Home staging makeovers turn rooms into stars

By Eric Czarnik
C & G Staff Writer

Realtors and experts in the housing industry report rumblings of improvement in the metro Detroit market. But it still takes planning, insight and preparation in order to make a home appealing to potential buyers — and home staging experts say they’re the ones to help.

Carolyn Stieger, owner of We Stage Greater Detroit, says more buyers are chasing fewer houses for sale compared to a year or two ago, and proper home staging puts home sellers in the position of receiving a higher acceptable offer, she said.

“It’s very important that people are staging their homes even though they look good,” she said. “If people are having problems … they really need to have them staged.”

According to home stagers, most lived-in rooms are not decorated in a way that lures potential buyers into envisioning the place as their own. With some clever rearrangements or additions, a home can show off its strong points in a more marketable manner.

“My philosophy through the years is to help a home,” she said. “It’s not in the decorating. It’s not in selling furniture. It’s really showcasing the square footage.”

Kathi Jones-Cutler of Max Broock Realtors in Birmingham said she stages and lists homes that often sell within 10 days — and at higher prices.

When staging for a sale, she tries to consider the buyer and the end user’s most likely age demographic.

“The age is huge because your design and décor all revolves around that demographic — you’re not going to sell a 30-year-old house that looks like grandma’s house with antiques and doilies all over. They just cannot see past that.”

Although a home should never look vacant, a clean, de-cluttered one with tasteful decorations is most universally appealing, she said.

Jones-Cutler also said home stagers often encourage sellers to depersonalize rooms full of family photos, diplomas and other personal goods. Those items are often too distracting for home shoppers who want to see the place’s space and key amenities. Children’s toys also should be stored away, she added.

Stieger said it’s important to strike a balance between a cluttered, over-decorated room and an empty one. She said sellers shouldn’t crowd out guests or oversell strong points, but they should add enough features to make a home feel warm and inviting.

“You’re not preparing a model home — you’re preparing your home,” she said. “I’ve gone into homes ... they’ve got it down to bare bones, and now it’s cold and sterile.”

Stieger said a good home stager adds hints of color, art and other visual attractions to direct the eye toward a home’s key selling points or assets. For instance, if a family room has a lakeside window and a fireplace, the fireplace might get a piece of art above the mantle, and the window might get some red drapes.

In another case, white crown molding below the ceiling can pop out more if the ceiling is painted a tinted white or cream color, she added.

To reach We Stage Greater Detroit, visit www.westagegreaterdetroit.com or call (248) 322-4703.

Kathi Jones-Cutler of Max Broock Realtors in Birmingham can be reached at www.thecutlerteamsells.com or at (248) 345-7775.

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Eric Czarnik at eczarnik@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1058.