Undressed for success

Home staging prepares your home for its big debut

by Terri L. Jones

You love your snow globe collection, the deer head hanging on your den wall and the deep burgundy paint in your downstairs bathroom. The question is … will a prospective buyer?

“Buyers have a hard time seeing what something could be, they only see what it is,” says Long and Foster realtor Anne Brandon. To compete in today’s buyers’ market — when there are countless other houses just like yours for sale — it’s more important than ever that folks walk into your home and immediately envision it as their own. That’s what home staging is all about.

Home staging takes center stage

A concept founded more than 30 years ago on the West Coast and recently gaining traction in Virginia, home staging strips away the history and clutter you’ve accumulated in your home to reveal your home’s best selling features. “We’re not decorating for your personal taste,” explains Judy Heinrich, of Judy Heinrich Home Staging in Richmond, some of whose homes have sold the first weekend after staging. “We’re undecorating to make your home appeal to a broader audience.”

Home staging is all about first impressions. “People buy emotionally and support their buy logically,” says Wes Estes, real estate agent at Coldwell Banker Advantage, who includes a home staging consultation as part of his marketing package. “If we can create that ‘wow factor’ from the time buyers open the front door to the time they pull off, then price becomes less of a factor.” That “wow factor” also translates to the real estate community and creates a lot of buzz about your home.

If you’ve seen popular HGTV programs like Designed to Sell and Get It Sold, you know how home staging works. In Virginia, where many sellers aren’t yet familiar with home staging, these shows have helped this new service industry spread its gospel to the masses.

Home stagers roll up their sleeves

Starting at the curb and working their way inside, home stagers evaluate the overall appearance of the home. “Somebody who is new to that space can look at it so much differently than you can look at it,” says Liz Blankenship, who, with partner Beth Riordan, owns Stage to Sell in Charlottesville.

This appraisal flags big must-dos like paint or new carpeting but also includes smaller things like a missing cabinet door knob or tarnished brass on a door lock. The home stager also evaluates the flow and focal point of each room, as well as pointing out ways you might be masking your home’s best selling features. When the home stager rolls up her sleeves, her job might be as simple as decluttering your home or as dramatic as removing half your furniture and accessories, and shuffling around what’s left to give your home an entirely different look.

While the goal of home staging is to focus on the bones of your abode, a completely vacant home tends to be a little too bare bones for even the most fertile of imaginations. Home stagers can turn empty square footage into a space where buyers can feel at home.

Home sweet staged home

Take boomers Ellie and Richard Boyd, for example. Their home had been “for sale by owner” for about three months. Upon moving their furniture to their residence, they listed their vacant home with a realtor and, for six weeks, still had no bites. They even dropped the price. Ellie says their realtor suggested either “try the home staging or drop the price again.” Choosing to invest in home staging with Ruth Letchford of Richmond’s Sell-abrate Home Staging, they watched reviews of their home jump from “good” to “great” and “excellent.” In about a week and a half, they had a signed contract.

“Ninety percent of the time, we’re not recommending major construction. We’re keeping the cost down by working with what the homeowner has,” says Letchford, whose last three stages sold in less than two weeks. “For example, we wouldn’t recommend replacing cabinets. We would recommend painting them to bring them ‘up to trend.’”

Realtor Anne Brandon agrees that home stagers can be extremely resourceful. In fact, one stager with whom she has worked located a huge bolt of fabric in the attic that even the homeowner had forgotten about, transforming it into a makeshift cover for a sofa and chairs in need of a facelift. “It totally changed the room,” Brandon remembers.

When asked to clear out all the family pictures or move grandma’s antique bird cage to the garage, homeowners can sometimes be a little defensive. “That’s where they live,” says Liz Blankenship. “The biggest help we can give somebody is to help them with the paradigm shift that it’s no longer their home.”

However, once they are able to give up ownership, sellers are generally thrilled with the final product. “I find it much easier to keep organized,” admits Stephanie Pick, whose staged home is currently on the market. “It’s just a matter of my picking up a few things and it’s ready to show. And there is a sort of Zen feeling when you enter a [staged] room that is uncluttered and simple.”

Charlottesville homeowner Judy Boyd was equally impressed. She ended up copying some of Stage to Sell’s decorating tricks in her new home. For some homeowners, the metamorphosis may even make them pull up the “For Sale” sign and stay. That’s why, in addition to staging homes to sell, these creative professionals also stage homes to live, providing their services to owners who have no intention of selling.

Depending on whether your home is vacant or occupied and how many rooms are staged, the cost of home staging can range from a couple of hundred dollars to a couple of thousand. But home stagers are quick to point out that staging your home is no guarantee of a sale. "While staging is absolutely beneficial," says Judy Heinrich, "it is not a magic wand. Many other factors - like price, location, schools, floor plan, taxes - also weigh in to whether a buyer chooses your home over another.”

While home staging won’t necessarily usher in a contract, the converse can be true. “It’s such a competitive market that if you don’t stage,” Heinrich adds, “you’re helping the house down the street to sell.” Rather than drop your price, why not stage your home? It could be the edge you’ve been looking for.

A Richmond features and advertising writer, Terri L. Jones longs for that Zen feeling and is considering a home staging in her cluttered home office.

Top 10 ways to showcase your home

by Jane Auster

Whether you use a home stager or not, here are some commonsense tips - from one who just went through the experience — to help you turn your home from tired to terrific:

1. Banish the clutter! Prospective buyers want to imagine the potential of your home to realize their house dreams. Your favorite knickknacks from that trip to Maui might bring back fond memories, but they’ll do nothing to sell your home.
2. Depersonalize. A few family photos are fine, but you don’t want visitors to focus on your things. Help them mentally move in themselves.
3. Clean like a fiend. Nothing says “Buy me!” more than a spotless environment. This means pulling out the vacuum, duster and cleaning products every day of viewings to ensure you put your best face forward.
4. Let the light shine in. Clean windows, both inside and out, help buyers see your home more clearly.
5. Inspire love at first sight. Before prospective buyers even step through your door, they see the front of your house. Your porch should be tidy, leaves should be raked and snow shoveled. Consider a fresh coat of paint for your door and windows. And don’t forget to pick up any stray litter near your home.
6. Do some fluffing of your own. Strategically placed cushions add a touch of color and warmth to your home.
7. Consider the smell factor. Cooking and pets can both produce odors that linger in the air. During showings, make sure you keep the environment smelling fresh. That means cleaning cat litter boxes and avoiding cooking aromatic foods.
8. Bake if you have time. The smell of fresh bread or cookies really does create a warm ambience. It’s an old standby that works.
9. When in doubt, go neutral. You might love that chartreuse shag throw rug, but not all prospective buyers will appreciate your taste.
10. Take time to breathe!