As home stagers, we work with real estate agents and home sellers – rarely do we ever talk with the buyers of the homes we stage. We know the sellers and 
agents love the look of the staged home (they hired us – of course they are prejudiced!).
But what do home buyers think?
- Do they think it is manipulative?
- Make them suspicious that the sellers are “hiding” something”?
Recently I’ve had the opportunity to meet 
several of the buyers of the properties that have sold. They are contacting us because they love the furniture and want to purchase it or find out where to buy items similar.
One home buyer shared this story with me –
When our agent showed us this house we didn’t like it at all and knew it wasn’t for us. It was beautiful, but didn’t appeal to us.
It was not a house we wanted to consider.
When they first toured, it was white glove clean, like new and vacant. The floors and custom features of the home are fantastic! With spacious rooms, you would think it would show well.
The house was staged and they saw the new photos online while they were continuing their house hunt. The new photos intrigued them and they came to view the home again.
When we saw the house staged, we couldn’t 
believe it was the same house.
The house had a totally different “feel” and atmosphere.
We loved how it looked and knew we could make it work for us!
We would never have bought this home if we hadn’t seen it staged.
You might think “these people have no imagination”! They must be young and inexperienced. They were older than 60 I’m sure and had bought and sold many homes.
I know the home seller was skeptical about investing in staging – seriously wondering if it was just throwing money away. Now happy with his choice to stage, he knows the staging costs were minor and key component of selling this beautiful Corvallis home. If he hadn’t staged this home it could possibly still be on the market!
We’ve heard similar reactions from other buyers – having a home that appeals to a broad number of buyers in2011 leads to offers! I confess, I see lots of bad staging – most that are done by non-professionals or sellers. Want buyers to think your home is beautifully staged?
- Avoid having a home look too “cheesy” when staging. I don’t know many people that have trays of champagne glasses on their beds — this always looks odd to me. Perhaps a laptop and a book!
- Quality furnishing and decor give a quality look. We don’t shop at used thrift shops and if you are staging, neither should you.
- Don’t strip the home “bare” because it will appear too stark and not homey.
- A Professional Home Stager’s consultation is affordable and can set you in the right direction so your home has the atmosphere it needs to get sold!
Want more ideas on how to get your home sold quickly and for top dollar? Margaret Oscilia is a Professional Home Stager serving Salem Oregon and surrounding areas who specializes in helping home sellers “stage to sell” or “re-design to live well”.
Moving or improving? Creative Concepts-Home Staging and Contracting has the expertise to showcase your home’s full potential, stretch your budget, and maximize your time.
Professional Home Staging – Reliable Contractor Repairs – Beautiful Results! 503-881-0886 stagingoregon@gmail.com
