Staging adds flair to your home
Gregory J. Alexander
Contributing Writer
There are several basic factors that determine whether a home will sell or not, primarily location, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, amenities and, of course, price. In today's competitive house-selling market, it's important to distinguish your home from others. One of the quickest and most effective methods is through staging a home to improve its appearance.
Seen on several HGTV shows, staging is when the seller hires a professional to bring in furniture and accessories, declutter if necessary and make design suggestions to better your chances of selling your home. "We make your home marketable," says Keanasha Smith, business manager for Creative Staging (www.stagemyhouse.org), which she runs with her mother, Design Consultant Margie Mobley. Smith, who was a real estate agent for many years, now runs the business side of Creative Staging, while also working as an accountant for a property management company. "We primarily are hired by real estate agents, who facilitate between the homeowner and myself. It's an emotional time for sellers, but with houses sitting longer on the market, by the time they come to us, many times they are hearing many of the same points that their real estate agent has been telling them."
Smith says that staging can involve either furnishing a vacant home or redesigning an occupied home to enhance its potential. "For a vacant house, we bring in furniture, accessories, rugs, mirrors, paintings and curtains. My mother always says, 'Focus on windows, walls and floors.' We have a catalog of furniture pieces we can bring in, and the client pays an initial consultation fee and then a monthly rental for the furnishings. Sometimes buyers cannot visualize their furniture in an empty house and may not think that a queen-size bed, for example, will fit in a spare bedroom. We'll place bedroom furniture so that they can see that it's possible." Her company also will arrange cleaning services for a vacant house for a flat fee.
"Primarily, our clients are living in their homes, so our goal is to rearrange furniture and focus on decluttering," Smith says. "We encourage sellers to eliminate unnecessary furniture to make the home look bigger and get rid of personal photos and collectibles. You want to make the home as neutral and gender-free as possible. You never know whether your prospective home buyers will be a family of four or a single bachelor." Neutrality goes for paint color, too. "Taupe is always safe, and adding a fresh coat of paint is quick and inexpensive." Smith urges sellers to particularly clean out basements and closets. "Especially in row homes in Federal Hill, Hampden and Fell's Point, you need as much space as possible. Don't hide things in closets - get rid of it."
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