Rain City Guide

Do-It-Yourself Home Staging

ARDELL on 07 4, 2007

[photopress:93rd.jpg,thumb,alignright]That one picture in the photo, which I use to create depth of space by placing it midpoint in a long multi-room shot, has traveled from house to house. I took it from 93rd to Sunnyside, to 60th, to Phinney and now up to Edmonds today. I can’t remember where it was before 93rd or when I first bought it.

Yesterday I was up in Edmonds and put together two rooms in pretty short order. The more you do it, the easier it gets. I’m going to try to list some of the basic principles for people getting their homes ready for market. These advices are for occupied homes, not vacant homes.

Staging is not “tidying up” nor is it “decorating”. Staging is using minimal furniture and accessories to highlight the home’s best selling points. Mostly you are selling key home features and square footage, so do not decorate each room as it is. Removing lots of stuff is key to expanding space, and positioning things for the photos is more important in the first stages, than decorating rooms into little “cozy” separate spaces. Remember that “cozy” is almost always the keyword for lower price.

1) Take a hard look at everything you already own. This is one of the reasons I help people from day one, before they move a thing or clean or pack anything into storage. Having seen everything in every room and every cabinet and every closet and even in the basement, gives me an immediate “inventory” of staging materials. Almost every good professional stager will tell you to invite them in before you touch anything. Never “get ready” for a stager, as you will be surprised at how often they use things you wouldn’t dream of using, and tell you to ditch all the things you thought you would be using. When staging on your own, empty first and then bring stuff back. Not the big heavy pieces, just anything you can easily remove.

Before I bring anything in of mine, I first pick and choose from the many things already in the house. Almost always, the things I need are not the things out and on display, but something in the closet or basement. So don’t pack first and then stage.

2) Take everything you might use, remove those things, and move them from where they are and into a central location. Try to pick a spot that will not be in any of the photos, but still easy to get to. I’m not talking about large furniture pieces here, but all things easy to carry like pictures, small tables, bedding, etc… You will be surprised at where the things end up…usually not where they were. Not even in the same room as they were. Sometimes not even on the same floor as where they were. Something stuffed in the back of a closet often becomes a main staging piece for one of the rooms when you are done. Try to group all pictures together, all small tables together, etc. This will help when you are coming in to grab just the right thing you need.

3) Now take photos. Seems odd to take photos before you start, and honestly I’ve done this so many times that I often skip this step. A seller has two objectives. The first is to get people to come to the house. Getting more people to come will increase your odds of selling fast and high. Remember, you are not selling in this stage…you are attracting people and asking them to come in and consider purchasing your home. The first focus of staging is to get the very best photos into the MLS. Get 15 really good shots of your house setup. Some people will have more exterior shots than interior shots. You want exactly 15 photos (of course I’m talking about Seattle Area and NWMLS users) No more and no less.

By taking your photos before you stage, you will see which “long shots” that cover two or three rooms, might be used. You will also see which wall of any room will be in the photo. You don’t want to put your best staging pieces in parts of the room which will not appear in any of the photos. So get your photo angles that highlight your home’s features done first. For instance, if you have a huge window with a paladium/fan top glass, most likely the photo angle will be from the opposite side, and toward that feature. Many stagers will “stage for photos” and then rearrange the staging for showings. There are minor changes done after the photos are taken.

4) Place your best pieces in the photo shot. Even if you may later move these things to someplace else. Stage for your photos first. Once you have your 15 photos, you can begin staging for showings.

5) Pay attention to natural light. Particularly in the bedrooms, you will want to use your lightest pieces in the darkest room and your darkest pieces in your brightest room. You may need to move beds and big furniture pieces at this stage to accomplish this objective. I have a few pieces of staging equipment that makes this easier.

I got these at StagedHomes.com Whether you get them there or someplace else, these tools make the job SO much easier. In fact everyone should own them for those Spring Cleaning times when you want to move furniture out to clean behind and under everything.

It’s amazing how much brighter a room can look if you take out the dark pieces and move in much lighter and even white ones. Likewise a bright room can absorb darker furniture better. This is easier with odd bedrooms than the master bedroom, as master bedroom furniture is not as easily interchangeable. But clearly you can compensate with lighter bedding, pillows and window treatments. Remember you are not decorating. Dark homes sell for less, so use accessories to lighten and brighten the room.

6) Staging for showings. My rule of thumb is if you are not walking quickly through the spaces, you are not staging. If you are staying inside any room too long, you are decorating. Always and repeatedly go back to the front door and enter the house again and again. Walk through the whole first floor the way a buyer would BEFORE you even begin to stage for showings. Often people will peek into a room, like a half bath, and never go IN it. So make sure what you are seeing when walking and when peeking in from the doorway of small rooms, is going to make people smile.

If people are happy and smiling as they walk through, you’ve won half the battle. Don’t stand inside a small room and put your best pieces where you can only see them when the door is closed, and you are inside the room. Buyers are not likely going to do that. Always stage with the doors open.

Gotta run…it’s a holiday, so as on most holidays, I’m off to finish staging that Edmonds home. Not sure why I usually end up staging homes on holidays. Just seems to always work out that way…Kim is calling me…bye! and Happy Independence Day!!!

About the Author: Ardell DellaLoggia

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ARDELL is the Managing Broker of Sound Realty in Seattle. ARDELL was named one of the Most Influential Real Estate Bloggers in the U.S. by Inman News and has over 20 years experience in Real Estate up and down both Coasts. She represents Buyers and Sellers of real estate on both sides of the 520 Bridge from Kirkland, Bellevue and Redmond on the Eastside, to Green Lake and surrounds on the Seattle side. You can reach her at 206-910-1000 or by hitting the email the author link above.