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A House is not just a
House... It's a Living, Breathing Thing! It has a Soul.
One topic not
mentioned often enough in the ever-changing world of home staging... I'll call
it the x-Factor. It's emotion. How can we engage the emotional part of the
decision-making process?
We are not just
talking about the staging touches, although that is important also. We ARE
talking about making your property irresistible by by creating an invisible
connection to the the seller, the neighborhood and even the neighbors. How do
we do that?
When my son and
daughter-in-law were house-hunting in the downtown Jacksonville historic area,
they ended up with 2 equally qualified house options. Both were the right size,
the right school district, same features and fenced backyard.
But one house had a
distinctive edge... a "Why We Love This House" home-made brochure.
The cover was a black and white photo of the homeowners strolling the baby to
the beautiful nearby Riverside Park. There was an immediate connection with the
owners.
The list inside the
brochure included right-brain things like,
1.
If you are upstairs
and all the doors are open, you feel like you are living in a treehouse. (The
house is surrounded by live oaks.)
2.
The 100 year-old house
was owned by one family for most of the 20th century and the builder/owner was
a master carpenter. (My son started to envision decades of Christmas
celebrations and Thanksgiving dinners in the living room and dining room .)
3.
There
are several secret passageways behind the closets. (The kids were thrilled.)
4.
Every 4th of July, the
neighbors all walk down to the river to watch the fireworks together. (They are
almost looking forward to meeting the neighbors.)
Etc. Etc. You get the
idea.
We have incorporated
this concept in our general recommendations to our staging clients. Only the
homeowner can create this list. It's personal.
Now, as you know, in
staging circles, we always recommend depersonalizing the house. We are not
changing that advice.
But we do like to see
a few pictures of the homeowners (GASP), especially if they are enjoying the
amenities of the neighborhood. We ask them to share their favorite unique
features of the house and the location.
Another homeowner's
"Why We Love This House" list described the lovely resort-like
setting in the backyard. They described having a glass of wine every afternoon
on their comfy porch overlooking the quaint lagoon that was connected to the
IntraCoastal Waterway.
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The list mentioned the
grand kids who were able to fish on the edge of the water and even catch
beautiful blue crabs certain times of the year. A blue crab motif was used in
staging the kitchen. Don't you love it!
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"It's never
too late to be what you might have been." George Elliot
*We have an opening in
next week's class, the 23rd - 25th. Let me know if you can jump in at the last
minute for a big discount. 904-945-0093
*Also, we are planning
an Advanced Class in the fall. More info to come next month.
*Take the online class
while it's on sale. ONLINE CLASS INFO
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Thank you for joining us.
Becky
