Today’s topic “Home staging” most likely will generate a lot of controversy. You see I have had a nagging thought lately about home staging…wondering why…why would anyone consider staging a home before they sell it. Surely this is a fad that is close to suffering its death throes; I cannot recall hearing about home staging services in the 1990s…I could be wrong… can you remember when home staging became all the rage?
I understand times are tough and most homeowners will do just about ANYTHING to decrease the time their home is on the market…but the whole idea of dressing up your home for someone else just strikes me as wrong, wrong, and even more wrong!
Why do I detest the home staging fad?…its the marketing message that bothers me; basically what I hear from the home staging industry is…your design esthetic has sucked for years…let us come in an neutralize your home so it will appeal to someone else. SERIOUSLY… have you done a Google search lately on home staging providers? I did one just now, and three out of four sites show the before and after example pictures where interesting color choices were replaced with beige…beige and perhaps mixed it up with some taupe…and then add accessories. SNORE!
I am left to wonder… Do the potential sellers who hire home stagers suffer from low esteem?
Do they think they do not deserve to live in a home that make their neighbors and guests say, "Wow! This room is awesome…how did you pull it all together?"
Let me tell you a secret that I have noticed over the years…
Staged homes don’t sell any better than well designed/decorated homes. Think about it…what is the first thing most home buyers do once they have enough money in their pockets? They start putting color in a room by painting the walls! When you look at home decorating magazines for ideas do you see page after page of beige rooms? HARDLY!
Just think about it…you deserve better, quit cheating yourself and enjoy living in a beautiful home now. Here is a novel thought…Perhaps instead of hiring a home stager before the sale, you should hire one after the sale. Oh wait...that is called hiring an interior decorator/designer!
Quit cheating yourself, and live in a beautiful home now…the buyers will come later.
4 comments:
Thank you for following me on Twitter. This is an excellent post and I emphatically agree. The BEIGE on BEIGE revolution should NOT be televised!
You are welcome Jonona!
Thank you for the compliment!
Readers of this blog should definitely check out your site for more examples of how color can accentuate a space.
West coast readers in particular should seriously consider contacting Jonamor Decor
http://jonamordecor.com/jonamor-client-galleries/
I have to say I respectfully disagree. Your ending quote says, "Quit cheating yourself, and live in a beautiful home now…." I totally agree with that statement. You should enjoy your homes while you are living in it.
However, once you put that home on the market, you have to consider that your prospective buyers will not have the same decorating taste as you.
Staging isn’t about beige and boring. Its about getting rid of the personal touches and creating a neutral palette for those looking at purchasing your home. It’s also about decluttering and organizing to maximize your return at sale and minimizing time on the market. Some folks just need help in these areas. They may not have the time to deal with it or a sense of good decorating. ;)
And, even in this market, research has shown that "properly" staged homes sell quicker than unstaged homes. Just google it and talk to your local real estate agents.
I’m not trying to say it’s for everyone, however, I do feel there are those that could benefit for the assistance a stager can provide.
Thank you for commenting, it is good to see we both agree that people deserve to live in beautiful spaces.
However, we will have to agree to disagree upon the point I made that if a home's interior is "properly designed" (and this would include an appropriate use of color to highlight architectural features) it will already have all the appropriate elements of a "staged home" that you cited as benefits.
In my opinion, it's a conscious decision to put your money where it will benefit you the most.
Again, I do appreciate the exchange of ideas we have had to show another view on this topic.
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