People have been asking us what we’ve been doing to “stage” our house. Short answer: not much. Well, besides generally cleaning things within an inch of their life and stashing some items in the car a la this method. But we haven’t put any large furnishings in storage, repainted any walls or ceilings, removed any personal items like photos or wall art, or done any of the other tricks that we’ve heard through the HGTV grapevine (though I’m sure a professional stager would probably advise us to do some – if not all – of those things to some extent). We figure if people see a house that’s clean yet personalized and obviously well loved and lived in, it might be more interesting than a house that has been stripped of all personality and evidence that it has been enjoyed and appreciated. At least that’s our point of view at the moment. And thankfully we’ve had a few really promising showings so we’ll keep you posted if our approach ends up working out.
That being said, there is one pretty obvious change that we did end up making. We took a good hard look at the rug in the kitchen…
… and decided to nix it.
Even though that’s an old “before” photo from our old camera above, we realized the Company Store rug that graces our kitchen floor was doing us a disservice when it came to selling. It not only covered up the hardwood floors (hello selling point!) it also made the space feel less open in person (by creating a big definitive rectangle on the floor). Sure we loved it for the fun texture and softness underfoot, but because people aren’t buying a rug (they’re buying a house), we realized it was probably a smart call to roll it up and stuff it under our bed. Here’s what the room is looking like these days (this pic’s taken with the new camera, hence the longer shot, different lighting, slightly different angle, etc):
You’ll probably also notice that we removed some of the cute kitchen-y items on the counters to declutter things and show off another selling point in there- our granite counters. After all, we’re definitely not peddling a cutting board or a bowl of tomatoes, so we want to be sure the real features of the room are the ones that get noticed.
Oh, and our bathroom caught the rug-removal bug too. Gotta show off that marble tile, right? (Don’t worry, we bring out our rug friend when we shower so we don’t bite it on the aforementioned marble tile).
Maybe if none of our upcoming showings work out we’ll decide to try a few other “staging” tricks. Do you guys have any house-selling tips (or superstitions) that you wholeheartedly believe in? Or anything that you don’t think is worth the trouble?
I’m totally not an expert on selling homes but I’ve been a buyer before and I love your house as-is!
I think your house is staged perfectly fine the way it is. I don’t necessarily agree with the ‘no personal items’ theory. Sure you don’t want to walk in and see a cluttered mess of pictures, but that doesn’t mean that things like the wall of photos/art in Clara’s room should be taken down. I think that any of Sabrina Soto’s rules could be broken, if done tastefully.
When we were selling, the only rule we followed was to move our cats out for showings. We just moved them out entirely before our place went on the market to not have litter boxes around and also so that we’d be comfortable having people come when we weren’t there. I don’t trust strangers around my babies! :)
I think a house that smells like yummy baked goods sells best. Put some cookies in the oven. They smell great, and southern hospitality never hurts.
P.S. move that house on over to central Alabama and it’s sold! I’ll take it! :)
I don’t have any tips (we just bought our first house a year ago, and I just realized that I only set foot inside one of the houses we considered, and that was the one we bought). I think the kitchen does look a lot more open without the rug, though, and of course it shows off the wood. Good luck!!
just watched the video of your appearance on the Nate show….great tips you guys! isn’t he the best? i was lucky to be an audience member awhile back and it was such a fun experience!
Ahhhhhh- it must have been on early in your region. Sooooooo nervous!!!
xo,
s
Someone, please, buy their house so they can start blogging about decorating again and making their new house a ‘home.’
Love the staging tips. I think the rug removal made a big difference. So have your recent prospective buyer known about your blog or not? I’ve been wondering!
Also, if The Nate Show doesn’t air in Richmond how do you plan to view it today! Can hardly wait!
xo,
Sarah
Hey Sarah,
We disclose the blog to every potential buyer because we figure they have a right to know that pics of the house with our furniture will remain online. Thankfully everyone has been excited so it has been a non issue. As for the show, we thankfully have a technologically advanced relative who is sending us the episode online. Here’s hoping we can post a clip for people (just have to get clearance from the show).
xo,
s
I think your house is fine for showing as-is. The houses on HGTV garbage stacked in their dining room and blood red walls so they tell them to tone it down. You’ll be just fine :)
I totally agree with your approach. We are doing the same. We are leaving some well placed personal touches as is. Including our 1 year old’s toys. We are however making sure they are tidied up in nice looing boat bags. I make sure Teddy’s head is poking out to say hi. Maybe a sentimental mom will fall in love with our place because of some of those touches.
