Anyone who knows me in my personal life or as a business client knows that I live and breath Home Staging and Interior Design. It’s in my blood. My parents are hardworking people that give 199% to their careers and their work ethic transferred to me for better or worse. I am also the first born, a people pleaser, and some have told me I have a way with telling stories; turning a not so fun situation into a funny life lesson. If I had a penny every times someone told me I should write a book, I would have a TON of pennies.
Now that we have created an amazing blog (and by “we” I mean Alyssa, my amazing Office Manager) it was mentioned that I should write a Home Staging post for people preparing their homes for sale that may not know a great deal about what Home Staging is all about. My hope is that you find this post an informative and safe place to ask questions, get answers, and if you get a chuckle every once in a while, that would be a bonus!
Elizabeth Erin Designs is going on our 9th year in business and we’re continuing to grow by the day. You can’t be in business for that long without learning a few things, so I am going to start out by giving you my number one Home Staging Tip:
MENTALLY TURN YOUR HOME INTO A HOUSE
Now that you have made the decision to put your property on the market you need to change the way you think of your home. What does that mean? A home belongs to someone and you can’t sell something that someone else owns. When you put your home on the market it is no longer a HOME, it is now a HOUSE, a tangible product that can be sold. Repeat this to yourself over and over until you believe it. It will save many arguments and tears down the road.
That being said, once you have made that mental transition from HOME to HOUSE it is easier to be open-minded, listening to professionals when they give advise about preparing your property for today’s market. For example, if you break your leg, your doctor will suggest getting a cast, taking it easy, along with taking pain relief medication. You would not hesitate to take these steps to ensure your body heals properly.
Use this same analogy for listen to professionals when listing your home. Listening to these professionals ensures that your equity is not compromised. It is your money and your money should work for you, so you need to do anything to protect it. Keep telling yourself “This is not my home any longer, it is a house”. If that doesn’t work, try saying it while sipping your favorite glass of wine, may I recommend Moscato?