Margi Barrutia, REALTOR®
Accredited Staging Professional
ERA Shields Real Estate
719-238-1006 mobile
MBarrutia@ERAShields.com
If you are selling your home, it’s important to know that in a given month, about 1 on 10 homes listed in the Pikes Peak real-estate market actually sells. The chances of selling at all are less than 50%. However, it’s equally important to know that your chances of selling are not random like drawing a number from a hat. Buyers buy what they like or feel enthusiasm about--what they remember. If your home stands out in a buyer’s mind, your chance of selling greatly increases. In addition to strategic pricing and marketing, one of the best ways to make a listing unforgettable is by staging your home.
What is staging? 
When it’s on the market, your house is a product. To sell quickly and get top dollar, you have to think like a buyer who is comparison shopping. Simply put, staging makes your house appear bigger, brighter, cleaner & warmer than competing listings, which can translate into a faster sale at a higher price.
The goal of staging is not the same as decorating, which is highly personalized. Instead, staging neutralizes a space and makes it appear warm and inviting yet anonymous so that buyers can imagine themselves living in the home. To get a sense of the staged look, take a tour of area model homes, which are sparsely decorated with neutral colors, minimal furniture and impersonal accessories. With this approach, the spaces look large, clean & uncluttered.
Staging isn’t just about flowers and mood music. Instead, staging involves de-cluttering & depersonalizing, cleaning & repairing and making key enhancements through the choice and placement of furniture, lighting and accessories.
De-cluttering & De-personalizing
Clutter is anything that makes a home and its rooms look small, cramped, disorganized, busy or untidy. Clutter can be too much furniture, too many photos, piles of mail, too many accessories or even clashing paint colors. Clutter is anything that distracts buyers from seeing the good features of your home.
De-cluttering is systematically going through your home, room by room, surface by surface, wall by wall, closet by closet, drawer by drawer, and removing anything that is not essential to the room’s function. The goal is to keep only the necessary basics in each room, items that help buyers understand its function but allow them to see the room and its features without having to visually or literally wade through too much stuff.
Depersonalizing takes de-cluttering a step further by removing personal possessions and family heirlooms as well as eclectic décor. The goal of depersonalizing is a neutral, impersonal look. If buyers are distracted by your family photos on the mantel, they won’t see the lovely brick fireplace. If buyers stop to read all those certificates on the home office wall, they won’t notice the large storage closet. If buyers are turned off by a purple-painted bedroom, they won’t be attracted to the home.
Why de-clutter? Clutter makes a home and its rooms look smaller to buyers. Clutter can even make buyers feel uncomfortable or claustrophobic. Because buyers cannot see beyond it, clutter devalues a home and can the main reason why a house doesn’t sell, or sell quickly, or why it may sell at a reduced price. Clutter costs you money. De-cluttering however, costs nothing except time and results in a faster sale at a higher price.
Cleaning & Repairing
In addition to de-cluttering, take the time to clean every room thoroughly and complete necessary repairs or maintenance, both inside and outside. A clean and well-maintained home gives the impression of being well cared for, which is an important message you want to communicate to potential buyers.
Start with deep cleaning each room. Think sparkling, clean & fresh-smelling. Wash, paint or touch-up walls & woodwork. Dust blinds and baseboards. Have carpets professionally cleaned. Shine your sinks! Like de-cluttering, cleaning is free or low-cost and reaps the reward of better buyer impressions.
Before you list is also the time to address necessary repairs and maintenance--burned-out light bulbs, leaky faucets, holes or cracks in walls, window seals, worn paint and the like. When your home goes under contract, the buyers will complete a home inspection and identify problems, so most repair and maintenance items will have to be completed anyway. The advantage of doing it now--before you list your home--is that obvious items like leaky faucets or damaged walls won’t devalue your home in a buyer’s mind.
Setting the Stage
The last step in staging--enhancing each room through the choice and placement of furniture, lighting and accessories--is what most sellers think of as “staging.” When you de-clutter, clean & repair first, this final step takes little time but makes a big impact. Staging each area of your home can take your home from “clean & nice” to “wow!” in only a few hours.