Wouldn’t it be great if the right buyers moved in: people who wouldn’t mind doing a guest blog post about how they’d made your old house their home? Maybe it’s something you could offer up casually after the sale’s been made… You wouldn’t want to pressure anybody, but for many people it’s a chance to show off “the new place” would be a nice addition to a housewarming gift.
We just sold our place after almost two months on the market (and only two showings). Not sure if what we did helped or not, but we buried a statue of St. Joseph in the front garden, cleared out all our pets and burned some scented candles before showings, and had fresh flowers in the house. We also did some serious decluttering – filling up two or three big rubbermaid bins with personal effects and photos, and moving out a few pieces of furniture to open up some rooms. I think you made a good call on pulling the rugs, your floors are really shown off that way! Good luck!
A house with the least clutter would definitely appeal to me – the house we bought was SO clean and so clutter-less!
I’m watching you guys on Nate RIGHT NOW! (In my office at work…shhhhhhh)
wow, the kitchen looks way bigger and open and clear. well done i think that was a great move.
Your house looks great the way it is. You don’t have to change a thing:)
When my parents were selling their old house, my mom would bake chocolate chip cookies so the house would smell super yummy when people walked through during showings.
Besides that, they buried a St. Joseph statue (which TOTALLY worked) upside down in the yard.
Wow–rugs are practical, but taking it out sure does make the kitchen space look huge! I’ve never bought or sold a thing, but I can’t imagine too many people looking at your house and thinking, “Oh, too much clutter–forget it!” I think people who view your home will be dropping little love letters on the entry table on their way out.
I’ve been wondering if you switched out the kitchen faucet so you didn’t have those holes. It looks like you didn’t. Are you going to leave the old faucet for the new owners just in case?
Hey Nichole,
Yup, so far everyone is enamored with the touch faucet but we’d consider leaving the old faucet if they were going to use it (and would probably take the touch one with us if that was the case). No need for two kitchen faucets right?
xo,
s
I love your house and think it’s perfectly “staged” even though I’m not a fan that word… It looks like a fun, spunky couple with great taste and pride in their homeownership lives there! Who ever buys it will know without a doubt that the home was well taken care of and full of love. :)
There’s something to be said for “staging” but I think sometimes the random bowl of decorative orbs, rented corporate furniture and the Plug-It-In home fragrance are a little much! :) Sorry Sabrina Soto, I love you, but.
Good luck with the sale!
Wow. Just taking that rug out made a huge improvement. The kitchen looks much bigger and brighter. Nice.
I’ve never sold a house, but I’m sure that yours will be desirable as-is. There was at least one house that we did not buy partly b/c of the personal taste of the owners. They had painted over and faux-finished the brick fireplace in gold leopard print and they had large photographs of themselves in every room. If it had been an otherwise perfect house, we might have bought it anyhow, but those things did make it hard to even consider whether it would work for us, b/c they were so distracting. I am very distractible though, and if there is stuff out to look at, I will look at it rather than the house.
Today is my first day at home after a 10 week long term sub position (I NEEDED a day off). I started flipping through the channels, and saw you all on TV! I remember seeing a blog post that you would be on Nate’s show, but never thought I’d be able to see it- you all have done great (it’s not over yet!). When we staged the house, we put dryer sheets on our filters for our heater (we were selling during the winter), it wasn’t overpowering like some candles were, but had a clean smell.
I am not sure if someone has told you this, but FYI if you go here http://www.thenateshow.com/videos/detail/435/nates-crate-one-hour-studio-challenge/ I just watched a several minute segment of you guys with the lampshade design, etc…
It’s amazing how removing a little rug opens up the space in a house. And it’s also amazing how potential buyers really look at how much space a house has. That’s the thing with my wife and I while looking – the houses that aren’t staged very well (mostly houses that are either in disarray like foreclosures and short sales) have a very small cramped feel to them, which is a turn off to someone moving in and wanting to start fresh in a house.
And I’ve heard 50/50 on personal items in a house. Sometimes, it’s nice to see that people live there. We find it charming to see pictures of the people who lived there, and to see signs of life. However, I agree with showing off your assets. Let those countertops shine! Let those hardwood floors glimmer! Don’t hide it, SHAKE WHAT YO’ MOMMA GAVE YA, HOUSE!
I think you guys are doing a great job of staging. I would be shocked if your house doesn’t sell pretty quickly. The only think I might suggest if you don’t get any serious nibbles (which, again, I’d be shocked), is packing up some of the chachkies and seldom-used accent furniture. It will not only help open up and neutralize the space, but will give you a head start on packing!
