When you are decorating your home it is all about your personality, your interests, and all the things you love. However, staging is not decorating …it is more like un-decorating. Home staging is about removing the items that reflect your tastes and interests (what you added when decorating).
Staging is not decorating it is a MARKETING strategy that prepares your home for the buyer to feel a connection and to see themselves living in the home.
One of the key things to do when preparing your home for sale is to remove all personal photos, kid’s artwork, diplomas, awards, religious symbols, trophies, or collections that you might have on your walls. Also anything, like nude art, that may offend the families that will be touring your home.
Remember, the product for sale here is the house, not the items in the house. Personal items, especially photos, can be very distracting to your potential buyers. When a buyer sees one of these personal photos on display, not only is it a reminder that they are walking through a stranger’s home, but they may stop to look at the photo to see if they know the people in it, or the place where the photo was taken. This distraction could mean that they miss out on key features and selling points of your home.
You want the buyer to feel that the home is warm and welcoming but blank walls don’t create the life-style look you want to attract buyers. So if you can’t use family photos or your collections on the wall …what can you use?
Abstract art: Swirling shapes, splats or colors and lines take form into whatever you see when it comes to abstract art. Abstract art is inoffensive and the perfect fit to display when selling a home.
click on photo to see art from Pier One
Maps: Maps are an inexpensive way to add color and interest to a wall. Depending on the style of the home there are detailed or a more modern style of maps (like this one).
Location Art: Like landscape art, sellers can use images of where they live or locations that they have visited to create a sense of place. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90259330/
Non-art Ideas: Large Wall clocks or mirrors also look good on walls or you can frame an embroidered cloth or a printed scarf.
Artwork is important to any well-staged home, but hanging the art at the right height is important— most people hang it too high. The vertical center of any piece should be between 58 -62 inches high depending on the size of the piece or if there is furniture underneath. They call it gallery height, and it makes for the best possible photos.
See ART FOR HOME STAGING -Part 2 to find places to buy inexpensive art to stage your home.
Questions? Call PITTSBURGH STAGED HOMES at 412-427-2675 to find out how staging can add to the value of your home.
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