Staging may involve some expense, such as a can of paint or new towels, but staging is always less expensive than reducing the price of your home. Further, staging is free when you re-use and re-purpose what you already own. You can often find what you need by going “shopping” in your own home. Move furniture and accessories as needed from room to room. Get creative!
When you stage a specific room, first think about the purpose of the room and identify the features of the room that you want the buyer to notice. Then make decisions about the placement of furniture, lighting & accessories that clearly communicate this function and enhance key features. Keep these tips in mind.
The more floor that is visible, the bigger a room looks. Remove everything off the floor except absolutely essential furniture and accessories such as a plant, floor lamp or area rug. Get rid of excess furniture, extra rugs or plants, stacks of books or boxes and other unnecessary items that make a room feel small or crowded.
Keep horizontal surfaces such as coffee tables, end tables, dressers & counter-tops clean and free of clutter. In general, have no more than three well-chosen accessories on a horizontal surface.
Eliminate vertical clutter on the walls as well. Hang artwork at eye level with no more than three in a group.
Remember to remove personal items such a family photos or personal artifacts and replace them with neutral accessories.
Maximize the amount of both natural and artificial light in each room. Increase the wattage of bulbs in dark hallways or corners. Add floor or table lamps if necessary, or replace a single overhead fixture with track lighting or similar to make it possible to flood walls or focal points with light.
Repaint rooms with neutral colors. A can of paint is a small investment in creating positive impressions, plus it’s a quick way to make a room look clean and new.
Think about color and balance. Balance tall pieces and short pieces, small pieces and big pieces, light and dark colors. Start with a neutral palette but add color in punches through accessories and accent pieces. Remember to give every space “breathing” room
Add natural or organic elements such as healthy, full houseplants and outdoor greenery.
Buyers are turned off by odors from cooking, smoking, pets, babies or the like. If odor is an issue, use air fresheners or keep the windows cracked to let fresh air in.
While it’s more important to de-clutter & stage the most visible areas first, serious buyers will look in your cabinets, drawers and closets. Get rid of clutter first, then organize what’s left. Clear plastic drawers or boxes, baskets, drawer dividers and other organizers go a long ways to helping these areas look neat, tidy and, ultimately, more spacious. If you are “organizationally challenged,” ask a “born organized” friend for help.
Specific Staging Ideas
Curb appeal is important. Make sure the exterior of the home is clean and in good repair. Freshen up the front door area with a new doormat and potted flowers or evergreens. Apply new mulch in flower beds and other areas for a “freshly landscaped” look.
Living rooms, great rooms and family rooms should feel spacious and clutter-free. Pack up & store all but the essentials--think “model-home” minimalism. Keep clutter such as magazines, newspapers & mail out of sight, and don’t let stuff collect on the floor. If you have a packed bookshelf, remove some books and add some plants so there are “rest stops” for the eye.
Keep kitchen counters & refrigerator surfaces clutter-free. Store cleaning supplies out of sight beneath the sink & small appliances in a pantry or cabinet. Use only a few accessories such as a bowl of fruit, set of canisters or basket of new dish towels.
Set the dining room table with pretty placements, dishes & napkins and one nice flower or candle arrangement. Use only enough leaves to seat four to six, and store the remaining leaves and chairs.
Keep vanity counters clutter-free as well with toiletries stored out of sight. Buy new matching or coordinating bath towels in one or two colors, replace messy bar soap with a pretty liquid soap dispenser, replace the shower curtain if worn or stained, and buy a new throw rug if needed.
Keep the beds made and buy new linens, comforter or bedspread if necessary. Add decorator pillows for a punch of color, and keep bedside tables and dressers clear of clutter by storing extra books and magazines in slide-out plastic bins beneath the bed.
Clear off desktops in the home office. Pack all but the essentials and store what you really need in filing cabinets or drawers. Replace framed certificates and photos with impersonal accessories. Bring in a large healthy houseplant and appealing artwork.
Store laundry detergents and other products neatly in a basket or cabinet in the laundry room. Clear off the tops of the washer & dryer and dust all the lint that tends to gather. Buy a pretty throw rug.
Clean and organize the garage so that you can actually park your cars in it. If possible, store most items in clear plastic storage bins or in garage cabinets.
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