The Emotional Connection of Staging
Staging can often be viewed as decorating or interior design, but in reality it serves a different function. It's real life marketing, in the real estate industry, to help buyers create an emotional connection with the home they are viewing. When a home resonates with a buyer, the buyer will find motivation to compete against other homebuyers to place winning bids. Staging increases the chances of multiple offers, and results in higher sales prices, well above the amount invested.
But what really creates this emotional connection?
We as stagers study and implement furniture selection and placement that provides a "wow" factor. Although this may feel intangible, it's the way we are trained intentionally. This gives the very first impression when the buyer walks through the door.
We always recommend the space be clear of the owner's personalized belongings such as photos, religious or spiritual decor, kids art, or sentimental objects like trophies or figurines. Energetically and visually, these make it hard for buyers to envision themselves living in the home. They don't want to feel like they're intruding on your privacy and also these items can be distracting during showings. A clear space also helps inspire buyers to experience a fresh start.
We also add in elements to give buyers hope of the exciting lifestyle they'll have once they buy the home. For example, a vignette with art that mentions espresso along with tasse cups may have them dreaming of their new espresso machine for mornings in their new place. Other examples might be firepits, BBQ grills, spa-like towels and teak placed in bathrooms, etc. Outdoor dining tables may give homebuyers the sense they can successfully entertain in their new backyard. In general, upscale surroundings help a buyer feel like making an offer on your listing is worthwhile.
For the most part we use neutral colors like white, black, grey, and beige to appeal to the largest audience possible. Accent colors we might use strategically convey messages, like green for freshness and blue for serenity. Also by removing any distracting colors, we take potential negative emotional reactions.
Furnished rooms help buyers get a sense of how large the space is, and how to make it usable. It is nearly impossible for a buyer to emotionally connect with a vacant boxed-in room. When there is furniture in the room, they'll be able to see how much of their own furniture they can fit into it.
A home free of obvious repair needs will help a buyer to feel calm.
Depending on the neighborhood, we use decor appropriate to the lifestyle of the local demographic so they can relate to the space, with slightly more elevated furnishings. Using discount furniture in a multi million dollar area would never make sense. A posh feeling helps homeowners fetch as high a sales price as possible.
We're always happy to help answer staging questions from both Realtors and homeowners. We invite you to call or text today so we can talk over your individualized staging project and answer any questions you have.