Home staging is a science that can create an environment that strikes an emotional chord with buyers. Let’s face it a home purchase is an investment for most buyers, but it is also an emotional purchase. A vacant property gives the feeling that the house is empty, cold, and impersonal – this keeps the buyer from emotionally connecting with the home. You want the buyer to be able to envision himself in your home. A well staged home can shorten the time the home sits on the market. According to the Real Estate Staging Association an un-staged home stays on the market an average of 156 days. Take the time to professionally stage it and that time can decrease to 40 days! Staging is more than just de-cluttering and painting. The main focus is setting the scene, by changing the over all mood, and visual effect of the room to make it more inviting.
Here are some rules of thumb to follow when staging:
De-clutter & de-personalize – Stash the photographs of your family and other personal pictures, remove excess books, family heirlooms, or anything that is personal.
Lights – Warm up the room with lighting, increase the wattage in your lamps and fixtures.
The rule of threes – Mix up the accessories to punch up a room, use odd numbers and place them in a triangle pattern rather than lining them up in a row.
Bring the outdoors in – Place fresh flowers or plants into the room, you can even cut flowers or attractive branches from your yard and place them into a vase.
Repurpose the room – You can always change that miscellaneous room into a guest room. Since it’s just for show, you can by pass purchasing a bed and just get an inexpensive bed frame and place an air mattress on it. Once it’s covered with bedding no one will be the wiser.
Art – Hang paintings at varied height levels to make a room stand out and show off space.
Stick to a theme – Staying with an over all theme will keep the flow of the home continuous.
Hire a pro – If staging is too big a project for you then find an Accredited Staging Professional in your area. Another alternative is to find a furniture rental company that provides consultation, set-up and delivery such as Brook Furniture Rental.
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