The holiday season is fast-approaching! Annual holiday store-front windows are once again dazzling would-be shoppers as they pass by. Have you noticed that a particularly well-done window display beckons you to enter a store to see what additional interesting items are for sale? Upon entering, you start to browse – and you might even purchase something if the store is clean, well-lit, and its products are attractively displayed in an appealing manner. As you pick up an article of clothing, you may say to yourself: “I can see myself in this!” This simple self-statement is the desired result of effective merchandising.
In my most recent article (see The Danger in Over-Pricing Your Home), I shared my thoughts with you on correctly pricing your home to sell. The next critical step to get your home to sell faster than others and as close to your asking price as possible is effective merchandising – better known in the real estate world as “staging”.
Most of us have walked into a brand new model home at one time or another. What kinds of adjectives come to mind to describe what you’ve seen? Here are some of mine: fresh, inviting, clean, sparkling, uncluttered, spacious, organized, odorless, warm, manicured, relaxing, refined, soothing, elegant, immaculate and so forth. On occasion, I’ve left a model home saying to myself: “I can see myself living in a home just like this one!”
When it comes to selling your home, the inherent challenge is that you probably don’t live in a model home. Therefore, you need to put your best foot forward to make your home as appealing as possible to prospective buyers who will see it on-line, attend an open house, or view your home privately with a Buyer Agent. Your home must be merchandized or staged to look as much like a model home as possible to get the highest price possible. In the same way that store-front window displays can entice a buyer to enter a store, the photos of your home that are displayed on the internet should entice buyers to see your home in person. Yet before those photos are taken, if you’re like most homeowners, you have some up-front “homework” to attend to.
While we each have our own unique style of decorating with which we’re comfortable and feel “at home”, as a prospective home seller you need to take a step back and ask yourself if the way your home currently looks presents it in the best possible light. If not, what steps can be taken to effectively merchandise your home? Here are some general rules of thumb I’ve learned over the years:
Buyers need to envision what it might be like for them to live in your home. They want to be able to “project” their life into your living space. The problem is that most people are not very good at “envisioning”. This challenge is even more difficult if your own life is staring (or shouting!) back at them everywhere they turn. So, put away all those cute souvenirs you’ve accumulated over the years. And by all means, remove ninety to ninety-five percent of your framed photos of family and friends. Finally, discard all the unused items you’ve been meaning to toss for years! In a word: un-clutter!
- Does your home have a tired, overly “lived-in” look? Perhaps it’s time for a fresh coat of paint here and there. Polish and shine all wooden and metal surfaces. Cover scratch marks. Dust and vacuum thoroughly! Add a touch of fresh flowers and flowering potted plants.
- Are your windows encumbered by too many heavy window treatments? Lighten up! By all means, have your windows cleaned, your drapes dusted – or even removed and replaced by sheers and valances to let as much sunshine into your home as possible. Sunshine evokes cheerful thoughts and feelings. Darkness, on the other hand, is depressing to most folks.
- Yes, you can have too much furniture (and most of us do)! During an open house, many people will be in your home at the same time. They do not need to be falling all over your furniture to get from Point A to Point B. Ensure that there are clear pathways throughout your home. Be honest: do you have to make a concerted effort to walk around a piece of furniture because it obstructs your way? If so, swap it with a smaller piece of furniture, put it in a different room, sell it or put it in away in storage altogether.
- Many of my peers advise that all walls should be painted in “neutral colors”. I personally disagree. Too much beige or linen white is simply – boring! On the other hand, if your walls are bright sunflower yellow or glow-in-the-dark green, you need to tone it down a bit. Try softer shades in the same color family. Light sage green and soft butter yellow go nicely with many decors.
- If you are advertising a three-bedroom home, remember once again that most buyers will have difficulty envisioning a den or an office as a bedroom if it doesn’t look exactly like a bedroom. In short, the furniture in each room should not contradict the description or label you are trying to attribute to it.
- Rooms always look smaller when empty. If your home has not sold by the time you need to move out, speak with your marketing agent about renting some furniture, wall hangings and other “props”.
The foregoing is admittedly a very short list of common challenges because it’s impossible to cover all unique scenarios in a general article. If you are fortunate enough to have a good “eye” for decorating – terrific! Otherwise, find yourself a good Realtor® who has this gift and includes (as I do) staging advice as part of his or her marketing proposal. If not, default to a professional decorator. Although this third option will cost you some money – it may just be well worth it in terms of an overall return on your investment.
My next article will discuss why a seller should choose a strong marketing agent as opposed to a mere listing agent. There is a world of difference – stay tuned!
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Tim Ryan 
One must make a very clear distinction between offering for sale a clean and uncluttered house and staging it. There are many reasons I advise agents and owners NOT to stage homes, and here are a few: High cost of rental and delivery and placement as well as liability, staging companies use ‘in-stock’ items- often unsuitable for the property, but they happen to be in stock. Showcasing the wrong furnishings is clearly counterproductive more than in favour. Today’s buyers are sophisticated and do not need to see a sofa and pair of chairs by the living room fireplace to ‘get ideas’ for decoration. Removing excess furnishings, thorough cleaning, and competitively priced homes will sell faster. At times, I tour vacant properties with buyers while “Painting in their minds” images of the potential of the homes, complete with cost and timetable for completion. This serves the buyers and listing agents a great deal better than staging.