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Questions and Answers About How to Stage

Q: I’m trying to stage an empty house. I have enough furniture and it’s looking good. My question is what do I do in the closets?

A: I would leave closets empty because they look bigger. But not entirely empty. I would add a few props to dress them up and give a little personality.

In a bedroom closet I would place some pretty boxes on the shelves. In a linen closet I would stack a few fluffy towels, and perhaps a folded blanket. In a coat closet, I would add some wooden or padded hangers.

These little things will help buyers on tour remember your house as the one with attractive closets, where people (thats you!) live clean, enviable lives. Buyers buy the lifestyle when they buy the house, and women particularly are interested in closets. So, stage them to look gal-friendly.

Remember to clean any light fixtures in the closets and to maximize the wattage.

Q: We’re planning to sell our home in a year. I know there are things I should be doing now, but I don’t know where to start. Any advice?

A: Start by getting rid of things you don’t love or need. Second, it’s not too early to get a home inspection so you’ll know what needs repairs. Then, educate yourself about the local real estate market and maybe interview some realtors. You should also get current about about decorating trends and what not to do so when you’re ready to stage you’ll be up-to-date.

Yes or no to mini blinds? When you dont want to spring for the
the pricier versions, how can you make them work for staging?

Q: Should I leave mini blinds in my windows when staging? I know they aren’t super-stylish, but I still like them for light control and privacy.

A: I’m with you on the mini blinds, because they are inexpensive and functional.

You could leave them up but layer a window treatment over them, one that lets you cover them to soften the look. Just sheers might look good, or draperies that you open every day when you want sunlight entering the room.

Remember that buyers respond well to bright rooms, so make sure both the blinds and any draperies are open wide when you expect a showing.

And if your mini blinds are showing signs of age, replace them with new ones.

Q: The rooms on one side of my home are dark, even though they have enough windows. What can I do to make these rooms look brighter? I’ve already done what I can with lamps and overhead lights.

A: If the walls aren’t a light color, can you repaint them? Can you add a large mirror to each room? Can you remove lower limbs from trees that might be creating too much shade? Can you make your window treatments cover less of the window opening? Can you remove or paint any dark pieces of furniture that might be soaking up light?

Make a portrait part of the rooms decor instead of its
focal point. In this photo by Jeffrey Hirsch, costume designer
William Ivey Long, clustered attractive props and furniture near
the framed art instead of isolating it on a blank wall.

Q: I have your eBook so I know that when staging you suggest avoiding artwork with faces in favor of landscapes, abstracts, and still lifes. I have a large painting of my great, great grandmother. I think it looks cool. Should I store it away when I list my house?

A: I agree, ancestral portraits are cool! Even ones that aren’t your own relatives add a certain dignity or importance to a room. I’d definitely leave it in place, as long as it isn’t the focal point of the room. How about somewhere unexpected, like in a hallway, bedroom, or on a stairwell?

That said, some old portraits look a little creepy or just too engaging to be used in a staged room. If your ancestor appears sad, mad, or stares out of the canvas in such a way that makes visitors talk about the art rather than your house, store the painting.

I hope your great, great grandmother brings you good luck selling your home!

Any Questions? Do you have any problems about your DIY home staging? If my eBooks dont solve them, email me your question and Ill try to solve your home staging dilemma.

Questions and Answers About How to Stage

Should You Stage Your Own Home Or Hire a Pro

An inviting front entrance like this colorful one -- so important
for curb appeal -- is easy to stage by basic staging principles.

So I was reading on this online forum for professional home stagers, when I stumbled across a comment that annoyed me at first and then amused me.

Heres the quote:

“One can certainly tell the difference between real staging and self-staged. The latter range from bad to appalling. Anyone looking at self-staged listings has to look past the fuchsia/avocado green walls and swagged drapes and dark green wall-to-wall carpeting and flowered sofa and chair that dont match -- indeed, they dont match anything in the room.”

That’s pretty harsh. But not true.

I maintain that most homeowners can stage their own homes.

Many of them will need to bring themselves up to speed, but that process can be an enjoyable learning experience. And most certainly a smart financial experience.

It’s no secret that most of us stage our own homes to stretch our budget.

