant bonus, to not just sell your house, but for more than expected!
Shelly Shively grew up in Redding and attended its public schools, from Pine Street School to Shasta College. She is the mother of three grown children – a daughter and two sons – and grandmother to the planet’s most adorable baby girl. She is formally trained in the art of Re-design, and is IRDN (Interior Re-design Network). Shelly is an artist, illustrator and muralist. She can be reached at P.O Box 991568, Redding, CA, 96099 or michelle.shively@att.net.
