As the market cools and sellers experience less of the fierce bidding wars we witnessed earlier this year, it’s become increasingly important to present a listing in its best possible light, creating the need to step up marketing strategies and entice buyers. Of course, professional, high-quality photography can go far in highlighting a home’s desirability, but if a home isn’t professionally staged, good photography can only do so much. I like to think of staging as creating a story. It allows potential buyers to see the remarkable potential of a property and envision their future life in the home.
It can be difficult enough to stylishly design a home to your own personal taste, so when attempting to create a look that attracts a wide array of buyers, it’s best to call in the professionals. Suzy Leiger, our in-house interior designer and master home stager, knows exactly how to stage a home to increase its value. Because although some sellers might attempt to save some money by skipping hiring a stager, they’re shortchanging themselves in the long run as studies have shown that staged homes fetch higher sales prices and sell quicker than non-staged homes. A professional stager, like Suzy, knows how to create a design that encourages buyers to imagine themselves actually living in the space, and once a buyer has started thinking about what their day-to-day life could look like in a new home, they’re much more likely to make an offer.
So, what kind of staging techniques are employed by Suzy? To start with, she focuses on highlighting a home’s beautiful architecture with furniture, rather than having the furniture be the main focus. Architectural details are incredibly important when showcasing the value of a home, but the furniture, décor, and lighting that adorn a home can go a long way in either aiding in this quest or hindering it. If a house has an incredible open floor plan, thoughtfully-arranged furniture can present the possibilities of the large, open space and the different ways it can be utilized, so that buyers aren’t simply touring a large empty room that may both simultaneously underwhelm them with the emptiness and overwhelm them when attempting to picture it furnished and livable.
If a home has amazing oak floors, a massive rug that stretches from wall to wall is going to cover up an important selling point that buyers would be impressed by. Personal effects like a gallery wall of family photos, throw blankets that rep an alma mater, or general day-to-day mess make it difficult for buyers to imagine themselves living in the home as it is very much a product of the current owners’ interests and style. You’d be surprised by how small, strategic adjustments (moving a chair, adding a few décor pieces, displaying some art) can really bring a room to life. A professional who has studied interior design can look at a property with fresh eyes and work their transformative magic.
A savvy broker will encourage you to stage your home in most cases. There’s really no downside to giving your home a simple and easy makeover—we’re not talking extreme renovations here! Lucky for me and my clients, with Suzy Leiger on call as my in-house stager extraordinaire, I know that when I recommend staging to my clients, I’m setting them up for success with a talented designer at the helm. Having a broker and designer who work together as a team makes the whole process that much easier for my sellers.
If you’re thinking of selling and want some more advice on how to best prepare your home to hit the market, contact me today for a consultation.
