We just listed a three bedroom home;   the owners vacated and moved into their new home.  They now have two mortgage payments. Similar to most homes that housed a family it was well loved and lived in. The owner met with the stager and the stager suggested repainting the interior, sprucing up the front landscape and misc. repairs (repairing loose porch tiles, replacing hardware on cabinets, replacing chipped sinks etc.).  We only want to proceed with the improvements/repairs that will have a substantial payback from the investment; the cost of interior paint is typically assured.  In this instance, sprucing up the front landscape was necessary to enhance the curb appeal. 

Due to the recent changes in lending guidelines,  buyers are scraping together larger down payments (5-20%) and often don’t have money remaining for improvements after they move in.  More homes are coming on the market, and they are taking longer to sell; buyers have more choices.   Home staging is more important now than ever before. 

Home staging is simply meeting with the stager and doing a walk through of your home.  The stager will provide the owner with a “punch list” and the owner can do any, none or all of the items on the list;  home staging does not mean renting furniture and most often involves removing some. Home staging is simply decluttering, creating a focal (architectural) point in each room and increasing curb appeal.