Is Home Staging Really Worth the Effort?
by Priscilla O’Kelly Wilkinson -Sanctuary Design

Before Staging Portland Residence Living Room

After Staging Portland Residence Living Room

You know the old saying, “You never have a second chance to make a first impression.”

In today’s market of real estate the buyer has the advantage of having many homes to choose from, so what will set yours apart from the rest?

Home staging is a relatively new process in the design world, but it is quickly becoming one of the best ways to create curb appeal and to make your home more desirable to the potential buyer.

~ What is Home Staging?

Home Staging is the art of creating visual space and beauty in your home and the ability to see your home through the eyes of the buyer.

Through depersonalization, organization, creative layouts and spatial planning a good home stager can give you the sellers advantage to move your house faster and at a higher rate of sale.

~ When Do I Start the Process?

If you have ever been in the market to buy a home, you probably know how pleasant it is to walk into a home that is well manicured, spacious and airy, smells good and looks clean and tidy. It immediately gives the impression that “this home owner cared for and loved their home.” On the other hand if you’ve ever walked through a home and have witnessed piles of periodicals, dirty dishes, heaps of laundry and cluttered rooms it tends to make you skeptical of how well the person kept the house.

Before Staging Portland Residence Kitchen

After Staging Portland Residence Kitchen

Homes that are on the market to sell generally receive the most viewers within the first four weeks, after that the potential buyers start to lessen. The best time to start the staging process is before you list with a realtor. This gives the home owners plenty of time to get their house ready to show at its very best, and it will!

~ Why Stage?

You’ve got stuff. You know you do!

In your closets, in your cupboards, garage and basement. Loads and loads of stuff that you’ve collected over your years of living there.  Home-buyers are not interested in your lovely collection of childhood photos that you so cherish or your vast collection of Civil War books in your library they want to see the bones of the house, they want to see themselves in the house.

The trick to home staging is to create balance. Not too much, not too little.  A lot of home sellers think, “I’ll empty the house of all its furnishings and it will look HUGE.”

Before Staging Portland Residence Guest Room

After Staging Portland Residence Guest Room

This is one of the most commonly made errors in home sales. While at first it seems that walking through an empty house will be more appealing visually to the home buyer, it actually tends to just create confusion. We as human beings are very visual. In my 20 years of designing I can assure you that most people have a difficult time visualizing a home in any other way that they are currently seeing it.

If you are considering selling your home and want to move it in the quickest and easiest manner, than home staging is something to seriously consider.  I’ve seen homes that are newly on the market receive numerous offers and under contract within just a couple of weeks because the clients took just a couple of weeks to do a complete home staging prior to putting the house on the market.

Ask your Realtor about their thoughts on home staging, I am sure they will agree
that it is indeed worth the effort and time and yes, money.