Home Staging Fact or Fiction: Staging is just adding furniture.

I thought it was a good time to begin a home staging fact or fiction discussion. It seems that there are some misconceptions out there about exactly what a home stager does, and what our role is in the selling process. Over the next several months we’ll take a look at many of them. If you have an idea for this series, please be sure to submit it to Margaret Gehr.

Home staging is just adding furniture.

This is in fact – FICTION! Frequently we’ll get commentary from agents or sellers who aren’t familiar with the process of home staging that they just need to rent furniture from companies like Cort or Brooks in order to have their home staged.  Staging is much more than simply adding furniture, art, and accessories, it is about selling a lifestyle, creating an emotional draw to the home, and ultimately about changing the buyer’s perception of the home. In other words, home staging is about marketing.

This home on Ketten Ct in Naperville, IL, was occupied when we first visited it. The owners had already decided to move and wanted the home professionally staged because they understood that they would be able to maximize the market impact by doing so.

naperville home staging

Leaving only an empty room, this space would have felt bland. Each imperfection would have stood out to every buyer who walked through.

naperville home staging after photos

The end result of this Naperville home staging  project was 14 showings in 2 days, receiving 2 offers, one at 100% of list price.

Home staging is about MARKETING

While the primary purpose of this dramatic makeover may be thought of as just adding furniture, the truth is that our job is just like any other marketing project. We need to identify the likely buyer, based on various market demographics, and choose the style that will most likely appeal to them. We have to take size, scale, and the value of the home into consideration. We carefully identify where the best location for furniture, art, and accessories is, so we can control the buyer’s eye as they move through the room, helping them to focus on the features and benefits of the property.

For more information on how to prepare your home for sale in today’s market, call Margaret and our team of home staging professionals today 815-530-3566.

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