When potential buyers view your listing, they want to be able to easily move through the space and quickly understand the function of each room. It helps them to imagine what it would be like to live there.
 

To interrupt that flow with a question as to what the room is supposed to be only works against you as the seller.
 

Keep it simple by staging your rooms back to their original purpose.
 

Here’s an example. In a Garrison Green property we provided a staging consultation for, the sellers were not using the dining room for that purpose. They had no need given their lifestyle and preferred to use the space for a more practical use instead. Made sense.
 

But when it came time to present the property to potential buyers, we recommended that they display bedroom furniture so that buyers could easily see that a space for their kids or guests to rest exists.
 

Despite what the listing details say, buyers usually remember what they see. So if the listing says it’s a four bedroom house but only two bedrooms are staged as bedrooms, it’s quite possible that what they will remember is that there weren’t enough bedrooms for them (even though that’s not true).
 

Keep it simple for potential buyers. Present rooms as their original purpose. Your efforts to sell will be more simple in return.
 

Want more of our home staging tips? Stay in touch. Follow Set Your Stage on Twitter.

If pictures speak a thousand words, will your listing photos tell a story of your house for sale being a dream or a drag? Swap out your existing furniture with staging furniture to completely transform the feeling of your rooms. With rental furniture, it’s simple to kick it up a notch to create a memorable first impression that appeals to buyers.
 

Our before and after photos of a home we staged in Springbank Hill Calgary make it easy to see the impact of renting staging furniture when it’s time to sell.
 

Especially in the main rooms of the house, you want to stage to appeal to what the potential buyers would like, not what you do.
 

So in a living room where buyers would use the space to entertain guests, it’s important to present a more upscale look that they can feel proud of. Quite often, the furniture that we live with (whether we still have hand me down pieces or ones that suit our personal style and preferences) is not ideal. That’s where staging furniture can really add a wow factor.
 

In our Springbank Hill example, we moved the owners’ existing large dark furniture downstairs into the man cave/media room where a more casual and cozy atmosphere made more sense. To replace it and create a more formal feel in the living room, rented staging furniture, art, and accessories add a designer touch.
 

Which version of the room, before or after staging, do you think would appeal most to potential buyers and be memorable?
 

After staging several rooms in this home with rented staging furniture that was selected and arranged to create impact, this staged home sold fast. It paid to kick it up a notch.
 

For more examples of the power and impact of staging, take a look at the Set Your Stage Facebook albums featuring many before and after photos of the various homes and condos that we’ve successfully staged to sell. Let our experienced team stage YOUR home with staging furniture and accessories that will appeal to potential buyers in your Calgary neighbourhood!
 

When it comes to preparing your home or condo for sale, you may be wondering how much furniture you should leave (or add) in each room for optimal impact. It’s sort of like in the story of Goldilocks and the three bears. Not too little. Not too much.
 

Your goal is “just right”. So what does that mean?
 

A staging professional can walk through your home and guide you toward your “just right”, specifying how much furniture makes sense in your space (as well as its ideal placement). These low cost staging consultations are a popular choice for home sellers who aren’t hesitant to implement the staging suggestions themselves.
 

Often, less is more. It’s not uncommon that I will suggest that sellers remove furniture from their rooms (like I did for this McKenzie Towne property which is now sold).
 

I’m not talking about pure minimalism. And I don’t suggest leaving rooms empty. You want to:

• show enough furniture to clearly identify the purpose of the room,
• suggest the ideal furniture layout,
• create a sense of spaciousness and ease in movement, and
• leave enough space for potential buyers to understand that their own furniture could fit when they move in.

Use art and accessories to add life, but don’t overdo it.
 

Check out the Set Your Stage Facebook albums to view before and after photos of the various homes and condos that we’ve successfully staged to sell. Let our experienced team help you decide how much furniture is “just right” when it’s time to sell your Calgary property!
 

At Set Your Stage in Calgary, we love using area rugs for our house and condo staging jobs. While you may choose to decorate your own home with an ornate or multi-coloured rug that you love, when it comes to staging your property to sell, we recommend that you swap it out for something neutral.
 

When potential buyers view your listing for the first time, they have a lot to look at. A lot to distract them.
 

Staging helps to ensure that their eyes are drawn to the features you want to highlight. But when you place a “busy” area rug in a room, it has the potential to become a focal point in itself, and therefore a distraction from the important elements that you want buyers to notice~ and remember.
 

That’s why we keep area rugs neutral when we stage our clients’ homes.
 

As you can see in the examples of our professionally staged living rooms, neutral area rugs serve the purpose of grounding and unifying the space, making it feel more comfortable. But they don’t compete for attention. Instead, the neutral area rugs quietly fade away into the bigger story of the room.
 

That allows fireplaces and windows for natural lighting, features that buyers are looking for, to become the focal points.
 

So keep your area rugs neutral for staging and add pops of colour and texture in art and accessories to highlight key features.
 

For more examples of the power and impact of staging, take a look at the Set Your Stage Facebook albums featuring many before and after photos of the various homes and condos that we’ve successfully staged to sell. Let our experienced team stage YOUR home for potential buyers in your Calgary neighbourhood!