Home Staging Basics
In today's post, I want to cover some of the key staging concepts that experienced home stagers are well versed in, starting with...the 50% rule.
The 50% rule says that if you live the way most people live in their homes, you probably need to pack up 50% of your things when staging the house for sale. That may seem like a lot, but remember, when you're staging your home, the goal isn't for the room to be laid out in a way that makes you happy, it's to lay out the room in a way that shows off the square footage of the home and accent its strong points. And in most cases, you need to remove some furniture and many other items that are distracting to buyers.
Think of it this way -- do you have a picture or piece of furniture that most visitors compliment you on? If so, that piece, as beautiful as it is, may be distracting buyers from your great fireplace or your great view -- key things they need to notice and remember about the home for it make a serious first impression. It's one thing for buyers to remark on how well done the house is (great, we love that!) but it may not be as positive if buyers are remarking on your leopard-print sofa.
Notice in the prior sentence I said "may not be positive" because just like with most rules, there are exceptions. If you have something eye-catching in a room that's pulling buyer focus away from something that's a negative in the room, that may actually be a good thing. When they weigh the pros and cons of the room, they may not place as much importance on the negative issue (maybe it's outdated flooring) as they would if you'd brought a lot of attention to that item.
Where are you going to put these items you've packed away? Well, you have a couple of options. You could put them in the garage (buyers are usually understanding if a garage is neatly packed with a seller's items because the seller is obviously planning to move. It's far better to to have them in the garage than cluttering up your home.
Another option is renting a portably storage unit. There are several companies in and around Lexington, KY that will bring a pod to your house for you to load and then pick it up and store it until you're ready for them to take it to your new home. Yes, this costs money, but keep in mind that if your home is properly staged, it's going to sell much faster than if it's left as is, so you shouldn't have to pay this monthly expense for long.
I've got several staging projects going on right now that I'll tell you about as I get more involved with them, but for right now check out my before and after photos of some of my home staging efforts on a house I sold in 2 weeks here in Lexington. It sold for full asking price too!
Next, we have the 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 rule. This rule says that when laying out the items in a set of shelves or bookcase, 1/3 of the items should be books, 1/3 should be other decorative accessories and 1/3 should be empty space. Pay attention to that empty space part! In order the your shelves to be shown off to their best advantage, the buyer has to be able to see some empty area around your possessions.
In fact, I sometimes go for proportions of 1/2, 1/2 instead, keeping a full 1/2 of the space empty to give the buyer the idea that there's tons of storage space available in this house. Even if the bookcases aren't built in, you're still making a positive impact on the buyer if your shelves are well dressed because they'll assume that if you have extra storage space while living here that they will too.
.If you can't see it, you can't sell it. This rule is all about bringing the visual focus to your home's assets and ensuring that they're not covered up. I can't tell you how many homes I've seen that have fireplaces partially obscured by furniture or other decorative items. A fireplace is one of the most popular features buyers ask for, so if they see it immediately when they enter the room, that's going to leave a positive first impression.
Another common problem is homes that have their windows partially blocked. Buyers respond better to homes that have lots of light -- period. (Well, unless you're talking about vampires or something, but that's another topic:) Open or pull up the blinds, open the curtains, move furniture -- let the light in! If your window overlooks a view that's not so hot, hang sheers from the window so the light can still come in but the view is de-emphasized.
Also, make sure all the bulbs in every fixture (including lamps) are working and turned on when the house is being shown. I know you don't always have time to run home and turn on all the lights before each showing, but do the best you can. If possible, leave them on throughout the day when you go to work if you're allowing showings during the day.
Having all that light streaming throughout your house will go a long way in making the home feel warm, open and wonderful to buyers.
If you smell it, you can't sell it. Well, this rule probably doesn't need a lot of explanation. Most homes have some kind of smell to them, particularly in the winter time when air gets a little stale. (If you have pets, this is particularly true.) Once you've lived in the home a while, you get so used to the smell of your home that you don't even notice it anymore.
To remedy this, you can use air fresheners, but let me caution you about this. Most air fresheners smell like, well, air fresheners and can leave the buyer wondering what kind of odors you're trying to cover up. So are you just stuck with it if your home doesn't smell fresh? No, of course not. Start by cleaning and doing a thorough vacuuming of any carpeted surfaces.
Next, I'd use one of my favorite air freshening products Fabreeze Plug-ins in "Laundry on the Line" scent. I love this stuff because it makes your house smell just like you've been drying clothes, which is a wonderful smell to greet buyers with. No, I'm not getting paid to endorse this product. I just want to share tips with you and that's a good one. You may have to look around to find that scent but it's worth it.
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