Staging Company San Jose: The Difference Between Effective and Ineffective

There is a difference between a "good" and "bad" home staging. Unfortunately, many investors and sellers do not know the difference, and they end up wasting money on poorly done stagings that do not maximize the value and offers on their homes.

There are some common staging mistakes that diminish the quality of the staging or worse, fail to improve the home's value at all:

1) Too many pieces of furniture, too large furniture, or out-of-date patterns, colors, and styles. When rooms are crowded and unattractive, staging defeats the purpose of staging to sell -- making them look larger and more appealing to buyers so they can envision living in it and enjoying it.

2. Art that hangs too high or is too small or the wrong color. Small art ends up looking like clutter in photos. Art should enhance and dramatize a room.

3) Poor accessorizing using outdated items, small items, too many different colors, or the wrong number or size of items, which tends to make a room look unbalanced and messy to buyers. Alternatively too much white in a room with no contrast to add interest will not emotionally appeal to buyers.

4) Too-small area rugs that look like scatter rugs under coffee tables or dining tables -- the legs of tables and chairs should fit comfortably within the area rug's outside margins. Rugs should meet up with the legs of sofas and chairs in living rooms or they should completely hide under them.

5) Poor lighting, which makes rooms appear colder. It is surprising how many homes lack table and/or floor lamps that both decorate the space as accessories and most importantly, illuminate the rooms to give them a better appearance. Light and bright is a common staging companies San Jose.

6) Heavy or frilly/fussy window treatments. I recommend removing these both to reflect current trends and to lighten up rooms. This can be avoided with panel drapes, provided the colors of the draperies are neutral or at least work well with the colors in the room and they are kept to one side so as to let as much light in as possible.

7 ) Small or out-of-date accessories (such as cute plaques and roosters in the kitchen, or tiny soaps and florals in the bathroom).

8) Small plants plopped in corners. Plants -- faux or real -- can add warmth and fill in empty corners, as long as they are large enough to make a statement and not look silly.

Stagers should have the following qualities:

It is essential to have a solid understanding of furniture and accessory sizes and numbers appropriate to each room in order to help buyers visualize the best use and maximize the space in the room.

2) A good design eye for colors -- the best color scheme that works with existing items and finishes in the house but will also appeal to buyers, taking into account trends, geographical location, and seasons as well. Orange, red, navy, dark gray, bronze, for example, work better in colder months because they are warmer or more vibrant colors. Lighter greens, blues, teals, yellows are great summer colors IF they work with the existing decor.

3) Knowledge of design trends. An effective home stager needs to know the "hot" colors, furniture styles to use in vacant homes (transitional for many areas, more modern styles for many cities), and trends in accessories and bedding.

4) Knowledge of how and where to hang art, the appropriate size for each room and wall, and the correct color to use in each room.

5) Membership in a staging association like RESA is important, as well as education in staging company San Jose.