Beyond the Basics - FAQs - Home Staging #1

I have begun a series of frequently asked questions and answers. There will be myriad of topics, and the first series focuses on home staging. Here is the first of many FAQs to come...

Q: I'm selling my house and have cleaned and de-cluttered. Isn't that what staging is and isn't that enough?

A: Cleaning and de-cluttering are certainly two of the most important things a homeowner can do to prepare his/her home for sale. In fact, probably the first two things they should do. But staging is more than that. It is essentially "dressing up" the house for sale. This is the time when you want the home to look like a magazine photo. It needs to stand apart from the competition and give a feeling of not only cleanliness, but warmth and invitation.  

Consumers purchase any product based on perceived value, not necessarily on price (which, don't get me wrong, is also important). The home must be in move-in condition and have a neutralized look about it, with pockets of emotional connection created in crucial areas of the home. Buying a home is an emotional transaction, and when those emotional connections are made, the buyer falls in love with the home and can see him/herself living in it. THIS is what staging is all about.