I will never forget when I was looking at homes for my growing family.  My daughter Melia, who was 4 at the time (now 15!), walks into a lovely home with me that had been staged by the Seller.  It was clean and tidy, but it was hard to see the house beyond the owner’s large furnishings.  Now, I’m trained to know how to see past things, but I’ve been doing this for nearly 2 decades!  But most can’t see through it.  As we were walking through, Melia holding my hand, she started to get worried.  “Mommy, this house doesn’t work.  There isn’t a kids room!” she said.  I smiled at her and said “Don’t be silly!  This room here (pointing to the room currently used as an office) or that one (the one with a sofa and storage boxes) would work.  She said “But where is the kids bed that we have seen at all of the other houses?  I don’t know where I would put my toys”  She just couldn’t wrap her head around how she could possibly make that into her room.

This is one of the many reasons to professionally stage.  An owner’s furniture sets the stage for “what is” whereas a Stager sets the stage for “what could be.”  In Melia’s experience with the house she could not see beyond the “what is” stage to envision “what could be.”

Many buyers feel the same way!!!  If the house is not presented to them in a way that makes them think “That is how I could make this work” they will likely pass it right up.  

Here is a really great example of the “What is” vs “What could be” idea:

In this first photo the Seller was not interested in paying for staging, at least not initially.  The basement had been converted into an in-law unit.  The concrete floors and low ceilings already made it feel like a basement, and with a mattress on the floor it didn’t feel like a cozy space where guests or tenants would want to live.  Once we staged it brought a light and airy feeling to the space where someone could actually visualize living there.

What is	What could be

 

In this next example, the owners used their 2nd bedroom as an office.  When we went to shoot the photo it was hard to get a sense of what the room was because there was some unusually shaped furniture in it.  Once we staged it it was easy to see, and feel, what this room was and how it could be used.

What is	What could be

 

In this last example you can really see the importance of having furniture that fits for the photo and space.  The seller had a dining room table and chairs, two sofas, and a desk in the living room.  The photo on the right includes the exact same furniture pieces, plus two additional chairs, but they are sized for the space. 

What is	What could be

 

If you were scrolling through photos, and the photo on the left showed up, do you think you would be able to see it for what it is, or what it could be?