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“Staging gives the wow factor and allows buyers to see the home clearly,” says Susan Salisbury of Blanchard and Calhoun Real Estate. Susan, who specializes in luxury homes, explains “staging is important for the seller because they want to sell their house quickly and for top dollar. For the buyer, in the age of HGTV, they are looking for a house that is very clean, bright, casually elegant, move-in ready, and project-free.”
For staging homes, Susan collaborates with Ginger Mahoney of Design Dilemmas. Ginger emphasizes that staging showcases what the home has to offer, not the seller’s décor, which is why she often uses rental pieces from Furniture Rental when staging homes. For maximum benefit from staging, Susan and Ginger suggest focusing on particular areas of the home.
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“You have 30 seconds to grab someone’s attention,” says Ginger. She emphasizes that the first thing buyers see upon arrival at the house is the front door, so it should be clean with new paint and repairs as needed. Additionally, as the entryway to the home, the foyer should be eye-catching while using minimal décor. Ginger says, “I always do the foyer with a nice chest, a mirror, and lamp.”
“The kitchen is the heart and the command center of the home,” says Susan. “It’s also the most expensive room in the home, so it’s important that it looks its best. The kitchen should be very clean and decluttered, with bare surfaces. The whole point is for the buyer to visualize putting their items in the kitchen and visualize the kitchen for themselves.” Staging the kitchen with great lighting and a few carefully chosen accessories makes it look bright, fresh, clean, and family oriented.
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“The master suite is another area where people spend a lot of time and it’s more of a sanctuary,” says Susan. “The bathroom should have a spa-like feel since it is an area of self-care and preparation for the day. It should be beautiful, clean, and totally decluttered.” Keeping accessories minimal and pairing down items in closets will allow the suite to feel roomy and comfortable, which allows buyers to envision themselves and their belongings in the space.
“If we have a clean slate, we bring in high quality, casual but elegant furniture for the family room,” says Susan. In cases when the home is furnished, Susan says, “Ginger moves furniture to show the architecture and views to their full advantage.” Ginger elaborates, “We show the potential buyer there is room for their things and we add warm, family friendly stuff but we add a little bit of bling to it too.”
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“The dining room is part of the main living area for entertaining,” says Susan. “We make the space look larger by getting rid of some of the chairs,” explains Ginger. “In an older house, renting a newer set of furniture makes the house look newer and fresher. We also add an arrangement on the table.”
Neutral paint, luxurious linens, elegant accessories, and well-placed lighting play a role in staging. Tucking personal memorabilia and photos out of site allows buyers to focus on the home instead of those currently living there. Professional photography and marketing through the Blanchard and Calhoun team round out presenting a perfectly staged home.