Home Staging – Frequently Asked Questions
There’s a statistic that people sell their homes every five to seven years, and so, chances are that the last time you sold a house, you didn’t have it staged first. Home Staging a fairly new concept in some areas and NB Designs often gets asked questions by Realtors, home sellers and even buyers. Here’s a list of the most frequently asked questions, and our answers:
What is home staging?
Home Staging is preparing a house for sale, to show off the positive architectural features, minimize the negatives, make the house feel as high end, spacious and light as possible. We want to reassure you that our recommendations are in no way a reflection on your personal taste, but are Equity Enhancement Strategies, geared to boost the equity in your home, and to ensure that your home attracts a specific buyer.
Can I stage my home myself?
Home sellers live in their homes, and often have blinders on when it comes to their home and its little quirks and anomalies. Home stagers look at each house with a professional, detailed eye, in order to assess the home from an objective perspective.
What should I look for in a staging company?
Stagers that have membership in a trade organization specific to staging i.e. RESA, the Real Estate Staging Association, or IAHSP, The International Association of Home Staging Professionals – NB Designs’ Owner, Noleen Bester is a current member of RESA, the RESA Central Texas Chapter Past President (2016). Noleen also belongs to the Home Staging and Redesign Association. NB Designs’ co-owner and Lead stager Vashti has her degree in design. NB Designs is the proud recipient of the 2018 HSRA Southwest Region Top Vacant Stager, and the BEST OF HOUZZ Awards for Customer Service for the past 7 years.
have credentials in home staging – Noleen Bester is a Luxury Staging Specialist (LSS), a Vacant Property Specialist and Feng Shui Design Specialist (FSDS). Noleen has a background in real estate and earned the prestigious GRI and CNE designations. Noleen is a member of the Austin Board of Realtors, RESA and the Home Staging and Redesign Association. has worked in your neighborhood and/or price-point before – we’ve worked in all price points – cute starter homes in the $180,000’s, stunning multi-million dollar waterfront homes and $7+ Million estates.
has a portfolio of pictures, showing homes staging in your price-point – Yes, we do – please look at www.NBDesigns.com for our latest staging projects.
has insurance – Yes, we are fully insured.
makes you feel comfortable – We certainly hope so! NB Designs is the winner of multiple HOUZZ Service Awards for customer service.
Only luxury homes need staging, right?
No, homes of all price-points should be staged. These days buyers have seen well appointed homes on TV and they will expect to walk into any home and see it beautifully staged and move-in ready.
Remember, every home is a luxury home to someone, and buyers in all price-points want to buy a well- maintained, beautiful home.
What things do you recommend sellers do prior to selling?
Firstly, have a realistic expectation of your home’s value and listen to the advice of your Realtor. Secondly, have your home, windows and carpets professionally cleaned. Clean windows make the home seem lighter and more airy and show pride of ownership, which translates to more money. Have landscapers come in to spruce up the yards and keep the home is show-ready condition. Remove evidence of pets – food bowls, litter boxes and pet-beds all need to be stored out of sight as much as possible. Leave the home when it is being shown, preferably with your pets.
What do I need to do before you get here?
Please see our checklist below, of things to do before we arrive.
Removal and packing of items such as toys, out of season clothing, magazines and excess books.
Remove items from all surfaces of the refrigerator.
Remove valuables, professional diplomas, medications.
Clean and dust the house thoroughly and have additional basic cleaning supplies on hand.
Don’t forget light fixtures and baseboards. Have additional storage boxes and bubble wrap/paper on hand for items we won’t be needing.
Make sure your wattage and style of your light bulbs match consistently throughout the room.
Ensure your bathroom and kitchen are spotless and take particular note of shower door soap scum, mirrors, and kitchen appliances.
Do I need extra packing supplies?
Yes! Boxes and paper. We won’t physically be packing at the staging consultation, but will earmark items to be packed by you once we leave.
I’ve been told to de-clutter my home. What else will you suggest?
Decluttering, or editing as we like to call it, is the first step in preparing a home to sell. After the editing, and any maintenance issues have been taken care of, our Consultation Specialist will give the seller suggestions on how to stage the home by using the seller’s accessories, where possible, or suggest either renting or purchasing accessories, in order to highlight certain areas.
Will you use my own furniture and decor items?
As much as we can, yes!
What items do you most often recommend sellers purchase before listing, to give the buyer that emotional connection to the home?
These are the items we commonly recommend: White orchid or white tulips as a centerpiece for the dining room table, new white towels and hand towels for the bathrooms, white shower curtains, a pair of matching, on-trend lamps for the master bedroom, plastic shoebox/tote for toiletry items which will be placed in bathroom cupboard after use each day, pillar candles and candlesticks for mantlepiece, fruit in a fruit bowl on breakfast room table or kitchen island, fresh flowers for photographs, updated accent pillows for living room and master bedroom, additional indoor and outdoor plants, new welcome mat. A lot of the decor items can be found very reasonably priced, at Home Goods, At Home or Target.
What is the biggest mistake people make when selling their homes?
Not treating the sale and marketing of their home seriously. Your home is usually the biggest asset you have and it should look the best it can, in order for you to sell quickly and for top dollar. There is no point in staging a home, if you are not going to attempt to keep the home looking show ready. We always tell our sellers that it’s a short period that they need to focus on keeping their home looking fantastic. Once they have an accepted contract, they can relax a little bit. We try to make this as easy as possible for our sellers by giving them a daily checklist of things they need to do before leaving home each morning.
Do you ever see a home that’s so perfect, it doesn’t need staging?
We see some really lovely homes which are immaculately clean, and beautifully decorated, but staging isn’t decorating, and every home needs staging. The homes we live in are very different to the house we are selling. We encourage my sellers to realize that their home is now a product they are selling, hopefully for top dollar and the condition of the home is vitally important. Stagers will always recommend that sellers depersonalize their houses by removing family photos, degrees and certifications, taste specific items, etc. Yes, we always recommend removing deer-heads and specific collegiate flags and decor. We want to appeal to the perfect buyer and not offend or limit our buyer pool in any way.
Do I have to be there when you stage my home?
For occupied home consultation, Yes, we like you to be present. For any services where we are bringing in staging items, we like to do it unaccompanied/unattended. For vacant stages, only NB Designs team members are present.
I left home this morning without making my kids’ beds and you’re coming to stage this afternoon. Will you make the beds and clean/tidy their rooms?
We are not cleaners and do not make beds. We can however, recommend cleaning services if you feel you need extra assistance while listing. Often, sellers decide to employ weekly cleaning and landscaping services for the duration of the listing.
Will you move boxes and help me pack?
We’re not insured to move any boxes or heavy items. We do have recommendations if you require moving and packing or personal organization assistance.
I have kids at home – do you have suggestions to keep myself sane while the house is listed?
Yes we do! We’re parent and know how difficult it can be to keep your home show ready. During the consultation, we’ll give you some tips on keeping yourself sane!
Will you come back to ‘tweak’ before my MLS photos are taken?
Yes, if you’d like us to. Please book this on our online scheduler on our website as soon as you have the photographer lined up.
When is payment due?
For vacant stagings, payment is due in full, 3-5 business days before staging. For an occupied staging consultation, payment is due prior to the consultation. Some Realtors offer a staging consultation as a service to their sellers, and they pay for our initial consultation.
Should you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to call (833) TO STAGE or email us at Noleen@NBDesigns.com.