Top 10 Spring Staging Tips

What is staging? I am asked this all the time. Staging is a verb. It is the action of doing something. Staging can be from one end of the spectrum-renting & setting furniture up in vacant home to making over 200 suggestions for occupied or vacant home. So "staging" is a word used to describe many things.

I do all of the above for my clients. As each home is different so are the actions taken to stage each.

It is definite that those consumer savvy buyers are looking for the BEST home they can find.

For the Realtors® that work with me they are seeing a significant increase in the sellers interest in "staging". They, the Realtors®, are enjoying the attention they are receiving for showing their professionalism by offering my services at time of listing the home for sale. These Realtors® homes are selling VERY quickly. The Realtor® and home-seller reap the benefit of staging their home, (product), by enjoying having sold the home at the higher end of comps and in very little time.

As always it is best when seller makes changes suggested by stager BEFORE house is listed. When house starts to advertise it will be "show" ready from day 1! MLS photos will reflect the correct "product". You don't want to have your first days on market not reflect the house at its best. Your best perspective buyer may be the one that sees house first, as soon as it is listed. It is important that you not "lose" those important first days.

Ideally the following list should be implemented BEFORE listing. Of course it will still be effective no matter how long house has been on market. It is never to late!

The only guarantee I have is that the investment to stage will ALWAYS be less than first reduction in price!

Now with all that said lets get down to some practical information.

"Top Ten Spring Staging" to-do list

#1.) "Happy" colors on front door. Choose a contrasting color of house or door. Such as if house is tan and door is red, use yellow decorations. Use yellow marigolds and other fragrant flowers in a nice large container. Do not over-fill space. Use yellow in door decoration.

#2.) First Impression- What are your own first impressions that you have when seeing the house? Would you want live here? Would you even come in the driveway?

#3.) NO empty flower pots-especially filled with dead flowers! It is better to have nothing rather than dead flowers.

#4.) Rake and tidy-up yard. Having nice clean lines will make yard appear large and un-cluttered. It is difficult to have yards pretty this time of year. Put out new mulch in beds, this will at least cover-up winters wrath. Landscaping will appear neat. Be careful… make sure that mulch doesn't have any manure smell or other unpleasant odor. That is not the impression you want perspective buyer to experience. The yard is part of what perspective buyer will see first. It is "curb appeal". When buyer sees that yard is neat & tidy they are willing to see the inside. They should make the connection that if the yard is tidy than most-likely the interior is neat & tidy too!

#5.) "Spring" clean the interior. No matter what problems a particular house may have, no one wants to have to clean their NEW home. Dig in and clean, hire professional cleaning crew if needed.

#6.) Box and store off-premises your winter wardrobe. Why have items in house that seller probably doesn't need for several months? Rent a storage unit and edit items that are not crucial to ones well being.

#7.) Have a garage-sale. Seller can have a sale BEFORE advertising the house. It will make their move to new home less stressful, why schlep these things to new home. Seller can than use profit towards any minor staging suggestions or for items needed for their new home.

#8.) Have "WOW" factor when new buyer steps in the door. This is EVERYTHING! According to NAR perspective buyers make connection to house in 15 seconds! Make sure your "wow" is a positive one. You don't want the thought.."Wow, this is awful, or stinks. You need a magazine "WOW". You need them to WANT to live there.

#9.) Place a new "Welcome" mat at doorways. This seems so simple, but many seller's fail to understand the significance. The mat is the house's way of saying "Hello, come on in and stay awhile".

#10.) Use silk greenery and spring flowers for that added touch throughout your home. Plants=life. Not only will good silks add aesthetic value, they have a subliminal effect. Think about it….dried dead flowers in pots or the appearance of living plant life.

Remember that first impressions are everything make sure their "wow" factor is a good one…NOT "Wow did you see that? Or smell that?"

Make it a GOOD experience and buyer will certainly remember that!

I hope that I have helped those of you in need of some practical advice from a professional staging Interior Decorator.