Years ago, my husband and I were on a whirlwind house shopping tour of northern Virginia. We looked at a lot of houses in a very short time. We had a short-hand way of referring to the homes we had visited when discussing the options. One was the multi-level deck house, one was the palatial bathroom house and one was unfortunately, THE PINK BRA house. The owners of this house were clearly overwhelmed and didn't have time to pick up the laundry. And they had left some pretty intimate laundry on the floor of the master bathroom. It's amazing how that one detail became the brand for that house.
In marketing this phenomenon is called "positioning". Much money and countless hours are spent creating advertising that positions a product in your brain. You see a little leaf on a box of detergent and you think- "environmentally friendly". Advertisers know that we even associate certain colors with cleanliness, healthiness, fun, and even danger. So much time is spent "positioning" even a box of cereal that sells for under $5.00. How much thought goes into positioning a home for sale?
Realtors know a great deal about positioning. They have heard all the "pink bra" comments and know the impact first impressions have on potential buyers. It is very important to consider this when preparing your home for sale. Our goal as stagers is to position the house in the eye of the buyer as "home". How do we do this?
#1 First of all we remove the obstacles to that thinking.

How can someone picture this property as their home when all the family portraits remind them that they are in someone else's home?

#2 Remove personal collections

Large collections and memorabilia are also distractions. Our mantra is "declutter and neutralize". Think about a model home or upscale hotel. Both create the mood of luxury without personalization. In them, we don't feel like intruders, we feel at home.

#3 Create a feeling of luxury and nuetrality

Stagers work to create spaces where visitors can image themselves living, relaxing, and enjoying the home as their own. We put the emphasis back on the architecture and the dream of home ownership and away from the personal.

Consider consulting a professional home stager before your home or listing goes on the market. A small investment in time and money can make a large difference in the way your home is positioned in buyer's eyes.
Are you wondering- did we buy the pink bra house? No, we did not. I could not shake the feeling of being an intruder that I felt standing in that home. We ended up with the "Crazy Clean" house.

questions? You can reach me at commonwealthstaging.com