Staging a home for sale is critical in our competitive real estate market, so here are some tips for occupied staging. Remember that a staged home does not represent how we LIVE in our homes.
It is imperative that Sellers understand that their HOUSE for sale becomes a commodity once it’s on the market.
In this short video, Rich Cederberg, Jeff Dowler, Bryan Robertson, Sally Weatherley and I discuss staging a home for sale and offer tips about occupied staging.
Specifically, we disc
uss:
(1) A staged home is not how we live; Sellers must come to grips that their house for sale is a commodity
(2) Blending existing furnishings with those that a stagers adds – OR it could be re-using what the seller has in a different way
(3) A well decorated home may not be staged to sell
(4) Staging adds visual square footage
Home stagers are able to blend a home Seller’s existing furnishings with additional furniture – and possibly ask the Seller to remove and store some of their furniture – to achieve the staged “look and appeal” that we believe will attract Buyers. Sometimes the home stager will merely need to rearrange what the Seller already has or use it in a different way. Sometimes the solution is as simple as removing a dark rug and replacing it with a light colored rug – or removing heavy or dated draperies.
This breakfast area is a perfect example. The openness and contemporary flair of this home are its strong selling points. The Seller’s breakfast table and chairs had a homey and country style, which did not fit with the contemporary appeal we were trying to create. The home stager removed the Seller’s four wooden chairs and replaced them with steel chairs with a pop of color in the upholstered seats. The four country bar stools were removed and replaced with two bar stools with a more sleek design. See the difference in the before and after photos!
The living room was already crowded with the comfortable but oversized furniture. By simply removing the dark blue and red oriental rug and replacing with a more modern white rug, the stager really pulled together the colors of the white floor-to-ceiling fireplace and adjacent built-ins. Also the white rug really allowed the beautiful dark hardwood flooring to shine!
This Seller’s bedding is certainly taste specific. Covering the bed with a more neutral color seemed to create more visual square footage in the room – and certainly brightened the room up!
Staging a home for sale tips – occupied staging
Well decorated homes may not be staged to sell. Staging is about creating space, light and emotion – not necessarily elegance or comfort.
Sellers have to compromise a bit when staging a home for sale and be open to tips on occupied staging. The goal of staging is to appeal to a broad base of Buyers and make them feel that THIS home could be THEIR home!
I do include a staging consultation in my listing services. Please call when you are ready to sell your home, and together, we will stage to sell!! 918-852-5036
Content written and published by Lori Cain.
