Things that happen in our real estate business seem to be making for good things to blog about and since this issue seems to be recurring, I thought that I should address it.  Now understand that I am not just a realtor, but I have a background in interior design.  That being said, I understand the impact that a properly staged home can make on a home sale.

So what’s the problem?  A lot of people are addicted to HGTV as am I – and here’s where a little knowledge is proving to be a dangerous thing.  Many shows on HGTV show a group of professional realtors and designers working together to prepare a home for sale and those homes/rooms usually end up looking great, thus reinforcing the importance of de-cluttering, de-personalizing, and placing the properly scaled furniture in a room to create balance and symmetry.

Unfortunately, we’re finding that many sellers these days are misinterpreting the main concept shown time and time again on HGTV – stage a room so that anyone walking into that room can identify its purpose while being able to envision himself living there.

Instead, sellers seem to be creating “theme rooms.”  Intentionally creating a little girl’s bedroom (although the seller has no children) by painting one wall a hot pink color and the other walls pale pink, purchasing frilly draperies, placing flower shaped throw rugs on the floor, etc…  Cute?  Yes.  Necessary?  No.  Why not simply use neutral color pallet and create a simple, yet lovely bedroom for someone of any age?

Another client of ours collects Asian art and furniture.  All lovely things, but very taste-specific.  Yet he wanted to “stage” a room in his house by decorating it in everything Asian.  When I asked him not to do that and just to simply leave the bedroom unfurnished, he was rather upset and told me that I was taking all the fun out of getting his home ready for sale.  He loves to decorate and I was denying him of all that fun.

Staging is not an excuse to decorate a room; it is a well-though out process (typically using furniture and art that the seller already owns) that incorporates all of the elements and principles of interior design.

Simply said, less is more.  I’d rather see an empty room than a theme room.  Most people can figure out which room is the living room, a bedroom, the kitchen, and so on without any furniture being there.  So, if it’s not in your budget to rent or purchase the appropriate items to properly stage a room, leave it empty.

Want some more information about staging?  We'll send you our FREE brochure, Home Staging: Tips & Tricks to Help Your Homes Sell Quickly.

Wishing you sunshine everyday and the home of your dreams,
Jeri