Staging your home takes some time, focus and objectivity but you can do it and save money when you sell. Let's start with a basic understanding of the fundamentals of home staging. The goal is start thinking like a Professional Stager.
Staging essentially falls into three categories:
o Image Staging
o Display Staging
o Value-Added Staging
Image Staging is about creating the mood for your potential home buyers when they walk through your door. Placing two cocktail glasses on a tray with a bottle of cosmopolitan mix might suggest that the people who live there are hip, trendy, or maybe an artist. Image Staging one of the bedrooms as a nursery could communicate that your home is a perfect place for a young couple with children.
Display Staging is simply showcasing the most desirable features of your home. Placing furniture to better highlight your beautiful fireplace is a perfect example of "Display Staging".
Value-Added Staging is really more of an investment in your property, like replacing the carpet, upgrading kitchens and bathrooms or adding closet organizers. In the kitchen you might add new counter-tops or luxury appliances. You might upgrade the bathroom with a jetted spa tub. Depending on what you choose to upgrade, Value-Added Staging can be costly in the case of kitchens and bathrooms, or relatively low cost when adding closet organizers. Either way, it can be a smart investment when you're preparing to sell your home. Be careful not to over-improve your property. Your Real Estate Agent can be a big help identifying what's worth improving.
The first step in your stage-it-yourself planning is to decide which category (or categories) of staging makes the most sense for you. Walk around your home and ask yourself what image you want to convey, what great home features you'd like to highlight and what home-improvement projects might give your home the edge in this competitive market.
Thinking like a Professional Stager is your starting point when deciding to take the stage-it-yourself journey. Try on the basics, and walk through your home with the simple fundamentals in hand. In spite of what professional stagers might tell you, most homeowners can develop the objectivity to stage their own home if they're prepared for the tasks at hand. Remember, you don't have to be the best home stager in the business. If you do your staging "homework", and are realistic about what you can take on, you can give your home the best chance to stand out and sell quickly for the most amount of money.
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