Why Do I Only Stage Occupied Homes?
Many real estate professionals and homeowners alike assume home staging is primarily meant for vacant properties where buyers need a little extra help to envision the possibilities of the space. But what about when the seller still lives in the house, and it’s filled with personal belongings and taste-specific decor? Buyers usually find it just as difficult, perhaps even more so, to envision the possibilities of themselves living there when they cant see past the homeowner's daily lives. Easy to see how occupied homes can present quite a challenge for buyers.
The biggest, and perhaps most cost-effective difference between staging a vacant property and one that is occupied is that unlike with a vacant home, I use the furniture and décor already in the home. In most instances, there is no need for additional rental furnishings or accessories - which take staging fees higher.
In my professional experience, I have witnessed firsthand that occupied homes benefit the most from the staging process. After all, the way you live in your home and the way you prepare it for sale are two very different things!
Where I Do What I Do
WOW! Factor Real Estate Staging serves Central and Eastern Michigan, which includes:
- Lansing and Flint Areas;
- Greater Tri-Cities - Saginaw; Bay City; and Midland, Michigan;
- The Thumb Area including Port Huron; Sandusky; and Lapeer.
How I do it
I'll start with a staging consultation. Together, the sellers and I walk through all the rooms of the home. As we walk the home, I will recommend strategies to the sellers that will highlight the home’s best features and provide insights and solutions to help the property show well. I will make suggestions that help sellers to declutter and depersonalize. I will discuss what items can stay in the home, what needs to be removed, and what cosmetic changes should take place, if need be, in order to present the home at its best! The consultation can help set expectations for sellers to prepare—and maintain—the home while it’s on the market.
The process of walking through the home enables the sellers and I to create a pre-staging "homework" list. I leave the sellers with the list and once they have completed it, I return and execute the actual staging design work. I will handle the home’s presentation, including furniture, and décor/accessories placement and create an inviting space buyers will find impossible to resist.
Paying Close Attention To Detail
The hardest part of living in a home that’s on the market is constantly being prepared to show the space. The more a seller can do in advance to prepare and showcase the home, the faster the property will sell. I offer checklists and storage hacks to help sellers quickly tidy the home before a showing. I make sure there is a plan in place to help sellers keep the home showcase ready at a moment’s notice, and ensure no details are overlooked.