Hiring a professional stager will cost some money, understandably. A trained and accredited stager is an entrepreneur in business to make money, and cranking up and running a home staging business demands capital investment. She’ll have to pay for her training, for furnishings and warehousing, insurance, website, cell phone, laptop, camera, transportation, day laborers, tradespeople, office expenses, and advertising. She has to calculate these costs into the estimate she gives you.

Why Do It Yourself

Besides the obvious economic advantages of staging your own home, let’s look at some other benefits.

Pace. You have the flexibility to do it on your schedule. Unless you have a tight deadline for moving, you can afford to make some mistakes and then fine tune things with time. Perhaps family and friends will give you feedback for what looks best. You’ll be educating your eye. You might even be making purchases for your next home and using them for staging this one.

Safety. Most people have a horror story about movers or other workers in their home. Something was broken or stolen. Private information was taken. Do you know the “helpers” a stager might bring in to move your antiques around? Only you know exactly what you have that is valuable, delicate, or private, and how things are packed, labeled, and stored. Staging your own home could mean no surprises down the road.

Familiarity. If you’ll be living in your home while it is listed, you have an understanding of exactly what you and your family can tolerate in the name of an uncluttered home. It’s unrealistic to stage a playroom all cutesy and expect it to stay that way when you have three boys who prefer the room with wall to wall Legos. Can you keep your countertops free of small appliances? (I can’t!) Put away hair styling equipment and cosmetics every day? You might as well stage your home so you can still function comfortably.

Julie, a reader of this blog, staged her home herself. This is her
dining area. I think she did everything right!

On the Other Hand

A professional brings advantages of her own to the home staging process. Here’s my list of the advantages I see, along with some tips for you if you are considering hiring one.

She’s been schooled as a professional and knows what the market insists on, what the trends are in your area. You should ask to see her credentials and view her portfolio. You can ask your real estate agent to recommend a stager.

She has the furnishings and manpower necessary for staging. Ask if she pays any furniture rental fees or if you do. How about the cost of tradespeople like an electrician or a plumber? Ask about the total cost for staging, how it is determined, and how it might vary.

Professional staging can be done relatively quickly. Depending on the extent of the job, the stager will probably be in and out and have you photo-ready in less time than if you had to do everything yourself. Ask how long the work will take. Ask what your responsibilities will be during the project.

A stager has an unbiased viewpoint and can evaluate what should stay and what should go in your home for showings. She’ll see problems and solutions you haven’t thought of because she has the fresh eye. Do you sense a sympatico with the stager you’re interviewing, so that communications are likely to go smoothly?

Heres the bedroom Julie staged. Would a professional have done better? I dont think so.

You Could Flip a Coin

What’s a homeowner to do when it’s time to sell? It’s possible that a compromise might deliver the best of all worlds.

You could pay for a plan, and do the labor yourself. Many stagers will work as consultants, touring your house and offering suggestions on how best to present it. For a fee that varies according to where you live and how experienced the stager is, she will tour the property completely and then present you with a printed report. A more casual, more economical arrangement might be a walk-through when you can take notes or record or video what she suggests.

Some stagers will offer an initial consultation and a follow-up visit to make suggestions about finishing touches or tweaks.

A cooperative arrangement like this means that you do the cleaning, the decluttering, and make the necessary trips to Goodwill, the landfill, or storage facility.

Celeste, another blog reader, sent me this photo of the living room she staged herself
after reading my eBook. Her house sold for close to asking price in two weeks,
and I think it was because she did such a good staging job.

