Adult Enrichment Class

I teach a two-session enrichment class called “Home Staging to Sell,” at a local community college (Madison College) three times per year.  In just about every class, I get an inquiry about how to become a home stager.  I definitely recommend getting certified through Home Staging Resource (HSR).

Choosing paint colors

Class Outline

In the class, I cover the following topics:

  1.  The difference between home staging and decorating/interior design
  2.   How to position your furniture to enhance each room’s features and be more efficient
  3.   What paint colors to use and how to pick them using the color wheel and tones, tints, and shade
  4.   Listing photos do’s and don’ts
  5.   A class critique of each student’s home challenges

During one class, a student remarked that she wished we could actually stage a house.  While that would be logistically impractical, I offer some photos for you, the online reader, to comment on.

Realtor Showings

As a realtor with eXp Realty, I showed two houses recently.  Both were second showings for a couple who were deciding between the two.  Both were vacant, making it hard for the couple to visualize where their furniture might be placed.

Lately it seems that even in large homes the formal living room is getting smaller. Many of them are designed so that all four sides of the room have either an entrance, a window, a fireplace or a television making all options poor placement for a sofa. Open floor plans complicate things in that a sofa almost always has its back turned on something important.

If you were consulting on each house, where would you recommend the living room furniture be placed?

A few things to note:

  1.  There needs to be a walkway from the front entrance to the hallway, the kitchen, and the bedroom
  2.   Note where the electrical outlets are
  3.   The upper window blinds cannot be adjusted without a ladder
  4.   The fireplace is a focal point

There is no interior design law that requires your living room to contain a sofa.  Sometimes mixing it up is just what is needed.

Second House Showing

In this house, the fireplace is the focal point also, but it is on an angle.  You need to leave a walkway into the kitchen, to access the staircase, and to get to the front door.  There is a front living room window, but luckily, the side window is high enough to let in light without being blocked by furniture.

What style and furniture items would you choose?

Being a Home Stager

Being a home stager is more involved than you might think.  If you plan to stage vacant houses, you need to have contemporary furniture, accessories and artwork;  plus a warehouse; an inventory system; delivery personnel; a trailer; and competitive pricing.

If you plan to consult or stage only occupied homes, you need to visualize each room, then devise a plan to use some of the homeowner’s items in a pleasing manner.

In either case, home staging has to be a passion.  I love what I do, especially combined with my realty services of helping people buy or sell their homes.

Call Premiere Stagers & Realty for a consultation on paint colors, a re-design, or how to get your house ready to sell.  Or, you can sign up for my next “Home Staging to Sell” class at Madison College West on June 4th and 11th.