Kim Suecroft - Hanson

I am constantly asked this question...How much is too much?

When I go into a house I look around initially, ask questions on lifestyle and what their schedules are. Do they have young children, teenagers or pets, etc. And then I start making suggestions.

Yes, I want the house to look as best as possible but and this is a big one the homeowners still have to live there. Selling your house is a difficult and stressful time in any ones life. My job as a stager is not to make it worse but to help make it easier.

I want the house to sell faster for more money and I want the house to look as good as possible but I also always keep in mind the needs of the homeowners.

I recently came across a family that had had their house for sale for over a year....3 realtors....3 different stagers....I was number 4.

The homeowners told me that they were leery but trying to keep an open mind with me. I started off as usual trying to get a better feel of the homeowners and to learn about their daily living. They had 3 children under 3 and 2 of them were 1 year old twins...K that's amazing number one and number two...k that's the same as number 1. I was blown away that they had been trying to keep the house clean and get everyone packed up and out the door at the drop of a hat when a showing was happening...

Obviously a higher stress situation than normal and yet they were still keeping an open mind with me. Apparently the other stagers had been through the house and made suggestions and gave them a shopping list. The house looked great but their were a few problem areas that had not been addressed. The basement was empty and looked like a bowling alley - long and narrow with no interest. The homeowners went on to tell me how the house was designed for a pool table and poker table and the dimensions were well thought out to accompany both of these.

INterestingly enough the homeowners are builders and have access to a wide array of furnishings, namely a pool table and a poker table....I told them to bring it in and show the buyers how great the space is and how useable it is. Most buyers (90% approx.) can't see past certain things and need the items in the room to show what belongs where and the potential use of the space.

I found it odd with all of the furnishings and accessories the homeowners had access too that the other stagers still suggested a shopping list for them to buy...hmmm.

My goal is ALWAYS to use what the homeowner had first and then as a last resort but new items if needed.

But I digress, I suggested keeping the items that they couldn't live without....booster seats on the chairs (push the chairs in and you won't even notice them). Kids toys in a designated zone (don't hide them from view if the potential buyers are a young family that will in all likely hood have toys as well).

Set up a toy area so people can see what a great space it is with lot's of room to play for the little ones.

Staging is about connecting with a potential buyer on an emotional level - People buy homes not houses.

Another problem area was an awesome bonus room that was currently being used as a baby's room (they had split all of the kids up to keep them from waking on another). I suggested moving the baby's room to another room in the house and setting this room up as a dual purpose room - office and entertainment room.

I suggested a layout that was practical yet pretty and as always made sure to draw up a detailed floor plan to show them exactly where furniture should be placed.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that these items once complete will help show the house to it's best advantage and the house will sell quickly.

I think that all of us as stagers (myself included) need to remember that while we want the house to look like a showhome allowances need to be made when homeowners are still living there.

I hope this helps all my fellow stagers and gives some insight.

One more thing off topic....Our new slogan (Trademarked of course) Turning eye appeal into buy appeal.

Love to hear your comments and thoughts....

Thanks for reading.

Here is a house that we just finished staging! It is absolutely stunning and such a pleasure to stage!

Over 13,000 sq ft - Staged in 3 day's. Comprised of an amazing array of ammenities including an indoor pool and spa, ladies and gentleman change rooms, hair salon, movie theatre (seating for 28) and ton's more. The detail and thought put into the house is amazing.

The pictures below don't do it justice but gives you a glimpse of the property!

Love to hear your thoughts!

I hope you enjoy - I tried to pick some of the hundreds that were taken that show off the amazing property!

Why do some Realtors suggest NOT to stage a property?

After years and years of staging properties it still amazes me how some realtors still discourage sellers from staging.

Is it because they didn't suggest staging right away and the house has sat unsold for so long they don't want to admit they could have done more?

Or is it because they think that it honestly doesn't work?

If so I ask why have home builders been "staging" their properties forever. Why do the statistics tell us that staged properties sell faster for more money than non staged properties?

Bottom line - It works.

It's been proven over and over again that staging done right helps sell a property faster for more money!

Presentation is everything and it's proven in pretty much every aspect of our lives. From the grocery store where plan-o-grams are used to make sure all of the products are placed exactly right and presented to the buyer in an attractive and pleasing way.

We pay more as consumers for brand name products that are packaged nicely.

We go to "nice" restaurants and pay more for pretty dishes and elegant decor.

And the list goes on....

The more consumers are educated on the staging process the more I think sellers and buyers will appreciate a finely packaged home.

I know from experience in my own home shopping I do.

I have included a house we completed about 2 weeks ago to show some examples of our staging.

The house depicted in the pictures was an interesting property in so far as it was a challenge for furniture placement.

The angles and layout of the room was different and I think it turned out quite well.

House sold in 1 week for 99.9% of the asking price - No conditions.

Another great statistic on why to stage your house!!!

We recently started house hunting for our family. With a growing family (3 girls....need more bathrooms) and a busy lifestyle we've outgrown our home.

Being a stager / designer makes it especially difficult when were looking at a house for us.

I thought I could be more objecive and look past all of the personal items and weird paint but guess what I'm looking at the houses for myself and not as a stager.

It seems that I'm just like every other buyer and wish a stager would have visited the house before us. I don't want to see dirty clothes or family pictures. I spend so much time telling clients what to do with their houses and what not to do to I forget that not everyone uses a stager.

Bottom line is I'm a worse buyer than most because I'm SOOOO picky. I'm driving everyone nut's...my realtor, my husband and myself. That's pretty bad when you drive yourself nuts....

So the hunt continues and I'm leaning towards building a custom house..................

...................

I came across some more pictures of the property I had recently blogged about and that all of you would enjoy some nicer shots.

Yes they are a million times better....and that's why we alway's include FREE photography (professional) in our staging packages. Yes, it means we make less but the house cannot be shown to it's full advantage without it.

As you can see from my previous posts....

I also included some more pictures of this amazing house...

Above pictures is of the walkout games / media room - I placed the iron plates on the wall to hide hook-ups for the home theatre as the builder didn't have them hooked up yet.

Above picture is the other half of the games room - You can see the elevator as well (door is open).

And yes that's our pool table...the guys love it when I want that brought in.

Above is the stunning master bathroom...it was amazing and you can't even see the whole room in this picture.

Hope you enjoyed.

Thanks.