Staging turns cluttered, uninspired homes into dream pads. It also sells houses, says
Nearly 15 years ago, when I sold my home in Los Angeles prior to moving to New Zealand, home staging was a relatively new thing. As it happened, I knew a just-getting-started home stager who wanted a place to photograph. She brought in everything from art for the walls, to lush topiary trees and five-star resortstyle chaise longues for the back deck, and turned our (perfectly acceptable but nothing incredible) Spanish-style bungalow into something out of a magazine.
For the three weeks we lived in our ‘‘staged’’ home, it sometimes felt like we’d dropped into someone else beautifully curated life; and the home sold for well beyond what we expected. Consider me convinced.
Hiring a home stager isn’t really necessary, but it behooves every seller — whatever the size or expected sale price of the property — to present their home in the best light. The best news is, there are many inexpensive styling tricks you can pull off yourself. A few of the tips I learned back then have remained with me. They cost nothing more than a few dollars and wee bit of extra effort.
Arrange bouquets of flowers
Look for long-lasting fresh — not fake — flowers that smell good and won’t drop petals quickly. Great selections include ranunculus, calla lilies, freesia, dahlias, roses, and carnations. Use a grid of invisible tape on the mouth of the vase to keep the stems together and the flowers upright. And