Less IS more

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Coeur d'Alene...you know you need a home stager if....your online pics are tidy, but still have too much 'personality' in them....

Less is more. Less of YOU in your home, that is. If your 'personality' shines through in your home, then you probably need to tone it down (a lot). What is 'personality' in a home? ANY collections you have on the shelves, on tables, on counters, on walls (that would mean family pictures), get my meaning? Other personality identifiers are plants. Meaning, if you have lots of plants, it means lots of YOU. Your furniture style can say too much as well. If you need, get some chair or couch covers to neutralize while on the market. Color on your walls says too much YOU, as well. Pet stuff is too personal for many buyers, so hide all things pet related.

Your personality needs to be toned-down while your house is on the market. Your interior design/style is great when you are living in your home, under normal circumstances. When you are on the market, your house needs to appeal to EVERYBODY. Just having an immaculate home doesn't make for a fast sell. Having an immaculate home that is neutral, and move-in ready, NOW THAT APPEALS...

 

Coeur d'Alene, no gnomes are good gnomes...

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Home staging tip-no gnomes, fake deer, flamingos, or outdoor chotchke's. They say YOU, not future homeowner....

Putting your house on the market means taking YOU out of the equation. If your house has too much of YOU everywhere, your buyers won't be able to envision themselves in YOUR space. All your chotchke's need to be pre-packed. They are too personal and buyers will get too caught up in them and not in your house.

Believe it or not, fake deer and flamingos are not appealing to everyone. We are trying to market your house to as many people as possible, so as much of YOU that we can remove, the better. Your yard is often the first impression a buyer will encounter. Make sure it is appealing to everyone by removing all your 'yard decor'. Remember, it's a yard (read; grass,flowers,shrubs,trees,etc.), not a place to display merchandise. Make it memorable for the the right reasons. You don't want buyers remembering your house/yard because of all the fake chotchke's scattered around it.

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You know you need a Home Stager if...

Your 'style' looks anything like homes in TV reruns from the '60's, '70's, '80's.....

This should be self-explanatory, but by the homes I've seen and the listing pictures I see......well, it's not. Your decor really needs to match, first of all the current style, and secondly, your price point. That may be going out on a limb, but I have seen more million dollar homes with trailer-park furnishings. If your home is listed above 3-4 hundred thousand dollars, then I say it should look that way. When I see older furnishings inside a home listed above $300,000.00, the home just doesn't feel like it's worth it. Dated furnishings can ruin a sale, if you ask me.

Now, I'm not advocating buying new furnishings. But, I am asking to update what you can with slip covers, fresh bedding, etc. And I am definitely advocating removing all the spoon collections, wooden magazine holders, lacy valences, and all items that look like they belong in your grandmothers house.... Less is more. I see this in a lot of homes owned by elderly folks. When we are trying to help elderly people sell their homes, it's really best to bring in that third party (read, Home Stager). Stagers can make those delicate suggestions that the listing agent might be wary of making. Now, don't think just the elderly folks are the only ones with dated furnishings, because they are not... Many, many other homes suffer the same fate.

Buying a home is an emotional purchase. How can you connect with a home when it is looking dated and frumpy? Most buyers are buying up, right? Well, that high-end listing doesn't look like a step up if it's looking like grandma's house....! Just saying.