The Staging Fashionista Blog: Virginia: Arlington

I just got back from vacationing in Orlando, Florida and it was gorgeous.  Orlando has beautiful flowers and landscaped areas all around its streets and parks.  However, some of the homes didn't really have the best curb appeal.  Apparently plastic flamingos are the preferred yard ornaments.  This got me thinking about how this could be a major turn off for buyers.  Many of you know the importance of great curb appeal and making the best first impression.  The Staging Fashionista believes it is so important we made it an added service to our business and provide a 37 check point service to give your home break stopping curb appeal. 

Although Flamingos are beautiful birds in real life as seen in the picture above the plastic fake ones are not so beautiful displayed in your front lawn (displayed below).  Make sure when selling your home you have great curb appeal and ditch the plastic flamingos, gnomes, mushrooms or other plastic critters that distract from the landscaping.  You want people to see your home and your landscape not the yard ornaments.  So skip the yard ornaments and please no fake flamingos, real ones are allowed! 

Make sure you hire the right home stager to properly stage your house.  Home staging is not just decorating or "fluffing" a home or just making it look pretty.  Home staging is the art of selling a home faster.  In doing so the right home stager should be setting a scene throughout a home for just the right buyer.  In other words, they should know who is buying the house.  Staging a home like a model home or showroom every time does not appeal to everyone, therefore it may take longer to sell a home. 

The question to ask is: Who is the buyer?

• Is it a family with kids?
• Is it a professional couple?
• Is is a first time homebuyer? Or
• Is it a empty nester? 

If your home stager doesn't know who the target buyers are it will not matter how pretty the home looks it will simply not sell fast enough.  For example, a model home look will most likely not be practical for a family with kids.  However, if you set the right scenes for the family with kids throughout the house (family room, kitchen, bathroom, etc) then you are bound to get the home sold faster.  After all, the purpose of home staging is to sell the house.  The right home stager will know the target buyer, will do their research and will understand the overall demographics of a particular community.  If realtors and sellers are hiring a home stager who doesn't understand demographics and how to appeal to a particular buyer then you are doing yourself a disservice.  Make sure you hire the right home stager to get to your end result which is getting your home sold.