Why do I need a Home Stager? I have great taste in decorating!

The last thing I ever want to do is offend a homeowner, but this delicate subject needs to be approached more often than not.  Let's face it, we live in our homes and decorate them with our own family treasures, favorite colors, and personal items.  We live with our 4-legged friends and maybe other creatures, too, which we adore.  Unfortunately, when a property is listed for sale, buyers compare your home to builder's model homes, pictures they see in magazines, and virtual tours of competing homes which have been staged by savvy sellers and their agents.  

Staging is not decorating; therefore it has nothing to do with a sellers personal taste. Decorating, personalizes a home. Staging to sell, is de-personalizing it. It is so important for potential buyers to be able to visualize themselves living in the home, that you want to sell them. 

Recently, I spoke to a "want-to-be seller" who has an 8,000 sq foot home which looked as if they had just moved in, except for the fact that they lived with 5 dogs, two teenagers, and an 80 year old father.  It was not an ideal situation.  I knew I had my job cut out for me with this one.  Lucky I have a wonderful Stager who I have worked with the past two years and someone who I knew would approach the subject honestly, and yet be sensitive.  Traci Edmondson is simply the greatest!  She uses the seller's personal items as much as possible so that the home reflects love and joy.  After all, we don't necessarily want it to look like it lacks personality.  Our goal is never to make it lifeless, but to have it appeal to the majority of people, keeping it ageless and transitional.

I found a library of videos produced by Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate and available online for homeowners, home buyers and home sellers. The library covers a range of topics from home decorating/design trends, home makeovers, do-it-yourself projects, home staging and more.  Check out the full library from Better Homes and Gardens.

Your furry, haired friends, snakes and lizards seem to present some of the worst problems. Cigarette smoke and cooking smells can be just as difficlut to deal with when we are trying to eliminate odors. Watch this video if you have pets!

Most Important Rooms to consider:

1. Master Bedrooms- Make them look and feel like a retreat!

2. All Bathrooms-Clean Bathrooms from top to bottom, the baseboards, ceiling, decorate it like one in a luxury hotel, replace towels with new luxurious towels for showings.

3. All closets and pantry- organize and eliminate 50% of everything to make space look bigger.

4. Dining Room- Make an elegant table scape

5. Door- First Impressions last!  from the time the buyer drives up to your home, they are either impressed or disappointed. Windows clean, Plants in Pots, yard mowed with landscape and flower beds looking good.  Your home must shine above the rest in the neighborhood. 

Mention this blog post and I will provide a free two hour consultation to any seller or buyer who lists their home or uses me as their Buyer's Representative. Get it Staged....Get it Sold!