Selling tips from my mom, military wife of 43 years and multiple house owner/seller:
1. “Take the bulkiest items out of your closets. You are trying to show space and leave space visible takes the guess work out of it for your potential buyers. They will probably fill your closets with their guest bedding and winter coats, too, but you want to show them the closets have room to breathe. If they are full, even if they are very clean and tidy, buyers think ‘Will all of my stuff fit in there?!’ They should be thinking about the room, not the closet space.”
2. “Keep the yard pet-poop-free. People walk around yards if they are serious about the property. Clean your yard every day while you are on the market. You don’t want potential buyers stepping in something awful, or worse, unknowingly tracking it back into your house.”
3. “Fresh flowers in as many rooms as possible. Everyone wants a life where they can have flowers as an everyday item in their home. Show them they can in your house.”
@ liz – coming from a catholic family – we have lots of superstitions like the one you posted! my aunt just recently listed and sold their house in a week by burying the st. joseph statue upside down in their back yard.
Your house looks fantastic with or without kitchen and bathroom rugs. The only selling tip I have is to place lots of fresh cut flowers in different rooms. They brighten up the space and make people feel very welcome. Good luck!
In my last house, we took away many of the family photos (not all) and still were happy with the personality of the house. It helped to tone down “us” but also allowed us to still feel at home since we didn’t strip the house completely. We sold two days after putting the house on the market in 2008 (we tried to sell by owner for 2-3 months first with no success). Your home is beautiful. I am certain you will find a buyer to come love on your house after you move on.
the smell of the house is HUGE for me as a buyer.
also, closet space. make sure nothing is on the floor of your closets so buyers can see just how much space there is.
I’m with you-
Our house is currently on the market and although it is very clean and de-cluttered, I refuse to take down all the wall art and paint the walls. We’ve got nothing but wonderful feedback so I’m sticking with this method. ;-)
Good luck and cheers to a quick sell!
My mom always said to have a pot of coffee brewing when people come over to look at your house—and it works… She’s sold two houses without a realtor!
My mom and I watch HGTV all the time and I love the staging shows. Usually, when a stager tells families to remove personal items, its generally when the person has really bad taste…and doesn’t know it! I think its a lot easier to tell the person to remove personal items than to say “your stuff is ugly, please take it down” LOL.
Your taste and style are widely liked, so I don’t think it will hinder you at all!
We put our house up for sale earlier this year. We only had 2 or 3 showings in about 6 weeks. And then one day, I decided remove our personal photos – pare down our accessorizing a bit more. Maybe it was mere coincidence, but the showing after that got us our offer and sale!
One thing I’ve figured out by trial and error is that when you walk through a door, if there is an un-interrupted path to a window, the room feels HUGE! Whenever possible, I don’t place furniture directly under a window, especially if it’s the only one in the room. Try it and you’ll see what I mean!
FYI – there is a clip up at the Nate Berkus website.
http://www.thenateshow.com/videos/detail/435/nates-crate-one-hour-studio-challenge/
We just accepted an offer on our house after having only had it on the market for 27 days! We rolled up rugs like you did and took down family pictures. We left all the artwork up and cleared off surfaces. Also, I have a couple scentsy air fresheners that smell like cookies and holidays that I turned on to add back in some of that warmth. I’d say it worked! Good luck!
I haven’t invested in rugs for the new house yet (too too indecisive!!!) but now you’re making me want to forgo them alltogether! haha! Going sans rug really did open up the space in the kitchen and the bathroom tile — oh. my. gawd! love it
You guys are such a bad influence on me =) and by bad, I mean awesome! =)
xoxo
Loved seeing you two on Nate (aired down here in Hampton Roads at 9am on Fox BTW).
I also enlisted the help of St. Joseph. Not normally superstitious, or an enlister of Saint help, but our house sold within 30 days after St. Joe went in! We did say a prayer together as a family when we buried him because if we didn’t sell we would have been separated for awhile (DH was in military at the time). Hey – it can’t hurt!
I know your house looks fantastic compared to the majority of houses on the market!
Good luck to you!