Whether you hire a pro or not depends on --

Schedule. How much time you have to do the work yourself.
Market. What the competition is like in your local real estate market, how other homes go to market. In larger cities, it’s more likely that staging is expected.
Specifics. The price, size, and age of your home. More expensive homes, larger homes, newer homes benefit more from a professional’s touch. Even if you have had your home professionally decorated, a home stager has a different set of priorities than a decorator.
Nostalgia. How much emotional detachment you can muster. An outsider will be more objective, and help you understand typical consumer reactions to your décor and belongings. You may adore your cherry red dining room walls, but a stager may see that they make the room look smaller and older.
Imagination. How much vision you have. If you’ve never been one to pay much attention to home décor, if you haven’t redecorated in a couple decades, if home improvement bores you, and if you can’t even imagine alternative colors or furniture arrangements for your home, perhaps you need outside advice.
Money. How much money you are able and willing to spend on staging. If you are underwater with your home, it’s understandable that investing more money is painful. But an investment is what it is. Done correctly, staging pays for itself, because staged houses sell faster and for more money.
Desire. How motivated you are to sell. If you want to sell quickly and move on, staging with a pro can speed things up.
Stress. How able you are to cope with stress. Some people seem to thrive on chaos, drama, and deadlines. Others are easily overwhelmed. Even a simple closet cleaning can be stressful for some, while someone else can take a complete kitchen remodel in stride.

Whether you do all your own staging, turn it over to an accredited home stager, or go with some combination, only you can decide.

If you stage your own home and use my eBook, DIY Home Staging Tips to Sell Your Home Fast and for Top Dollar, as a guide, I guarantee your results won’t look anything like the way the online poster described self staging. You’ll be on our way to staging like a pro. I’ll give you your money back if you are not completely satisfied with your purchase.

Avocado walls and swagged drapes, indeed!

Top photo: Better Homes and Gardens

Should You Stage Your Own Home Or Hire a Pro

How to Stage a Fireplace When Its Summertime

What better way to show off a fireplace in summer than
filling it with mirrors, the way Eddie Ross has done?

Most home buyers are drawn to a fireplace like moths to a flame.

But in hot weather, a fireplace doesnt have all the magnetism it does on a snowy winter day.

In summertime, all your rooms should feel cool and refreshing.

Feng shui experts say that a fireplace makes a room “hot” because it represents the “fire element,” and that an empty, unused fireplace represents lifeless or drained energy.

Even if you dont know beans about feng shui, you cant deny that there’s nothing appealing about an empty fireplace, no matter what the season.

It’s a black hole in one wall. It looks like something’s missing or not working.

Is there a way to showcase your fireplace without suggesting heat? Yes. Heres how.

Whether youre decorating coastal style or not, you cant go wrong
with an oversized clamshell, either empty or filled
with shells or plants. Ali Wentworth via Completely Coastal.

A mirror in front of the firebox brightens any space, and a round one like
this adds some needed curves to the room. Photo: Porch Light Interiors.

Diane at In My Own Style blog designed this ever-so-sweet decorative, folding screen.
She made it no-sew style, from fabric attached to a pattern cutting board .

My own fireplace looks like this in summer. I bought the fabric fan at a garage sale years ago.
Its the perfect firebox cover-up because of its cool color.

If youre going to keep logs in your fireplace in summer, add some hardware like a
handsome grate or these anchor themed andirons. Photo: Traditional Home.

More How-tos for Hot Weather Fireplace Staging

Keep animal prints packed away during warm months. No furry pillows on
the hearth, please.
In summer, flowers and plants make more sense than candles in the
firebox. Candles represent small fires.
White birch logs or white ceramic logs look cool in the summer
fireplace.
Any props that are beachy, nautical or coastal are perfect for
fireplace staging.
Keep your colors on the cool and pale side of the color palette.
When in doubt, concentrate on white for a refreshing, summertime
color scheme.
Choose colorful and glazed ceramics rather than dark crockery
and earthenware.
Any reminders of water, like seascapes, a fountain, shells, or fish
motifs, make good props for the firebox, hearth, or mantel, because
they balance the fire element.
Make sure your firebox is clean, even if it is covered with a screen.
Buyers will look inside.
Your realtor and your MLS or FSBO listing should indicate that
your fireplace is working if it is a functional fireplace.
Tracy at Comfort and Luxury blog did a marvelous post on out-of-season fireplaces.

Need more ideas for fireplace staging? Check out my Pinterest Board, Fireplaces Out of Season.

And if you download my $4.99 ebook, DIY Home Staging Tips to Sell Your Home Fast and For Top Dollar, you can start staging your home for market today. You’ll see how easy it is create the look and feel buyers really want in a home.

How to Stage a Fireplace When Its Summertime