Published in May 2006 in 9 Bay Area Newspapers’ Sunday Supplement.

Setting the Stage

You never get another chance to…Everyone knows the ending to that enduring old adage. It’s a tried and true nugget of wisdom that we apply to nearly every aspect of our lives. Yet when it comes to preparing a home for sale on the open market, many home owners seem to forget this indelible maxim. This momentary memory lapse is all the more surprising considering the factors at play. Picture this, the average potential home buyer may see up to ten houses in a single day. What “it” factor will make one home stand out from the rest? The key to selling a home may very well lie in sparking the buyer’s imagination; eliciting daydreams of summer barbecues in the backyard or holiday dinners in the dining room. Appealing to the desires and preferences of the incredibly diverse pool of Bay Area home buyers is an intimidating equation. Professional help might be the solution to the problem.

Home stagers are professionals who revamp and rescue homes from languishing on the market. They are trained in the art of striking that nuanced balance between décor that serves as a blank canvass upon which buyers can project their desires and yet is warm enough to evoke images of home and hearth. Yve Betar, a Marin-based home stager, emphasizes the importance of setting the mood. She concisely sums up her philosophy, “When you are selling a home, you want people to walk in and go ‘Wow - this is nice - I could live here!’ You want them to have a harmonious feeling. The first impression is really important if you want your home to be remembered”

Terrylynn Fisher, a veteran realtor and home stager based in Walnut Creek, concurs. She also stressed the financial benefits of investing some time and money to create the right ambiance, “If you want to appeal to the broadest market and the double income buyers with no time for fix up themselves, this is the way to do so.”  She also attests that staging a home can pave the way to much faster sales by appealing to many potential buyers and creating a broad base of demand. “When a buyer is looking for something to purchase, they start with the assumption that they can deduct for deficits they see and get the price down.,” she says. With fewer cosmetic flaws, the impulse to bargain down or haggle may be reduced. “They also think that if no one else wants the home,” she continues, “then they can wait a little and make a lower offer. Staging…creates interest and urgency in the mind of the buyer to purchase.”

So how to implement the changes that lead to faster sales? Toughening one’s proverbial skin is the first step. Our home is our sanctuary and we surround ourselves with items that hold a great deal of sentimental value. The only problem is, if there’s a preponderance of personal possessions inhabiting a home, potential purchasers may have a hard time seeing past them. As Fisher simply explains, “We surround ourselves with items that have sentimental

value to us, but are not necessarily beautiful or artfully arranged. We have clutter,” she mercilessly continues, “We are set up for comfort and practicality.  All of this is totally appropriate for enjoyable living,”  but  it may not show your home in the best light. In other words, cherished chatchke is not your home’s greatest selling point.

Parting ways with a few (or many) of your favorite things may not be an easy process. Editing one’s space is a process that is best left to entirely objective eyes; home stagers have the advantage of impartiality. “When a stager comes in,  she sees your home with ‘new eyes,’” Fisher confirms.

Jen McGuigan, another licensed realtor who also stages, operates out of the South Bay, managing Portico Staging. Portico, which serves the entire Bay Area, has their own inventory of furniture and accessories, which eliminates third party rental fees. Although she naturally recommends consulting a professional, she did offer helpful tips on essential techniques to spruce up your home for the market. Her first pearl of wisdom resounded with the counsel of the other Bay Area based home stagers. It can be summed up in two words, “curb appeal.” McGuigan’s suggestion to home sellers, “Improve your entrance. first impressions are important. A new front door (or new paint) new address numbers, new mailbox, lighting, clear bushes, plant bright annuals,” all make for an enticing package. The next logical step is to clear clutter. A third, very compelling tip is to arrange table-top accessories in groups of three. It’s a trick used by many seasoned interior designers.

All of the advice offered by the home stagers seemed to focus on that one fundamental truth. First impressions are crucial selling points. Whether you choose to hire a professional or take the matter into your own hands, yielding the old saying seems to be the best way to attract new buyers.

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