Staging a Home to be Inviting



Posted: Tuesday, July 21, 2009

by Corinne Brueckner
Gourmet Candles For Less

Staging a home for resale or rental has become a hot commodity that many hopeful sellers will pay to have done professionally. Professional home stagers are more than just furniture movers or even interior designers. Stagers set the mood of a home so that potential buyers will be able to relate to the house emotionally. The goal of a home stager is to allow the home buyer to see themselves living in the home.

To accomplish this, the home stager must do several things. The first thing they need to do is to de-personalize the home. This means that all personal items that relate to the home seller must be removed from the home and boxed in storage. This include pictures, memorabilia, personal decorations, and personal items. This is often the hardest part for the home seller, as often they are still living in the home while it is being sold. It is hard to pack up all of the things that you cherish most. They are what make the home a home for the seller, but they are also what makes the seller feel like they are tresspassing into someone else's house. That is the worst feeling you could give to your potential buyers.

The second thing a home stager must do is de-clutter the home. This sometimes means packing away all but the bare essentials. Books, multi-media, knick-knacks, unused dinnerware, unneeded furniture, crafting items, office clutter, childrens toys and untidy clothes are the most common things that are downsized or removed during the de-clutter stage. To much clutter can make spaces appear smaller than they are and also makes it more difficult to keep the house clean.

The third thing a home stager must do is neutralize the home. This usually means painting the walls a neutral color that will appeal to everyone, adding couch covers, and removing any art work. This helps to keep the house crisp and clean and won't turn away potential buyers who are apposed to painting over an orange wall or don't like the artwork on the wall. It helps the home buyer feel at ease, as if they were in a hotel suite and not as if they were in someone else's home. Adding soft sheer drapes in place of heavy dark drapes is also recommended to make the home light and airy.

Lastly, done on the day of the open house, the stager must set the mood. This often involves adding soft light effects to the home using directional floor lights and adding ambiance through smell. Believe it or not, smell has much to do with how the home buyer will connect with the house. If a house smells like cigars or dogs, the buyer will not be impressed. Even the smell of fresh wall paint or flowers can turn buyers away. The best smell to add to the home? Freshly baked cookies. This makes the home feel like home. The old way of adding this homely inviting scent to the home was to actually stick some cookie dough in the oven of the house at a very low setting. The new way is by using a flame-less and low heat candle wax melting pot or simmer pot.

If you follow all of these steps, you could easily and cost-effectively stage your home for resell or rent!

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