Marketing is a powerful selling tool, used to sell everything from cat food to cars. Marketing is appealing to the emotions, the senses and the wallet, so you may ask, how can it sell your home ?
It’s a visual world. We are bombarded everyday with images. Some fabulous, some forgettable.
To sell a product, you have to appeal to what makes the consumer sit up and notice your product over the competition.
You have seconds to grab a buyer’s attention.
A home is the largest purchase the majority of people will make in a lifetime.
Why spend their hard earned money on your home when their is a similar one down the street.
So, there is one word I haven’t use yet, the “S” word, staging. Staging isn’t just filling a house with some pretty stuff. Staging a home takes all the above and more into consideration. Staging is marketing a property, just like any other product and the stakes are much higher. When you decide to sell your home, it is no longer yours. You have to look at your property as a commodity and make it appeal to the buying public. Failing to do so in this visual world, unless you don’t mind lingering on the market and receiving unrealistic offers, is a marketing mistake. You have to add the wow to get the attention of jaded consumers.
To be successful in marketing a property you need:
An experienced Realtor, who will price your home realistically for the market
Marketing in quality images, video and social media posts
Presentation that will make your property stand out from you competition
A home stager who will market your property for it’s target buyer and tell you honestly, from experience, what will and what won’t appeal to today’s buyers
Good furniture arrangement is the secret to making a room look it’s best.Yet, most people struggle with what goes where. Have you ever stood at the doorway to a bedroom, or the center of your living room, and wondered, “What’s wrong with this room?” You may sense that the arrangement is awkward, but you’re not sure why. Every room has an ideal arrangement for home staging, and you can discover it by avoiding the most common mistakes.
Too much furniture.
Select your best pieces. It’s better to have a few impressive pieces of furniture, than a roomful of some good and some not-so-good pieces. Keep a few larger pieces (sofa, upholstered chairs, beds, bookcases) unless they are in poor condition or very dated. Colors and styles from a few decades ago don’t make your home look fresh and exciting.
Remember that house hunters are looking at other homes and will compare your home to properties with new and stylish furniture that left them with a positive impression.
If a room is too crowded, the eye doesn’t know where to rest
Not enough furniture.
Since most people own more furniture than they use, sparse furnishing is more common when a home is unoccupied. When selling a home, key rooms should be staged. House hunters see an unfurnished room as a problem room, one that raises questions. “Did the sellers run out of money? Maybe they’ll accept a low ball offer.”
An empty room also draws attention to minor flaws in a property which would normally not be an issue in a furnished room.
Put some large pieces of furniture in that empty room. If it still looks a little barren, an area rug can unify the grouping that you do have. Add some free standing shelving along the wall or as a room divider. Large artwork will help to warm and define a space.
Buyer’s need to see the full potential of a room. Bedrooms need to be presented as functional spaces and not just an afterthought.
Avoid poor traffic flow
Make sure home buyers can wander effortlessly through all your rooms. The traffic pattern should not pass through a conversation area or snake its way through the room. The walkway should be obvious, and it should look wide and unencumbered. From the entrance of the room, most of the room should be visible, and the door should open wide.
No traffic flow here. Hurdle your way into the room! Some beautiful features in this room being blocked by large, bulky furniture.
Give a room purpose, the one it was meant for
Each room needs to self explanatory. Will your Realtor have to say, “And this is the Master bedroom” or will it be obvious because you’ve staged it with appropriate furnishings and accessories.
Create a focal point
Every room needs something big that the eye goes to, something that gives a message of comfort and quality. Make your focal point something that sells your home, even if it is not part of the sale, such as a stunning piece of artwork or a well arranged seating area. A view is an excellent focal point, so arrange the furniture to showcase it. When the room has no existing focal point, you’ll need to create one.
Art serves as a focal point when a room doesn’t have many features.
Delete too much small stuff
It’s common to see homes with too many small pieces of furniture such as chairs and side tables. Try removing items that don’t contribute to the look you’re aiming for. Unify by using similar colours and tones.
Don’t spread furniture out too much
After you’ve decided what the function of the room is, group the large pieces accordingly – chair at the desk, table in front of sofa, or night stands at either side of bed, for example. Then, add the smaller furnishings so they sit close to the larger ones. Don’t place a tiny pedestal table by itself in a corner, or plop a small bookcase all alone at the end of the room. Thinks pairs and trios.
And if in doubt leave it out.
Less is more when staging to sell.
Staging isn’t decorating, it is marketing to show your home in it’s best possible images.
Prep Home Staging services include furniture rentals, accessory and artwork rentals and cost effective Home Staging Consults with an emailed report.
I have never been happy with my dining area. It’s tucked in a nook opposite my kitchen, doesn’t have a window and gets pretty dark. Great if you want a candlelit dinner but not so inviting in the daytime. One Monday morning it was time for a change. Not in the mood to go shopping (I know, shocker! ) I decided to shop my house. The largest wall in the dining space has never looked right to me, even though I have changed up art work and mirrors. I needed something to add height and feature this wall. Ding, ding, light bulb moment, A huge canvas I was given by a client who had downsized, was the perfect size. It has had a makeover already with paint but this project needed more.
I have always loved the look of a banquette, so it was time to cover this canvas. I needed fabric….. stat. A rummage in my prop closet yielded nothing large enough. I was just about to give in and go search for some fabric when I passed the guest bedroom. Hmmm… right colour, texture and a good weight. Hello Mr Coverlet, I need you.
A mad stapling session on the canvas and a bench I already owned and voila, a spiffed up dining area. After attaching the canvas to the wall It looked a little bare. I needed art and the fish picture from the en suite bathroom was perfect. Some hot pink ribbon was a good solution for hanging it and added a splash of contrasting colour.
Next some pillows (the 2 blue print are from Wicker Emporium ) I added some faux fur to my dining room chairs and dressed the table with some accessories. I love how it turned out. The whole area is much more inviting and better still I didn’t spend any money. Not bad for a Monday morning 🙂
A little sparkle goes a long way, whether staging your home for sale or decorating for the holidays. Nothing brightens a room more than the shimmer of silver, the glint of glass or a flash of chrome. But beware, there is a fine line between too much bling and tasteful sophistication.
Here are some of the ways I like to add glamour to a room, without overdoing it.
Mirrors
Lighting
Mercury Glass
Velvet pillows (or upholstery)
Glass
Art
Adding any of these accents will instantly add sparkle and update your decor to get your rooms noticed.