That marble tile reminded me…is the real reason you’re moving so that John can avoid having to reseal the grout? It sounded good in theory, right? :)
Hey Kim,
Haha, sealing grout is the easiest thing we tackled in that bathroom Reno! We’ll happily do that for the rest of our life. But gutting a room with mortar and metal in the walls… that was a bit more challenging!
xo,
s
When we sold our house we decluttered and then cleaned, cleaned, cleaned, cleaned to make sure it stayed in tip top condition. Not an easy task with a 14 month old around! We “staged” our house by minimizing the clutter (similar to what you have done in the kitchen) but keeping out a few personal pictures and sentimental items. The couple who bought our house actually commented that our personal items HELPED them to envision themselves being happy and raising a family there, in part because we had similar interests (the other part was because our home improvement projects had really updated the place compared to others in our price range). We had always said that we would end up selling our house to “us, just 7 years younger” and that is exactly who ended up buying our first home!
The floors look great sans rugs! That simple change definitely shows off the great continuity and flow of your home.
I love the tip about baking before or while someone is seeing the house. You guys usually have fresh flowers and fruit out anyway which is another nice touch that makes a good impression. You are not cluttery people so I don’t think your personal belongings will hinder you at all. I am sooo rooting for you guys to sell soon so that you can move on to bigger and better things! I love the blog and am so excited about the future projects in the new house. :)
Oh yeah! And I totally forgot about burying a St. Joseph statue. My mom passed along the little statue she used when selling my grandparents’ house. Maybe it was praying to him that sold our house.
We had to move cross-country before the sale was final and I didn’t want to jinx it by digging up St. Joseph too early. After we closed, I had my friend drive over to the house and she had a heck of a time trying to find the statue in the mulch. And this was after the new people had moved in. She was so afraid she was going to get caught digging around in their new yard, hehe!
I’ve also heard about burying the St. Joseph statue upside down. When we sold our first house, we left all our personal photographs intact. We also did not repaint anything. Our house was on a lake and the decorating style was very rustic. Our realtor assured us that the decorating was a plus in that situation. We had one showing and an accepted offer in three days. Of course, it was a different market back then, but I don’t neccesarily agree with all of the home staging tips. I’d agree that your house is great as is. Good luck!
Good call! Definitely no need to hide those gorgeous hardwood floors.
Having moved 10+ times we’ve always made sure to do two things (besides the obvious cleaning): 1) make sure natural light is coming in all the windows and accent lights are all turned on (brings a warmth to every room), and 2) bake and leave a plate of cookies for each showing (small batches are fine); people love this! So there are my two cents. :-)
I wondered if you have a timeframe for renovating the eventual new house? It took you four years (ish?) to get your house to its current awesome state, do you think you’ll take that long on the new house? Do you think you’ll be able to go from living in a lovely finished home to living amindst renovation rubble and crappy fixtures? For the sake of the blog, it would seem better to stretch out your new-home renovation projects, but for the sake of life with a baby it seems like it would be better to get stuff done fast!
Hey Robin,
Great question! We actually never believe in rushing any major house changes. If we hadn’t lived in our house for 6 months before tackling the kitchen we never would have thought of moving the dining room into the living room and sealing off the door to the old dining room to create a third bedroom (which afforded us the room for an entire wall of cabinetry and the addition of a dishwasher). We definitely plan to go slow and steady while we acquire new furniture and select new paint colors and make our house a home. We figure the process will be similar to the way we did things in this house since that worked out so well for us. We’re not scared at all to live in a work-in-progress house as we DIY our way around it. Heck that’s our preference! You know we love a project…
xo,
s
Your house looks fantastic. I like the change of the rug removal.
We have sold two houses, both within a couple of weeks of going on the market and we never removed our personal pictures. I think balance is the key. As a buyer I dont notice a few personal effects. Also, we actually have a lot of stuff (we are working on simplifying), so we did move some of it into a storage room when selling our other houses. But you guys definitely dont have the clutter problem.
We are selling now also, but our market is tough. Wishing you a quick and prosperous sell!!
Just watched The Nate Show! It airs at 10AM here in NW Indiana.
You guys were GREAT!! Oh, and Sherry… your complexion is to die for!!
Aw thanks for all the Nate comments and links everyone. We’re insanely jittery and nervous and excited to see the show! And being the vain person that I am I’m worried that the TV will add ten pounds (and my loose flowy shirt choice won’t do me any favors). Oh the things we worry about.
xo,
s
My father-in-law is from Greece and he’s shared lots of superstitious with us, but we’ve only adopted one… Before occupying a new home, you should sprinkle salt all over it to ward off evil, however, my very practical father-in-law suggested that we “give” our house a vessel of salt instead. He claims that this will still ward off lurking evil spirits, but will also bring us continued good luck in other home matters: like fertility, home repairs, and resale value. He also pointed out that it “won’t make a big salty mess”. We haven’t tried selling our house or having a baby yet, but in four years we’ve only had one very minor home repair. So far so good!