It’s a delicate balance selling a home with occupants and
working around all their possessions. There is a high probability cluttered
rooms, ill-placed and dated furnishings, artwork, overstuffed cabinets and
closets, plus day-to-day messes exist and they will distract homebuyers, plus look
unappealing in photographs. Encouraging buyers to fall in love with an unstaged
home becomes a challenge and the home could remain on the market for months on
end with multiple price reductions.
 |
| Before - Cluttered Living Room with Antler Chandelier |
Professionally staging a home is a strategic marketing tool
and will provide value to the bottom line. “32% of home buyers are willing to offer
more money for a staged home compared to a similar non-staged home.” —
National Association of Realtor’s 2015 Profile of Home Staging
Sellers have misconceptions about staging a home for fear
they must live in a sterile home void of personality, and that simply isn’t
true. Occupants can live in the home and with a few modifications it can be
comfortable, attractive, and affordable.
The process of staging makes a
difference, and yes, there will be changes to attract buyers and capture their
attention, especially for photographs, such as:
- Arrangement of furnishings to enhance traffic flow, increase vantage points or show off architectural features.
- Reducing the amount of furnishings or décor in a room to create balance, harmony and showcase room sizes.
- Simplification and organization of collections, décor, paperwork, and closets to reduce clutter and chaos allows buyers to appreciate the home and see the potential.
Additional
considerations, include:
- Deep cleaning the entire home, including windows and tidying up the exterior. Cleanliness plays a huge role in welcoming buyers. They don’t want to buy someone’s dirty house.
- Update outdated fixtures, lighting and wall colors attracts buyers wanting a move-in ready home.
 |
| After - Spacious and Improved Floor Plan of Living Room |
Taking steps to showcase the home before it is listed can increase
the selling price and decrease the duration of the listing, which ultimately is
the win-win everyone wants. Staging and photostyling the home is a powerful tool before listing and can
generate higher offers for sellers!
Getting down and dirty and knowing where to start is
daunting. The training and experience of a professional home stager offers to
stage an occupied home will help to ease the transition, provide resources and
help to transform the home. The home stager is a trusted
professional to help you get the most for your home.
Debbie DeMarais is a
professional certified home stager with DeMarais | Home Staging + Design and
has successfully staged and styled hundreds of occupied and vacant homes in
Santa Fe, resulting in beautiful homes receiving fast offers and quick sales. Debbie is a member of Home Staging Resource (HSR), Real Estate Staging Association (RESA), and Allied Member of ASID.
