Homeowners are becoming more aware of home staging due to the popularity of television shows such as "The House Doctor", “Designed to Sell”, and "Take This House and Sell it". While home staging allows a house to sell more quickly and for more money, it is not restricted to just selling your house.

If you feel that your space is too small or crowded to have guests stay overnight, staging can create a light and spacious environment for you and your guests.

There are 4 important steps to staging a home; reorganize, repair, refresh and ready for arrival.

Reorganize:

By de-cluttering, reorganizing furniture and reusing what you already have, you can make a room feel spacious and welcoming.

· Strip the room of all accessories, ensure larger pieces of furniture are arranged efficiently then add back only the necessary accessories.

· Ensure that there are 5 to 10 hangers (not wire)in the closet and at least one or two drawers available in the dresser.

· Provide a folding TV tray or at least lay out a large towel for guests to place their luggage on.

· Be sure curtains and/or shades provide appropriate privacy and light control.

· Add an upholstered chair and an ottoman with a basket of reading material.

· Provide an overhead light for general illumination, and reading lights beside the bed and sitting area.

· Ensure there is a wall mirror, wastebasket, box of tissues, alarm clock, radio, extra pillows and blankets, paper, pens and pencils

Repair:

Survey the room. What do you see? A scuff mark here, some paint chipped there?

· If the mattress is not of top quality and you cannot afford to replace it, add a mattress-topper and new pillows.

· Steam clean or slip-cover the chair.

· Buff wood floors and/or steam clean carpets.

· Touch up paint or repair wallpaper.

· Fix closet and cupboard doors that do not work properly.

· Replace any broken light fixtures/bulbs.

Refresh:

Cleaning and primping the room will bring it to life.

· Wash walls.

· Clean window inside and out.

· Polish wood furniture.

· Provide clean, coordinated linens, comforter and pillows.

· Place a framed picture of you and your guests in their room, as a personal touch.

Ready for arrival:

Adding those personal touches will say “Welcome”.

· Create a personalized welcome note with some pertinent information:

a Your home security code, cell and work phone numbers, etc.

a Your normal schedule (“we usually eat breakfast at 7:30am and additional details like where you keep the iron and ironing board

· Turn on lights, leave shades up and window coverings open

· Put out…

a A tray with bottled water and glasses

a A small basket of fresh fruit, candies, chocolates, cookies, crackers or nuts.

a A vase of freshly-cut flowers

· Stand at the doorway and survey the room. If anything is out of place, you’ll spot it and can make that last minute adjustment.

Now, enjoy the visit!

Jamie Ford, Creative Director

Staged Productions

(905) 235-1610

Info@StagedProductions.com

www.StagedProductions.com