Our recent Good Question about staging got us thinking. So here are our Top 10 tips for Do-It-Yourself staging:
• Remember that the key is to depersonalize so that prospective buyers can visualize themselves living in your home -- so remove photos and personal items
• Seriously de-clutter (consider putting things in storage)
• Add fresh flowers
• Clean really, really, really well (including your windows, carpets, and ceiling fans)
• Be tough about odors (in our Good Question, Victoria suggests using lavender and rosemary)
• Use new or very clean linens, towels, shower curtain
Great list! Now, I have to tell my ironic story.
When we staged our house in upstate NY for sale, my first move was to pack away all our books on religion, figuring these would be a horrible distraction in the living room.
We sold to a minister in a denomination where he probably owned all the same books. Go figure.
I think de-cluttering and comfortable furnature arrangement are one of the most important steps.
Does anyone else cringe when watching Designed to Sell, et al? Are buyers really fooled by obviously cheap quick fixes? And obviously all new sod and plantings?
I get the premise - clean, fresh paint, look as though you've taken care of the place, but can't stand the cheapness of it. Just my $0.02.
Cringe? I yell at the TV.
But I'm the kind of person who wants a place that's cosmetically ugly but structurally sound so I can get price concessions without taking on thousands in serious fixes, and I bring in inspectors for ALL the plausible inspection types and bargain the seller down based on the results. If the house has been staged, I probably wouldn't bother with an offer.
I know, I get frustrated by the obvious stage myself. Plus, you never see the people come back and wonder why they painted that accent wall a hideous yellow. I guess that's the magik of television.
So staging obviously works on quite a few people, however there is a flip theory to staging that is aimed at the bargain shopper. The easiest way to explain it is to think of Costco - ugly store, pain in the ass, long lines, pay twice as much for twice as much stuff, and shell out some money for the privilege of doing so. People need to THINK that they are getting a good deal, they need to be able to see the value in it, and find the diamond in the rough. Ever notice how Express has started cramming all their sales items in cardboard boxes for you to root through?
Splurge on professional carpet cleaning, with deodorizer, up to a week before you sell. For about $150 the carpet smells virtually new (something spray products and your average vacuum cleaner just can't accomplish).
Neutral artwork (traditionalists are terribly distracted by modern art)
A potted orchid here or there, they're inexpensive natural air cleaners ($12 @ the flower market or Trader Joe's), give a finished look to a room, and the blooms last far longer than flowers.