If you are like most people, you may think home staging is what you see on HGTV. Where basically everything is changed in the home in one day prior to putting the home on the market. In some cases, that could be true. But that is the exception rather than the rule. While it's true that there are vacant homes that need professional home stagers to bring in furnishings, in many cases, a home is placed on the market while the homeowners are still living there. And that home still contains all the trappings of the owner's life. That's where occupied home staging comes in.
A professional home stager, specializing in owner occupied staging utilizes what is in the home to visually merchandise your space to appeal to more potential buyers. Interior design is about making your house your own, reflecting your personal aesthetic. Occupied home staging is the opposite of that. It is the art of creating a pleasing neutral space, while highlighting the best features and minimizing the not-so-great aspects of the home. It is de-personalizing the home so that buyers can envision their lives in the space thus creating emotional connections. Remember, you only have about 8 seconds to create that first impression.
An occupied home stager will start the process with an in-home consultation, walking through the home with the homeowners (and sometimes their real estate agent) starting with outside curb appeal. Suggestions on furniture placement, editing personal belongings, pre-packing tips, moving or repurposing items, suggesting color changes or identifying how to best showcase special features of the home and so much more. The home consultation will explain in detail all you can do to make your home sparkle, look great in online photos and attract buyers. It is an action plan for homeowners who have the time and the DIY skills to get the house photo ready and will act as a reminder of how to prepare before an open house. In many cases, the real estate partners we work with know the value of these highly effective occupied home staging consultations and will offer this exceptional value as part of their pre-listing services. Those real estate professionals who work with occupied home stagers have seen the results that staging your home can bring by the way of quicker sales and more money. These agents listing photos stand out online and get attention. With 95% of buyers starting their home search online, it's important to work with an agent that goes the extra mile to set your property apart.
If the action plan leaves you feeling overwhelmed, don't despair. Based on the consultation, a half day or full day staging service can be booked with the home stager to return and implement the suggestions listed in the action plan. The stager will work with the homeowner to prepare the home for photos and give tips on living in the home while it is on the market. Fortunately, a professionally staged home will generally sell quicker, placing less stress on the homeowner.
When looking through online photos for other homes for sale in your area, look at the difference in some of the listings you see. It is generally quite clear which homes have been staged by professionals. If you have not yet chosen a real estate professional, consider working with one who utilizes occupied home stagers as part of their team, if you will be living in your home while on the market, to help you get the best results.
If you need help preparing your home to sell or with streamlining your space, please book a free 15-minute discovery call to see if we can help.
Until next time,
Sending sunshine from the Suncoast
Shirley
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