Home Staging 101

(3 min. read)

If you are planning to sell your home or sell a plethora of homes, then you know that home staging may be the perfect option to get your house off the market fast! Home staging is known to really help make a space feel like home and is designed to allow potential buyers see how they could utilize the space. Keep reading to learn these short tips about home staging for designers and home sellers alike.
 
#1: You May Need Your Own Inventory
For designers, it helps to have a storage facility of items that can be used repeatedly in multiple design projects. Renting furniture can get very expensive for the homeowner because they'll likely have to pay for the furniture rental, insurance, design services, and continued maintenance of the home until it's off the market. You can help save yourself and the client a lot of money by having a storage facility with furniture inventory ready to be used and re-used at your leisure.
 
#2: You CAN Use Your Own Furniture, But... 
Homeowners may not like the idea of having to rent furniture, so they must know that it is definitely feasible for them to use what they already have. The plus side is that you can save money on insurance and rental fees, which means they will likely only have to pay for design services. The downside to this is that if the homeowner doesn't have adequate amount of furniture pieces or furniture that is outdated, it may make it a bit more difficult to help sell the home. Trust the designer if they say you may need to rent some accessories or furniture pieces to help the space pop. Their design eye will know exactly what works and get your home sold fast, which means, you still save money in the long run. 
 
#3: Model Homes Are Great Home Staging Projects
If you know a realtor or home builder (or are one), you should get in contact with your local interior design pal. Model homes are some of the best home staging projects, because it's a simpler process when it comes to design. Staging for model homes is essentially a residential design project. You are simply purchasing furniture and paying for design services. Model homes are an ideal option if you aren't looking to maintain inventory. With model homes, the furniture is typically purchased so that it can stay put for at least 5-10 years.  This means no inventory for the designer and a beautifully decorated home that will help sell many others. Win win!

#4: Have a Theme
Regardless of how you plan to stage your home, one of the best ways to truly get the home sold is to have a theme. This allows you to tell a story within a space to help potential buyers "SEE" themselves living there. Will the home be for a young couple or a family of 4? Will it be a masculine retreat or a kid friendly environment? Select furnishings and accessories that are cohesive and speak to a wide audience to ensure that anyone can imagine themselves living there. Having a theme flawlessly provides a story for home buyers. 
 
#5: Do Your Research
There's still factors to determine, such as whether to charge by square foot, home value, or by the hour. Whatever you choose, just make sure to do your research about what to charge (for designers) or what you'll likely end up paying (for homeowners). Have a checklist and a plan to get things done decently and in order. Install day can get hectic, and when you don't know what goes where, you'll end up spending more money than you anticipated. 
 
#6: Virtual Staging: Less Money, Same Results!
A popular growing trend in home staging is Virtual Staging. Here at Design with Veronica Sanders, we help realtors and homeowners sell their home by creating 3D Photorealistic renderings. This allows buyers to see the potential of how the space could be decorated. Homeowners don’t have to deal with the hassle of renting and storing furniture. The key here is to make sure to indicate on the listing that images are renders only as to not confuse buyers.

These are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to understanding the entire design process of home staging. One thing for sure is that the result is a beautifully decorated space. It may take a few weeks of planning and installations to bring the space to a completed masterpiece, but the experience and knowledge gained is well worth it!