In order to get started in the meaning of ‘home staging’, we could consider its literal meaning, that is, to set up a scene, the actual scene or stage being a home.
Generally speaking, we could define home staging as a series of marketing techniques applied to a property with the goal of selling it quickly and at the best possible price.
Why? Well, it is rather simple. As it is a marketing technique, it is about decorating a property in order to make it look more attractive, as the first impression that a dwelling causes in somebody will be decisive. The idea is that the property should ‘catch the potential client’s eyes’, as indeed it is said that buyers make their decision in the first 90 seconds of their visit to a property.
Therefore this is an easy-to-understand technique. Is it not easier to buy a product when the wrapping up us attractive? Either it is a perfume, a book or anything else.
The financial crisis has fostered this technique based on a basic marketing principle and has adapted it to the real estate market- the property we would like to sell is, as we said before, a product as we should look after it as much as possible to make it stand out among the rest, an excess supply.
Thus, home staging makes our property look impeccable with a refined as well as neutral decoration. Details which at first glance would look banal, such as a badly adjusted skirt board or a drawer that does not close properly, can negatively influence a potential buyer or make our property price decrease more easily.
Below we summarise some of the essential steps within the process of home staging which you can yourself do in your property before you start showing it to potential buyers:
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Deep cleaning. A properly should be gleaming. It is important not to forget the bathrooms, and paint the tile grout joints, as this is for sure what make them look at their best. You can also put new bright towels matching the tiles.
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Depersonalizing your home. Buyers have problems to mentally see themselves in homes that have a strong or very personalized decor. So then try to neutralize it, remove your personal stamp from your home decor, like for example, remove photos that show you life. This way by depersonalizing your home many more buyers could mentally see themselves moving in.
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Optimizing lighting. The ideal thing is to combine natural light with artificial light, as we are not always going to have natural light for our visitors. In home staging, a warm light is a great ally. Besides, using warm, neutral pastel colour combinations will create a calm, inviting welcome and lighting effect. Needless to say that lights should work properly.
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Neutral decor. We must pay special attention to details and try not to give it a very personal taste for the reasons we explained before. However we should adapt the home to a contemporary style – change bedspreads, use neutral cushions, tablecloths and accessories that make the rooms look more beautiful.
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Repairs. Watch them, so that this does not negatively affect the Price or the buyer’s decision about whether or not buying the property.
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Tidy up and reorganise spaces. Rethink your home spaces so as to increase the feeling of spaciousness and harmony of the rooms layout, which should be ‘wide and cleared’.
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If the property has a garden, it should be well maintained. For example, the lawn should be properly mown and flowers and plants in a good condition.
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If you have pets, they should not be at home during visit times so that buyers can see the home at ease. Also bear in mind that not everybody likes pets, and some people even have an allergy.
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And finally, odors. Try not to use strong odors and use vanilla ones for the home, and a neutralizer for the bathroom odor.
In short, it is all about making the buyer mentally see himself living in the property. That’s why we would like to insist on depersonalizing your home by removing all personal items, pets, personalized decor, ect.
Home staging is different from an interior design project (if we are keeping the property) in that in the former we want our personal taste and stamp to be in our home. But when it comes to sell it, we have to present it impeccable, stylish, clean and harmonious, and show it with positive pleasant details. We believe this technique is important, as on many occasions homes are not sold because of certain details that could have been easily solved beforehand (we will understand this even better if we think of the excess supply in the real estate market).
For many people buying a home means starting a new life. We must then adapt to that and offer a fresh, spacious home, like a white canvas, whose next owner can freely draw his or her new life project.
