Home Staging & Staging a
House
Dressing a House for Success
Home staging is about illusions. It's how
David Copperfield would sell a house. It's beyond decorating and cleaning. It's
about perfecting the art of creating moods. Staging makes your house look
bigger, brighter, cleaner, warmer, more loving and, best of all, it makes home
buyers want to buy it.
Contrary to what you might think, it's about more than preparing your Evanston home for sale. Staging is what you do after you've cleaned, de-cluttered, painted, made minor repairs; it's all about dressing the house for sale. It's about adding the small details: the lipstick, mascara and, for simplicity, a stunning, single strand of Tahitian pearls.
What is a Professional Home Stager?
Professional stagers are highly skilled artists. They can
take a blank canvas and paint a sensuous portrait without ever lifting a paint
brush. Stagers possess the skills of a top-level designer and they create
dramatic scenery that appeals to all five senses. Here are some of their
secrets:
- Arrange sparse pieces of furniture in an appealing grouping known as a vignette
- Showcase a generous usage of soft fabrics such as silk, lambswool, satin
- Display unusual knickknacks in units of 1, 3 or 5
- Drape window coverings with simple lines
- Add unique elements to shelving, bookcases and fireplace mantels, which draw attention to predetermined areas
What Accessories Does a Stager Use?
Stagers will bring in a vast array of items to spruce up your Evanston home. Here is a small sampling of items professional stagers often use to
dress each room. How they are utilized is limited only by the creativity and
vision of the stager.
- Plants
- Mirrors
- Silk Flowers
- Floor & Table Lamps
- Area & Throw Rugs
- Small Love Seats
- Ottomans
- Afghans
- Pillows
- Inflatable Queen-Size Beds
- Baskets
- Plastic Tables & Chairs
Professional Staging Tricks & Tips
An artist for 35 years, Dawna Johnson, is an Accredited
Staging Professional Master (ASP) and owner of Sacramento Staging Solutions.
She says the idea behind staging is to allow rooms to show themselves. "If
your home is vacant, it's soulless," Dawna warns. "Without staging,
it will probably remain on the market for many months." She calls the
kitchen the "heart of the home," and offers this practical advice for
making that space sparkle:
- Apply orange oil to cabinets that appear dry, which will renew their original luster
- Put out large bowls of fruit such as polished apples, bright oranges, luscious grapes
- Arrange colorful and fu cookbooks on the counters
Dawna believes in bringing the outdoors inside through the use of greenery and plants; in creating clean, crisp spaces and arranging furniture with plenty of room to walk around. She says bathrooms are essential to dress well. "Bathrooms should look open, airy and delightful," says Dawna. One of her favorite tricks is to add baskets filled with spa treatments such as:
- Towels tied with ribbons
- Scented soaps
- Creamy lotions
- Moisturizing & Facial jars
The backyard needs staging, too. For patios and decks, bring in plants and potted flowers, and add additional color by setting the picnic table with bright, plastic dinner plates.
How Much Does it Cost?
The Thomas Team provides complimentary home staging to their listing clients. If you hire a professional, prices may vary depending on where you live and the local demand for professional home staging. Some real estate agents help the seller stage the home themselves. Most agents agree, however, that vacant homes show better with staging and will encourage sellers to stage their home.
We hope that these tips will help provide the
atmosphere needed to make an Evanston home buyer fall in love with your home. As always, we’re
here to help and would enjoy the opportunity to talk with you about selling and staging your Evanston home.
Selling your Evanston home can seem like an overwhelming process in the midst of this current buyer’s market. You want to do everything you can to help it stand out from the competition and it can seem like getting your home sold all on your shoulders.
As Evanston Real Estate agents, we know the
pressure a seller feels. Our goal is to make the seller feel as relaxed as
possible as we handle all the details that go into selling an Evanston home. While it can feel
nerve-wracking to let go and allow us to handle the sale of your home; it’s
important to remember that our expertise in the Evanston Real Estate market
is going to help the process run smoothly.
The Thomas Team
@ Properties
@ Properties
Chicago's #1 Real Estate Brokerage
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