Home Staging Tips: Beauty is in the Eye of the Buyer

In 2006, at the height of the housing bubble, I remember viewing a one-bedroom condo near downtown Brooklyn priced at $395,000 — which was considered a “steal” at the time. Its advertisement boasted of hardwood floors and bay windows. However, upon my arrival, the “original” hardwood floors were hidden under a dingy rug, and the seller had failed to mention that the bay window had a prime view of a brick wall.

 

As I gazed at the burgundy red walls and the owner’s collection of ceramic basset hounds, which stared back at me in each room, my real estate agent received a text message. Despite the lack of effort that went into showing potential buyers the apartment, an offer had just been accepted. The apartment had been in the market for only eight days. Bummer.

 

Since then, the tables have turned. Home prices in the city have declined dramatically, according to Streeteasy.com, and apartments are taking longer to sell, with an average of 135 days on the market — giving buyers more time to weigh their options and negotiate.

 

Fort Greene and Clinton Hill aren’t immune, despite the wonderful amenities that the neighborhoods have to offer. Prior to the housing bubble bursting, homeowners didn’t have to do much in order to sell, said Nichole Thompson-Adams, a Realtor at the Corcoran Group’s Fort Greene office. Now, sellers have to work harder to make sure their home stands out.

 

“It’s like a beauty pageant,” said Ms. Thompson-Adams. “If you want to be crowned as Miss Universe, you need to show the judges what makes you special.”

 

“Home staging” — the preparation of an apartment to show it to buyers — is increasingly important, she said. The key to home staging is to showcase your property in its most favorable light.

 

“If you want to show that your property is modern and elegant, then stage it with modern furniture and minimal pieces, ” she said.

 

Studies show that staged homes tend to sell faster and sellers receive more offers within their asking price. The average cost of home staging can range from $500 to upwards of $4,000 to get it “show ready.”

 

With the importance of staging in mind, here are three tips on staging your home to sell it:

 

1) It’s not about you, it’s about the buyer.

 

What you may consider tasteful may not be to the buyer’s taste. The fact of the matter is, interior décor is subjective. The living room painted chocolate brown with one big red stripe in the middle may be a proud do-it-yourself moment for you, but it may give the buyer flashbacks to a slasher scene with Freddie Krueger. Your best bet is to keep it simple with neutral plain colors.

 

2) It’s all about a room’s “star” feature.

 

Maximize your home’s best features by accentuating them. Draw more attention to a fireplace, for example, by mounting a wrought iron sculpture right above it. You can also minimize the room’s least appealing feature, like a window directly facing into a neighbor’s bathroom, by using a stained glass window decal to block the view.

 

3) Less is more.

 

Get rid of all clutter. I repeat, get rid of ALL clutter. Although you may be proud of your 30-year record collection, or photographs taken at last year’s 10-year family reunion, those items take up space. The less you have on display, the more the potential buyers can envision themselves living there.

 

Pictured above (top): 320 Washington after staging.

Pictured above (bottom): 81 Ryerson Street after staging.

 

Please click here to read the article on nytimes.com

 

Copyright © 2011 The New York Times Company. Reprinted with Permission.  Photos should be credited as follows: Laura Nash and Brett Beyer/The New York Times.