Home Staging is becoming a more regularly used phrase in the Real Estate industry and amongst home sellers, as new shows are constantly being added to such networks like HGTV. There are certainly some great shows offering tips, sharing transformations and highlighting the sale results of the staging itself.

With the increase of these shows comes more excited do-it-yourselfers. I am all for doing work myself to save cost however let me share with you why home staging is not for the faint of heart. Ask yourself if you truly would want to endure the process that a Professional Stager is trained to accomplish...

From the time a client contacts a stager to meet for a consultation, we busily browse the MLS system for the listing, look at comparable homes in the area to see what the demographics are as well as what other homes are available within close proximity. This is extremely important in determining how to stage the home. We then begin to look at all listed photos for the home and begin to decide what needs to be altered to make the home sparkle. We then drive out to meet the client, tour their home with camera in hand and go room by room sharing with them the types of things that need to be changed and why. It is essential that we educate our clients on what a buyer will like and dislike in the home and how it impacts the final purchase. We know what buyers want and understand anything from specific paint shades to the type of layout in any given space in a home.

Once the Stager able to put together the appropriate quote for rental furniture and accessories in the case of a vacant home or simply our time involved to stage an occupied home with all of its contents, we then proceed to truly begin the process. With the green light we proceed to our furniture rental store of choice for most homes or view the details in our online catalogue. This will allow us to actually design the space so all furniture is to scale and makes sense for the type of home, age, layout etc. We are then careful to select all appropriate colors for the furniture and to identify which of our rental accessories will work best in the home.

Often our inventory is rented out so we'll purchase new items specifically for a project. Most of my family and friends believe this is so exciting that I "get to shop all the time". It's a job and I assure you it is not a fun trip to the mall, each item is methodically thought out which usually involves me having my camera on hand to refer to the space itself for art etc. Once this all gets loaded into the car from the store and brought home it needs to be inventoried and then loaded up once again for the day of the staging. Of course with all of this inventory we have to rent a storage locker as to keep our homes in order!

Now that the staging is in full swing and the client has approved all final pricing we need to co-ordinate our schedule with the clients and have the furniture delivered the day we'll stage. We will be present to ensure no detail is missed as we stage the home to perfection. This can take anywhere from 1-3 days for a team of 2 based on the size of the home and if it is an out of state or local project.

Our work is still not complete until we de-stage the home after the sale. This involves reviewing the inventory list and re-claiming all pieces that belong to us. Happy client. Happy Stagers. We then head back into the car and go to the next project.

I say all of this to inform you that home staging is not simply about doing a bit of shopping and decorating your home, it is a skill for the trained eye and the right business person that involves many elements and whole lot of time. It involves a LOT of driving to and from homes, the storage locker, design stores, rental warehouses and involves much research time and design sketches for layouts in a space. One home can take up to a couple days of just preparatory work alone before we ever even stage a home, things we are not paid to do, it is simply part of the project. The difference is we are meticulous and we get results for our clients!

Home Staging is the process of de-personalizing a home to make it more buyer-friendly and neutral whereas decorating personalizes a space for a given person or family. We play up the positive points and best selling features in a home and downplay the ones that would be seen negatively by a buyer. The goal is to set your home apart from all of the others.

The benefits of staging are huge-Top Dollar and a Quick home sale for those that choose this service. It is always less than the cost of a first price reduction. Leaving a home un-staged actually helps sell all of the other competitive homes in the area. That is a scary thought but so true!

If you are interested in staging and are looking for a Professional, feel free to call us and we'd be happy to work with you to get your home sold fast for the best possible price.

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