This week I was reminded of the importance of staging a home that’s about to be on the market. Staging a home thoughtfully can set a positive tone and alert prospective buyers that a home is right for them. Proper staging can create visual interest and help people see potential in a home. Staging doesn’t have to be difficult. Oftentimes it just means a little updating. 

Right now, we are currently representing a couple that is about to sell their home after 25 years of living in it.  That means 25 years of furniture and décor. With that many years in a home, there’s no doubt that their furniture tells a story. There’s the buffet, which belonged to her grandmother, along with all the dings and scratches of a few generations of family dinners. There’s the large desk chair that he brought home from his office the day he retired. And then there’s that big comfy sofa which has seen babies grow into TV watching teenagers.

But the big, old buffet doesn’t quite fit in the dining room anymore. The desk chair is twice as large as the study can hold, and the sofa probably needed re-upholstering about 10 years ago.

But, for this couple, this is home. It’s safe, comfortable, familiar and filled to the brim with memories in every nook, cranny, scratch and comfy couch cushion.

For prospective buyers of their home, this furniture appears to be dated, old, dirty and tired. And it’s going to detract from their ability to envision what their home could be.

As a solution, we’ve gently suggested that the sellers begin the process of moving their furniture out of their home a little early and making the decisions about where each piece will go before we put their home on the market. That way we will stage their home, with new, clean, contemporary furniture that fits appropriately in the space and will tell a more modern and inspiring story to prospective buyers.