Revelstoke real estate: Staging your home is an important investment

Yes, most of us know to make the bed neatly and put away the dirty dishes before the real estate photographer shows up to showcase our home. But do you know the deeper psychology behind what makes these all-important photos attractive to potential buyers? Here are simple and easy staging tips that add value when it’s time to sell your home.

When this home came up for sale, it was unoccupied. The sellers hired Revelstoke-based Cedar Staging to furnish and appoint the home so these real estate photos could be created. When it comes time to sell, proper staging is a key way to make your home attractive to potential buyers. Without consideration and effort put into staging, you could be leaving money on the table.

The sellers of this unoccupied condo hired Revelstoke-based Cedar Staging to furnish and appoint the home so these real estate photos could be created.

After the recent articles making dollars and sense of the trends in Revelstoke’s real estate market, I will now touch on the more colourful side of real estate for all the right brain thinkers out there by asking, why is staging your home so important? As the left brain thinkers will deduce, it’s all about maximizing your sale with the odds in your favour. If you are selling your home, why not put the effort in where it counts to present your space in such a way that perspective buyers can see themselves there. There’s an art to this and sometimes calling in professional back up can be money well spent.

A Cedar Staging design in an unoccupied condo. Cedar Staging owner Tarina Blitzwolf says professional stagers offer a range of services, starting with a simple consultation, to full-service jobs like this one. “My job really is to change a space so that the potential buyer walks in and imagines their life there … not the sellers’. It’s my job to bring out the potential in a space that wasn’t seen before,” Blitzwolf said. “[At a consultation session] I can suggest changes that they never would have thought of that could make a world of difference.”

Time is also an important investment. Take the time to purge the ever accumulating stuff that we all tend to collect. Create a space that is clean and inviting. Make room for the minds of the buyers to mentally unpack and get a real feel for the home. With too many personal items out on display, people have a harder time looking past the knick-knacks (however sentimental) to really see the surroundings. People do have different taste but everyone appreciates the uncluttered feel to a home. Let them fill in the blanks with their personal items and imagining the space as their own.

This was a condo that was owned by a man who had some cool art pieces but didn't know how to hang them and mostly only had dark furniture with no femenine touch. We brought in some bedding, art, throw pillows, area rug, table and knick knacks. I rearranged his art and as usual brought in the light/white/femenine elements to brighten and balance the place.

Cedar Staging owner Tarina Blitzwolf is based in Revelstoke and takes work in Calgary, the Okanagan and Vancouver. Of this Alberta home, she said: “This is a condo that was owned by a man who had some cool art pieces but didn’t know how to hang them and mostly only had dark furniture with no feminine touch. We brought in some bedding, art, throw pillows, and area rug. I rearranged his art and as usual brought in the light/white/feminine elements to brighten and balance the place.”

Here is a staging checklist to help you get started:

Light is a huge factor. Let it in. Open the blinds to highlight which areas receive sun.
After the blinds are open, clean the windows and frames — people will be looking.
Replace any lightbulbs that may be out.
Flowers and plants are a welcoming addition, bringing in nature, which is something everyone connects with.
Accentuate living spaces with bright colours, cushions and throws.
Go the extra mile and fill your home with a tempting aroma. Slow-cooker meals, freshly baked cookies if you have that much time, or a loaf of bread in the machine. These tantalizing aromas flood the senses with goodness. Air fresheners can be a necessary touch but don’t use anything too harsh.
Keep the floors clean, and vacuum carpets.
Scrub the grouted tiles and bathroom fixtures.
Leave minimal items on top of counters and table and stage with a simple centrepiece
Take out the trash, shovel the walkway, clean the gutters. Give your home the best advantage starting with curb appeal.

There are some talented stagers in Revelstoke and I’d be happy to connect you for a consultation! —Emily