| In my home staging business, clients often ask if there | | | | way to personalize your space. In staging, they are a |
| is really a difference between interior decorating and | | | | no-no. Buyers want to visualize themselves living in the |
| staging. After all, aren't the basic design principles the | | | | home, not visiting your home. |
| same, things like scale, proportion and flow? | | | | 2) Vivid paint colors on the walls are another legitimate |
| The difference is in how those design principles are | | | | way to express your unique style. But buyers will be |
| applied and for what end result. Interior decorating is | | | | distracted by bold colors and may not be able to see |
| about furnishing and accessorizing a space to fit your | | | | beyond them to appreciate the architectural features |
| lifestyle and express your personal taste. On the other | | | | of your house. When staging, better to go with neutrals |
| hand, staging is a marketing tool. Staging is about | | | | that everyone can appreciate. |
| "packaging" a property to appeal to the widest set of | | | | 3) Overstuffed furniture is cozy and comfortable, |
| potential buyers possible. | | | | especially in the family room. But it has to go when |
| Staging highlights the positive features of the home | | | | selling your house. Big furniture eats up space, |
| while downplaying its less desirable aspects. A staged | | | | something that you want buyers to see lots of, so |
| home will have much less in the way of furniture and | | | | when staging, you need to pare down the size and |
| accessories because the goal is to showcase the | | | | amount of furniture in each room unless the rooms are |
| home itself, not the stuff in it. There should be enough | | | | very large. |
| furnishings to create an environment that buyers can | | | | 4) For most people the TV is an integral part of the |
| aspire to and feel at home in. Done well, staging can | | | | home, often the bigger the better. But the TV can |
| help a house connect with a buyer on an emotional | | | | often distract the eye from a more appealing focal |
| level so that he or she thinks "This is it. This is the one." | | | | point, like the fireplace. When staging the home, it's best |
| Here are some specific examples of how staging | | | | to have a way to hide the TV, in an armoire, for |
| differs from decorating: | | | | example, or behind cabinet doors. |
| 1) In decorating, framed family photos are a favorite | | | | |