Not every home needs to be staged; some homes absolutely need it. Other homes are somewhere in between. So how do you determine what level of staging will benefit your property (and pocket) most?
If you are selling a fixer below market value prospective buyers will not expect it to be designer perfect and fully staged. They will expect it to be clutter free and clean--de-staged! On the other hand, if your property is a luxury home, buyer's expectations will be high and a beautifully staged house is the perfect way to meet or exceed high expectations.
If your property falls somewhere in the middle, neither fixer nor luxury, then selective staging is probably the route for you. Perhaps a day or two of sorting, storing and tossing are in order. Maybe a power wash on the exterior and thorough spring cleaning on the interior will add the only sparkle required.
I once staged only the courtyard, living room and patio and received rave reviews for the mini makeover. On another occasion I paid a professional to "thin out" some very cluttered bookcases. The space went from disheveled to elegant in one hour!
Each house has a story. Is it occupied or vacant? Is there a view or other focal point to play up? You would be surprised at the number of views hidden behind overgrown trees and shielded from view by heavy drapes or unopened shades. Sometimes the staging is that simple. Other times it is more complex. The property may need a personality pop and full out staging is a great way to bid the boring house goodbye. No imagination required--it is all there right before your eyes.
To market, to market, to sell your house--Part 4 How to Collaborate and Cooperate--It's a Team Effort.
Norma Toering & Team RE/MAX Palos Verdes Realty
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Norma Toering & Team RE/MAX Palos Verdes Realty
(310) 493-8333
PalosVerdesLifestyle- Norma's award winning site as the best Palos Verdes homes and real estate blog since 2007. Selected by Relocation.com as one of the top ten Los Angeles area real estate blogs. Chosen by MovingCost.com as one of the best Los Angeles realty blogs. Awarded 5 out of 5 stars by Lender411 blog review. Ranked by Technorati in the top 1% of all blogs. As seen in the Daily Breeze newspaper.
South Bay Los Angeles cities I sell real estate, property, houses and homes in: Palos Verdes Estates, Rolling Hills, Rolling Hills Estates, Rancho Palos Verdes, San Pedro, Long Beach, Torrance, Lomita, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach. Based on information from the Association of REALTORS®/Multiple Listing as of the initial date of this article/blog publication and /or other sources. Display of MLS data is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed accurate by the MLS. The Broker/Agent providing the information contained herein may or may not have been the Listing and/or Selling Agent.
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Norma, I appreciate that you don't have a "one size fits all" approach to staging. Many professionals take a firm stand on one side of the other as a matter of practice and it really should always be about the house....is it needed or not?
Norma, this is great advice and you are right, the higher end client does expect staging and a certain look.
Colleen - For me, it is always about the house and what will help it sell.
Kim - Absolutely, and staging is a great way to achieve that luxury look!
I read your post, and then re-read it, because, as a stager, I think I fall into the category that EVERY house can benefit from staging. That said, your choice of words, "selective staging", is a good way to explain the concept that EVERY house can benefit. You are so right, not every house needs to be fully furnished, nor have every accessory placed. They DO all need to be clean, depersonalized, clutter-free, but the last piece is another of your lines, "a view or focal point to play up?". Even in the most mundane of properties, there should be something for the buyer to remember, beyond the fact that it was clean, and de-cluttered. I totally agree that simple things like a rearranged bookcase, a spruced up patio, or a tree-trimmed view through a sparkly clean window can have a huge effect, and I would count those all...as staging! Nice "food for thought" post!