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Staging Real Estate

Quick and Easy Home Staging Tips

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I am a week behind on posting this, cause I have a different client this week but I just needed to get this one out there. This gorgeous home just hit the market in Wilmette, IL and it is insanely beautiful. It has been very well maintained, but of course, a professional stager always has some tips to take it from good to great. I will be starting two new series on the blog in 2017, Staging 101 (tips for getting your home ready to sell) and Feature Friday (post of staging AND interior design clients). I hope to inspire and teach some trick of the trade with my readers. Anyway, as you can guess, this is a staged property that has hit the market. You can find out the real estate details here. If you want to get a couple staging tips, keep on reading.

We all know that staging your property is a must, but many believe that if you just hide your personal photos and bring out some flowers it is considered staged. No, nope, no. It is so much more. Not going to give it all away today, but here are some tips that this amazing client did to stage her property.
 
Tip 1 : Lighten Up Leather Furniture with Cream Pillows AND NEVER RED
Many homes, especially in the family room have leather sectionals or chairs. These pieces are too dark and can make rooms feel smaller. Here we removed the existing throw pillows and brought in cream pillows. Also, never use pillows that are red or have a lot of red flowers on them. Like NEVER. I will share why in my Staging 101 post coming next week. Anyway, don’t worry if pillows don’t match, mixing patterns are trendy and you can make it look like it was done on purpose.
Tip 2 : Home Office ALWAYS Needs To Be Staged
I am a stickler that all home office spaces have all evidence of what you do for a living removed.  I once had a client that called me after having their home on the market for almost a year. They had numerous low ball offers, like very low. When I walked into their home office, I immediately told them that a lot of time needed to be spent in that space staging it. On the wall they had their undergraduate diplomas from Northwestern, they had his University of Chicago MBA Degree on display, and then to top it off, four computer screens with a lot of evidence that he was a successful trader. I not only knew what he did for a living, but it screamed, “we do well, really really well.” Truthfully, the buyers are not your friends, so when they see this they don’t feel happy for you, they are probably annoyed. Lol. So go ahead and remove all evidence of who you are and how you make money. And please oh please, we are not exactly in the calmest political space right now so remove all political and religious books. Trust me, just do it.
Tip 3 : Kids Rooms Need To Be Protected
I literally cringe when I see Realtors who allow their clients to leave up the names of kids spelled across the room. You know what I mean, like L- U- C- Y letters over her bed in big wood carvings. OH, guess what, that is now plastered all over the MLS and internet. Oh, guess what, there are a-holes out there that literally search MLS photos for this room. Why? Oh, look, there is a little girl named “Lucy” and I know her address now, and I know her last name cause of Blockshopper. Guess what? I am going to open up a credit card in her name cause her parents are probably not going to check her credit score until she is 18. YUP, people protect your kids identities. Oh yeah, and frankly, I don’t want sickos knowing my kids name, their address, and of course their local school…ahem, if you know what I mean.  I raised my voice last week to a realtor who said to my face in a walk through, “is it really necessary?” I replied, “oh okay, let’s tell so-so homeowner to lock up her jewelry and personal belongings, but not protect the kids.”  
Tip 3 : Kitchens & Bathrooms – Showroom Ready
Let’s be real, when I go to buy a home I don’t want to see dirty towels or your messy countertops, frankly I want it to feel like no one has used the place, lol. I know, not logical thinking but, really, sometimes first time home buyers aren’t always thinking logically. We have all been there. All bathrooms should ony have white towels. Yes, I make all my clients take out all the other towels and replace with white. Why?? Well, imagine you walk into your hotel room and when you go to the washroom the towels are dark colors or any color but white and look a little wrinkled. You might get the heeby-jeebies cause they might have been used dirty towels. Hotel towels are white for a reason, so when you walk into the bathroom it feels clean, new, and fresh just for you. Do the same when listing your home, keep it feeling fresh and clean.
NOW IF YOU LOVE THIS HOME ABOVE, IT CAN BE YOURS!
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Comments

  2. Alyssa Ruane says

    I love these tips. As a home + garden writer, you've given me a great story idea to pitch! The office bit was the most beneficial to me! Thanks for sharing this insight. Xo

  3. Missy -Faking Fancy Blog says

    These are great tips for homes that aren't for sale, but just need to look neater for company or a party. Pulling back curtains for more light and making sure tables, desks and counters are clear are my most-used tips!

  4. Angela Tolsma says

    I have so curious about the never red policy. Everythng in my house is black and white with so woods and grays.
    So interesting about the office. I love having it look beautiful but I wouldn't have thought those details would be a bad thing.

  7. Jana Bailey says

    This house is staged great and I totally agree about protecting the children, the last time we sold out home we made sure all our personal things in the house got taken down .

  11. Tereza Kohutova says

    This is such a useful post! I don't think we really do staging here in the UK that much but it does look beautiful and worth the effort! Also – totally agree on no red cushions on leather. Yuck! x

  12. Nikki Arnold says

    These are some wonderful tips just for decorating in general. I never though about protecting kids rooms though when things are being photographed. Thanks for some great info!!

  13. blythe32 says

    My sister is getting ready to sell her home. I'm definitely going to forward this to her. I had already given her my opinion on her home office and she got all mad at me (jokingly) because I never said anything about the crooked shelves before. The information about kid's names is not something I would have thought about, but important to consider.

  26. Stephanie Lee says

    These are awesome tips! I'm curious why to never use red pillows. I never thought about protecting the kids' identities, but it makes total sense. That house looks great!

  27. Leslie Hernandez says

    Wow these are awesome tips and the images look great. I want to do a home makeover now 🙂 probably will start buying a few things so I can my mini makeover for spring 😉

  28. Amanda Love says

    I think it's important that you fix up every room if you're planning to sell the house. I also agree with the rooms not showing the names especially for the kids. It's personal and it's something that you show with people who are looking at your home.

  30. Kylie Dotts says

    I like how you suggested not worrying about mixing and matching pillows. I think having ideas like that are really important when getting ready to stage your home for selling and it is also a good way to contribute to a professional home stager if you decide to hire one. Having a few ideas of your own to incorporate to how the company will change the rooms is a good way to make it feel like it’s your own still.