How Much Staging Does a Home Need to Be “Well-Staged?”

Bonus Question:  “What Can You Skip?”

I don’t know that there’s a rule of thumb — or a formula — for determining exactly when a home is (very) well-staged.

The closest I’ve got is this:  “A home is well-staged when all of its unique attributes are optimally identified and showcased, and any Achilles’ Heels have either been muted or — ideally — eliminated.”

Which just begs the question, “Exactly what the $%#@&! is THAT?”

Potter Stewart’s Definition

It all sort of recalls Justice Potter Stewart’s line about pornography, in an obscenity lawsuit before the Supreme Court.

“I can’t definite it (pornography)”, he averred. “But, I know it when I see it.”

Similarly, at a minimum, a well-staged home should show off the home’s entry; Dining, Living and Family Rooms; Kitchen; and Master Bedroom.

If the home has an actual Owner’s Suite (private master bath), it should show those off as well.

Ditto such features as a Home Office or Exercise Room; lower level Amusement Room; screened Porch; and any backyard deck or Patio.

Staging extends outside, too: painting the front door, cutting back landscaping, adding (or repainting) window shutters are also cost-effective ways to punch up a home’s curb appeal.

Judgment Call(s)

So, should the whole house be staged, each and every time?

That’s a judgment call.

If the home is still occupied, and the owner’s furnishings are flattering . . . why not?

However, if the home is vacant — meaning it needs either virtual or analog (old-fashioned) staging — I usually stop short of doing anything redundant.

Proof in the Pudding

So, to pick an example, once Bedroom #2 of a four Bedroom home is staged, there’s often not much gained by also staging Bedrooms #3 and #4.

That’s especially true if the other Bedrooms are similar in size and features (windows, ceiling height, etc.).

Bottom line:  when a home is truly well-staged, it just “pops.”

Such homes invariably will get compliments (from colleagues, prospective Buyers, their agents, etc.), but more importantly . . . they get offers! 

See also, “Realtor Compliments.”

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