Staging: The Hardest Part

 By far the hardest part of any stager's job is telling their clients that the home they love is not what buyers are looking for and that they are going to have to make changes in order to get the price they want for it. I always try to be as kind and gentle about this as possible to start with, but it is often times the case that sellers don't want to hear what I have to say and I have to flat out ask them what is more important to them: 1. Selling their house for what they want? or 2. Selling their house the way it is? This question usually comes out of my mouth after they have ignored my advice, listed their house the way it was, and it has sat on the market for months with no interest. That's when things get real.

The house in the following photos had languished on the market for over a year with only 3 showings after the owners had followed the staging advice of an award winning interior decorator. Free Tip: don't use a decorator for staging. Their training and goals are completely different. Think of it as using an electrician to do your plumbing. Things are probably not going to work out the way you hope. The home was custom built to be the dream home of the sellers so they were reluctant to make the changes I suggested, but after changing agents, getting a consultation and new photos from me, and having it still sit for a month with no interest, they took it off the market and made the changes I originally suggested. The house was transformed (as much as possible) from a dark and dated Texas ranch style home to a bright and fresh Texas farmhouse, which is what most buyers are looking for here right now.

We started off by brightening the exterior. With a metal building there wasn't a lot we could do, but thankfully a friend of the seller had already told her that it looked more like a business than a home, so someone she liked had already been frank with her and saved me the trouble. A coat of cream paint lightened the shutters and porch columns and a contemporary blue green replaced the dark red on the front door.

Inside, the dark cabinetry throughout was given a coat of soft gray-white chalk paint and some more farmhouse feel accessories were added.

I loved how the master bath in particular went from feeling very "bunkhouse" masculine to feeling like a romantic get away.

There is no denying that this house was nice to start with, but it wasn't what buyers in the current market are looking for: light and bright. By making a few inexpensive changes, putting in some elbow grease, and most importantly doing the emotional work of letting go of their old house, I am happy to report that after the fresh paint and new photos, the house was under contract within a few weeks, sold for close to asking, and the sellers have moved on to greener pastures.