I recently hosted an Open House for one of my colleagues. The house was a very spacious four-bedroom colonial loaded with plenty of high-end, quality upgrades. However, as the majority of guests failed to comment on or notice the beautiful wood floors, high-end molding, or Anderson windows, I understood exactly why -they were too distracted by the cluttered décor.
The kitchen walls were painted with replica bricks and covered with wall plaques and food decals. The bathroom ceiling featured images of clouds. Angels and clouds dominated the foyer ceiling, and images of vines covered the sunroom and bathroom walls (including vine decals inside the bathtub). Not to mention, the huge great room and office were both wall-to-wall sports pictures and memorabilia.
When readying to sell a home, one should always consider that clutter, even wall clutter, distracts from a space and makes rooms appear smaller. Equally important to note is that guests will tend to pay too much attention to the excessive décor, causing them to overlook the home’s intrinsic qualities. When distracted, they will not notice those beautiful wood floors, high-end molding, or Anderson windows –the kinds of features that will ultimately determine the house they choose to purchase. This underscores why home staging plays a critical role in the marketing of a house.
Even if your décor is not over the top or as busy as the house I described, how you stage your house for sale is still important. No matter what the condition of your home, effective staging can highlight your home’s positive, marketable features and downplay the negatives. Home staging is preparing your home to sell as quickly as possible for the most money possible, making staging invaluable in this challenging real estate market.