Staging and Staying

One of the most popular shows on HGTV is Love It or List It.  The show’s premise follows homeowners who are considering a move.  The homeowners remodel their current home while at the same time looking at other homes to purchase.  After their remodel is complete, the homeowners then decide to Love It and stay in their newly remodeled home, or List It and move to a new home.  Most choose to stay in their current home.  This is not at all surprising, as a realtor I’ve experienced this phenomenon first hand on several occasions.  In preparing to sell, many homeowners “declutter” their home, and in some case even hire an outside company to stage their home with different furnishings.  Have you considered staging your house with the intention of staying in your home to enjoy the benefit of a “new” look? I have worked with plenty of sellers who, once they have done all the heavy lifting of getting their house ready to sell, feel a renewed sense of pride in ownership and a little dismay of “Why didn’t we do this while we lived here?” 

Staging can also assist with the direction of making your house more efficient and less cluttered.  I can walk in to houses when meeting with clients planning to sell their house and see right away what items can be removed along with making spaces more intentional and productive.  I say “do as I say, not as I do” because we all get accustomed to seeing things in our houses that we don’t necessarily need around or can’t figure out what to do with. It takes a fresh set of eyes to come in, review the house, and help consider what stays and what goes.  We had that done when we remodeled our kitchen, when a friend came in and placed everything in the kitchen with the most beneficial use for where things were placed. Since the kitchen remodel allowed for better functionality of the kitchen, along with how things were placed, we have kept that space very well presented and have not added anything that isn’t needed.  

So, staging to sell is a great way to get your house sold, but also staging to stay will allow you to enjoy your house and continue to live in it with pride.  

Along with what goes on inside your house, the landscaping is of benefit not only for you to enjoy the workout you get pulling weeds, but landscaping can have up to 100% return on your investment upon resale.  It can add 7-15% to a home’s value. It doesn’t have to be just the landscaping, as in plants, flowers, trees or mulch that add to the look of your house, you might want to consider inexpensive accessories such as new house numbers, a classic mailbox, a stylish bird feeder, so that when you are driving up to your house, you are comforted by what is an outward expression of you.  I remember when we added the second story to our house, and we were able to change the outdoor lighting along with adding a front stone patio that created a welcoming entrance, it finally felt like it was our home.

Staging and landscaping will allow you to enjoy your current home anew. With summer and slowing down, consider the projects that can keep you in the cool air conditioning, and make the enjoyment of living in your house and our special neighborhood something you truly look forward to.