Today's sellers are very familiar with the terms declutter and depersonalize. They know what needs to be done to prepare their house for sale. What most sellers don't know is how to actually do what needs to be done.
- What is considered "clutter" and what is decorative?
- What exactly is "personal" and should be removed?
- What colors are neutral and what colors are too vanilla?
- What furniture works best to showcase each room?
- What is "dated" and how do you update?
When confronted with the generalized tasks of "decluttering, updating, and cleaning" an entire house, many sellers become overwhelmed.
Years of accumulation can seem impossible to manage.
What sellers need is someone to come in and not just tell them what needs to be done, but exactly how to do it. People need guidance, direction, a means to an end...and when they have that info, they are empowered. It restores their sense of control over the situation.
A home staging consult will take what was once overwhelming and make it totally manageable, reducing a great part of the stress of selling a house. For many, it wasn't that they couldn't physically do it, it was that they didn't know what needed to be done or where to begin.
When given an itemized to-do list of improvements, specific tasks to perform, sellers become inspired, energized, and engaged. They approach the list with enthusiasm and when completed feel a great sense of pride in their accomplishment.
Pretty much anybody you ask can tell you what you need to do to prepare a house for sale...HGTV has made everyone a master of home design. You would have to be living under a rock not to know that you have to "declutter" to sell.
My advice: Don't ask just anybody their opinion on preparing your house for the market. Ask a professional home stager to show you how to prepare your house. It will save you money, time, and so much frustration.
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Professional Home Staging services for the New Hampshire Seacoast
Portsmouth Rye Greenland Hampton North Hampton Exeter Dover Stratham
603.661.8524
good suggestons
Sharon, wonderful post and advice about working with a professional. Your last sentence sums it up nicely. "It will save you money, time, and so much frustration."
Lise: Thanks!
Michele: It just seems like everyone thinks they know how to prepare a house for sale, when they really have no idea what is actually necessary. Those key words are tossed around a little to liberally. Thanks for commenting.
Great blog! It does seem pretty easy when people hear what we do... the actual implementation or thinking of everything that goes into proper home staging is a bit more than what they believe it is.
Melissa: Thanks! I'm sure you hear it as much as I do "I know what I have to do, just declutter and depersonalize..." It's like the words have been used so much they no longer have real meaning.
Sharon - Great info! Sometimes the hardest part of what we do is telling them what they need to do.
Wanda: Sometimes the hardest part of what they need to do is hearing us tell them what they need to do! lol
Sharon - You have summed it all up here. Great post-now if they will only listen.
Debbie: It isn't always easy, is it? We gotta just keep putting it out there and wait for them to see the light.
Overwhelmed, accumulation, frustration...great words..GREAT POST!!!!
Cathy: I appreciate your appreciation of the post! Thank you!