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Staging a home...?
This is still sometimes a new concept to our local community, but it shouldn't be. The idea of staging a home is to make it more attractive to buyers; however it's an applicable concept even when you're not looking to sell.
The act of "staging" is creating a home that appears more livable, attractive and a healthier environment for you and your family. You can see why staging to sell can also be staging to live.
Whether you want to stage for your buyer or for yourself, you can do each rather inexpensively. Many don't realize how much a minimal investment can leaps and bounds increase the perceived value of your home.
There are only a few little differences between staging your home for life versus selling. And both bring great reward! Read on for a few ideas:
Your Stuff.
For Life-Staging your home is about decorating for your personal style and way of life.
For Selling-Staging your house for selling is about the buyer, not you. Avoid leaving personal items on display and consider the interests of the average buyer. Stage to appeal to those interests.
First Impression.
For Life and Selling-First impressions are made no matter what so it's important to make sure it's a good one. Potential buyers will begin making either a positive or negative impressions within seconds of seeing your house. You must capture their positive attentions immediately. And it would be nice to do this for your own visitors too!
Keep your yard mowed and neatly maintained, trim overgrown branches/bushes away from window views, place potted flowers on front porch, near front door, or flanking garage doors. Consider a fresh coat of paint on front door and a nice new welcome mat (Pssst, make sure it says "welcome").
Less Really Is More.
For Life-Ask any realtor or stager what the number one improvement is for selling and they will most likely tell you to get rid of clutter. I know it's number one for me personally.
For Selling-A house should appear lived in, but you don't want it to appear overly personalized. Pack away collections, family photos, and other very personal items so your buyer can envision their own things in the home.
Room With A Use.
For Life-When living it's often okay to use a room for multiple purposes and sometimes you don't have a choice. Make rooms work for you and your family.
For Selling-When selling you want to show rooms as they were designed to be used. If you only have 3 bedrooms, you'll want to make sure you show them all as bedrooms. Not a home office/craft room. Perform a quick and inexpensive makeover by swapping out dated window treatments/light fixtures/flooring, etc.
So Fresh and So New. (A free hour for the first person to tell me what song this if from!)
For Life- Some of us tend to get stuck in routines and begin not really seeing our homes they way others do. Touch up paint, add new artwork or colorful pillows, swap out dated decor for something fresh and new. You deserve it!
For Selling-Buyers LOVE houses that feel especially clean, tidy, well maintained, and up to date. And when I say clean, I mean sparkling from top to bottom. Hire a professional cleaning service (we offer this) to get all those hard to reach areas and don't forget about the windows. Again, add new art, pillows and updated decor to impress. Clear off counters in both the kitchen and bathroom leaving only a few decorative items. | 
