Home Staging

I met with a client tonight and we drove a loop from Sunnyside to Lake Stevens and back, trying to find that just-perfect house. From our initial list of five homes, we ended up looking at three. This is a client who makes it very easy: she knows exactly what she wants (and what she doesn't).

When we walked into the house just off Sunnyside, my immediate thought was, "This house is staged." From the perfectly plumped pillows to the ringed napkins on the table, not one item was out of place. Generally that tells me that listing agent has either hired a professional home stager, or decorated the house with his or her own furnishings. But rarely is it done on a scale we saw in this home.

To confirm my suspicions, usually all it takes is a quick peek in the fridge. Staged homes have empty fridges. So I took a peek … and saw food. Lots of food. Condiments, soda, leftovers … I slammed the fridge shut and turned to my client.

"Someone really lives here."

I have no idea how the owners manage to live in that perfectly-arranged house and give absolutely no sign of their existence (beyond the mustard and half-eaten sandwiches). But I was truly impressed.

I know how hard it can be to keep your house clean and ready when you're trying to sell. But just know that when you make that effort, it makes an impression on the buyer.

We may just be back.

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