Staging and Photography to Sell

An example of impeccable staging at a recently sold home

In June, I shared 5 Tips to Sell Your Home Faster, one point being staging your home. I recently had the pleasure of working for one of my favorite repeat clients who have such impeccable taste and style that their home required zero work to present it to market. Their home sold in a week. They are the exception.

Most clients utilize my complimentary staging services. This can be as simple as a two-hour consult to maximize square footage, architectural elements, and view corridors. Or it can be as extensive as a multi-hour hands-on revamping of the space with designer-assisted shopping to sprinkle the final pixie dust on the property.

One of my stagers, Sandra Racz, Signature Redesign and The Decorating and Staging Academy, has shared a few of her tips to present your property in its best possible light from day one:

1. Declutter: Visible clutter reduces square footage. The goal is to highlight both vertical and horizontal square footage, so excessive stuff should be eliminated throughout.

Tip: Remove any floor items less than 24″ tall or 18″ wide—they are unnecessary distractions.

A clutter-free kitchen is key

2. Depersonalize: Family photos hinder buyers from visualizing themselves in the home. Fostering an emotional connection between potential buyers and your property is the strongest selling strategy. Also consider the privacy factor for you and your family.

Tip: Replace family photos with artwork highlighting the area, such as the mountains, ski slopes, or Sundance.

3. Deodorize: Strong smells turn off a buyer. This includes both obvious “bad” smells (mildew, smoke, cooking, etc.), but also overdone “good” smells, which vary across personal preferences. Be careful with strongly scented plug-in air fresheners; it may seem like you’re trying to mask a problem.

Tip: To give your closet a clean smell, place a cotton scent Yankee Candle car air freshener on a hanger. Dryer sheets give laundry rooms a fresh, clean smell. The scents of apple cider and spice impart a warm feeling to pantries. And before a showing, cut up an apple and put it in water in the microwave to get rid of bad food scents.

A pristine photo of a pristine outdoor space

After staging, the highly skilled Sotheby’s staff photographers capture the magic you helped to create and we wait for the offers to roll in. It all makes perfect sense. Why don’t more agents do it??

Contact me to list your exceptional property in an exceptional way.