For home owners wanting to sell their properties, the idea of home staging may not be at the top of their priorities. After all, hiring a professional interior designer or a "stager" is an added expense some are not willing to spend.
New Yorkers Fran Sarro and David Waite are such home owners. According to a report by The New York Times, the two spent $45,000 fixing their home before selling in 2014. But they stopped short of hiring a professional home stager as they didn't believe in shelling out more cash.
They listed their apartment for $1.85 million, but it stayed on the market for six months. They ended up getting only $1.65 million.
In the past, staging meant only de-cluttering and re-arranging furniture. Now, staging has become an art in itself and real estate experts say it is necessary to attract more buyers and to get a higher sale.
According to Elizabeth Weintraub, a home buying/selling expert, home staging is an "illusion."
"It's how David Copperfield would sell a house," she wrote on HomeBuying.com. "Staging is what you do after you've cleaned, decluttered, painted, made minor repairs. It's about adding the small details: the lipstick, mascara and, for simplicity, a stunning, single strand of Tahitian pearls."
Professional stagers' fees range from $500 to $5,000, depending on the size of the house. If you're planning to sell but could not afford to shell out extra cash, here are some tips from professionals you can do on your own:
Cater to a Prospective Buyer's Five Senses.
"Stagers possess the skills of a top-level designer and they create dramatic scenery that appeals to all five senses," Weintraub added.
During an open house, strategically place a fragrant candle or aroma diffuser along the hall, where the viewers would pass through. In the kitchen, leave some freshly baked cookies on the counter or dining table. Or, place a warm, fuzzy throw on your couch that would entice buyers to touch and feel your home's coziness.
Use Accessories.
Common items used by professionals to spruce up a home include mirrors, plants, flowers, lamps, and beautiful pillows.
Dawna Johnson, owner of Sacramento Staging Solutions, often uses the "bathroom trick" in her stages. She fills a basket full of spa essentials and places it in the bathroom.
"Bathrooms should look open, airy and delightful," Johnson said.
Make Sure Your Home Looks Occupied.
"If your home is vacant, it's soulless," Johnson added.
A few tricks are leaving properly arranged cookbooks in a kitchen shelf, or applying oil to cabinets that appear creaky and dry.
Don't Forget the Outside.
Your patio and backyard needs staging, too. Carefully arrange a bunch of potted plants around the area to add warmth. A picnic table with bright plates is also a nice touch in an otherwise mundane backyard.
"People want [their homes] to look like a shelter magazine, or like something they've seen on TV," said Jane Saidenberg, design director for Studio D. "It's more elevated than it has been in the past."
