Staging a House

So my blog posts have been less frequent lately for many reasons, one of which is that we have been in the process of selling our house. We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity coming up that I’m excited to tell you about! BUT, that’s for another post on another day.

Today, I just want to gush over HOUSE STAGING. Oh, the de-cluttering! The simplifying! The choosing “just the right” decoration! I’ve gotta tell ya, I caught the bug. (‘Need your house staged??)

We tried the whole FSBO thing and are so glad that we did. After a couple of last minute projects (okay, so we redid the basement), a yard sale, and a furious last-minute shoving-of-everything-stinky/ bulky/ personal into the van, we had a perfect offer and a sale! I know it’s not typically that easy in today’s market, but for us, the whole process was blown forward by the wind of God. The daffodils opened up just in time, our local mallard duck couple moseyed on over during a showing or two, and people just seemed to love our little home.

Of course, if you watch TLC, this is probably old news to you, but this non-cable-watcher found all kinds of house-staging tips online that inspired her socks off. Amongst my favorites:

* turn on all the lights in your house ahead of time and open all of the curtains and blinds (even on a sunny day, this brightened our already-bright house so that it looked like it was pleased-as-punch with itself)

* bake cookies (I really did this! Refrigerated cookie dough plopped into the oven 10 minutes before the next showing: yum!)

* remove everything personal: family photos, toothbrushes, etc. (help the buyers to imagine that the house is their own)

* right before the showing, get yourself a laundry basket, fill it with as much clutter and bulk as possible and stash it in your car. (Okay, so maybe I went overboard, but in the end I was glad that I totally cleared the bathroom of absolutely everything except for a bottle of hand soap. It looked amazing! Roomy! Like you could do the Rumba in there! I also was glad that I removed our laundry basket, diaper pail, and space-hogging toys.)

Though your car will be jam-packed to the ceiling, your house will look mighty fine. Of course, this car-cramming practice also helps a person to think twice before judging the station wagon parked next to them at McDonald’s: you know, the one that is packed floor-to-ceiling with just stuff? Well, now you’ll just imagine how immaculate that driver’s house might be because of it.

* open the windows, be warm and friendly, and let the good Lord decide who lives where

Needless to say, I was pretty high strung about the whole thing, and after I scoured the whole house, I banished all children from the premises. Viv asked if they would have to live outside for days. Good thing for her, the house sold in one.

Hallelujah! And what fun!