Home Staging Primer

Anyone out there a fan of the flipping houses TV shows like Property Ladder or Flip This House? If not, 'flipping' refers to a house & property purchase, remodel then quick-as-possible reselling at (hopefully) a large profit.

One of the reasons I like to watch the shows is to see how amateur flippers operate their remodel and how they botch the job! While the main goal is to fix the house as quickly as possible so as to keep mortgage payments at a minimum, the people on the show that are new to the industry seem to forget the goal of reselling it. They forget that they themselves are not going to live there; the remodel should attract the largest group of possible buyers.

How does this relate to organizing? Well, one area that many professional organizers work in is home staging (included myself) -- "part decorating, part marketing, part psychology, staging highlights your home's best features while downplaying any weaknesses, and helps buyers envision how wonderful it would be to live there" [Complete Idiot's Guide to Home Staging]. It involves the decluttering, space planning, repair work and decor before you list your house on the market.

In staging, you make the house attractive to others -- you are not choosing the layout or color scheme that you want, but that others would want. Some of the basic principles include: using neutral colors; ridding home of personal items such as photos; and, removing furniture and/or accessories to simplify and add space visually.

The added benefit to this decluttering process of staging is that when your house does sell, it is a lot easier to pack up and get ready for a move! Make your home an "orderly manor"!