The purpose of Home Staging

I didn't realize it at the time, but I've been staging my own home for 30+ years. Every time company was coming, I spent hours cleaning, organizing and placing just the right touches so that visitors would experience the best version of my home; the version I wanted it to be (but with a family of seven it never really was). The most annoying 'staged' room for my family was likely the bathroom. Absolutely no trash was allowed to be visible ("throw it away in the kitchen!"), cute hand towels that we never actually used were displayed (and absolutely off-limits for use by anyone other than guests), and bath toy baskets replaced with scented candles. If I'm perfectly honest, what I was going for was a 'wow' factor. "Wow! How does she do it? How does she keep such a clean, beautiful, peaceful and fresh smelling home with all those kids? She is amazing!".

The home of my dreams, the one that lived in my imagination, was much larger and more elegant than my budget or lifestyle would allow. I had a big, rambunctious family and am the sort of mom who wants kids to play in the dirt, collect lizards if they want to, roller skate in the house on rainy days and have their artwork on display everywhere. It's just that sometimes I wanted to feel like I lived in that gorgeous, high class home from the magazine cover. That home in my imagination made me feel classy, peaceful and capable; and THAT is the goal for a home stager. To set a scene that will invoke a positive feeling and spark the imagination of a potential buyer. As a seller, you want to create an unquantifiable sense of value that will increase the financial return you get.

Knowing what factors will best create that feeling can be tricky. That is where the professional home stager comes in. You want someone who can help you identify your target buyer and the features of your home that should be accentuated. Someone who can expertly identify which home improvements are worth doing to get the best bang for your buck and then set the scene to invoke that 'wow' feeling in your potential buyer. Statistically, staged homes sell more quickly and for more than non-staged homes, making the cost worth the savvy home seller's investment!