HOME STAGING TODAY & ITS EVOLUTION
THE BEIGE GAME
I remember the first time I experienced home staging in the late 1990s. The home was so elegantly furnished you wondered what fabulous person lived there. The dining room was set for a lavish dinner party with chargers, plates and beautifully folded napkins and everything sparkled. It was like a lovely beige showroom. The effect was powerful!
Though, at that time, the staging was dazzling, the same approach would not be as effective in a listing today. Back then, staging was used to neutralize and depersonalize the home so the greatest number of people will find it appealing. Cue the beige sofas, Swiss Coffee coffee walls and pops of the same accent color in every room.
TODAY’S BUYERS ARE
SAVVY
Buyers today are less moved by clean, depersonalized homes in beige, beige, beige.
In fact, these days if a seller hasn’t taken the time to at least declutter and remove highly personal items, such as taxidermy and their sexy vacation photos from above the bed, that home is going to have a more difficult journey on the market.
Consider it “the backlash after beige” or just the evolution of an industry, but buyers today are not dazzled as I was in the 1990s by the beige showroom.
ENTER THE MODERN HOME STAGER
Today’s home stagers are taking things to the next level. They operate as social scientists, psychologists and, yes, designers. The most effective stagers know that to reach savvy buyers, we must give them something that reaches them on a deeper level, something with a point of view…
We must present an aspirational lifestyle in order to move them. And, though we may use beige in our staging, the choice is intentional and part of a strategy to reach buyers, rather than to neutralize the home.
THE BEST HOME STAGERS DESIGN FOR THE IDEAL BUYER
Will targeted staging appeal to every buyer? No, but that’s the point.
The best home stagers are not playing to the masses as they once did.
They are speaking specifically to the ideal buyer for each property and designing for them; making the property feel like the place where the ideal buyer belongs, so they fall in love.
And, targeting the primary customer, ideal buyer, or micro-segment is good business 101. Harvard Business Review is rife with articles on the topic.
WHAT IT TAKES TO STAGE A HOME FOR THE IDEAL BUYER
As you may have guessed, this tailored approach to home staging is more complex than the beige formula. Targeting the ideal buyer requires a more custom approach for each home. This changes the entire model of a home staging business and what goes into a successful project.
Many stagers are collectors and curators. They spend their time at antique shows and consignment shops hunting for one-of-a-kind treasures that will help make the properties they stage feel like homes people actually live in.
THESE HOMES STAGERS…
Follow design trends (but are never slaves to them).
Hone their ability to put just the right amount of what’s new along side what’s classic to create a balanced design.
Understand what timeless pieces will make their ideal buyers feel nostalgic.
Create little “wow” and “ahhhh” moments throughout their projects, to reel us in.
They are true creatives who make design magic.
DESIGN CHOICES
MADE EARLY ON HAVE
AN IMPACT
Making solid design choices from the start will influence the buyer and increase your bottom line.
Does it help if the home itself has its own charm?
I wish I could say - “nah, that doesn’t matter.” But YES - IT DOES.
Developers, builders, flippers - in case you didn’t know, the choices you make in finishings and home design have huge impact.
Some of you are creating masterpieces that will stand the test of time and thrill buyers for generations.
The key is to be thoughtful about where you can add charm and character to your projects, and this doesn’t require additional spend.
GREAT STAGERS
In the end, when you choose a stager, consider working with one who understands the buyer you are trying to attract.
Stagers are masters at this. The talent in the staging industry is immense and sellers and agents should take every advantage of it!
