All the world's a stage, but your home is what matters

Staging a home creates a welcoming feeling

One of the first questions sellers ask me, after how high can we price this house, is "Do we need to stage the home?"  Many of you watch the HGTV shows that tell you staging is very important, and it is.  You want a potential buyer to walk in, feel good about what they see, be able to imagine their life unfolding in the same space yours has unfolded.  You want them to see themselves as the home's next chapter.

STAGING VERSUS REARRANGING

If you are living in your home, you can't very well move out all your well loved furniture and bring in the fancy new stuff, so I bring in a staging consultant on listings that will have the owners still living in the home, who still need to cook meals, host parties, entertain kids, watch TV comfortably in the old chair.  The staging consultant works with the furniture and furnishings in the house and might bring in some accent pieces.

The consultant will make suggestions to make rooms feel more open, to show off the features, to let in more natural light.  The staging feedback can also be a simple as "declutter and depersonalize", which means clean up the piles, straighten items in drawers and closets and remove personal photos and awards from walls and shelves.

CURB APPEAL

Curb appeal brings them in the door

You want to invite buyers into your home by welcoming them when they first drive up.  Fresh flowers planted, fitting the season, and a nicely trimmed lawn are a start.  The staging consultant can also make suggestions as to whether or not that garden gnome collection is welcoming or scary.

If you'd like my full report on "Getting Your Home Ready to Sell" and my monthly newsletters that include local Southern California information, Long Beach real estate updates, as well as tips on homes and life, please send me an email to katielarson@kw.com and I'll get that report to you right away.

I'm never too busy for your referrals, so if you know anyone looking to buy or sell a home, please let me know and send them my way.