As the owner of Stagerie, a home staging marketplace, and an Iowa based REALTOR®, I am “all in” when it comes to the power of home staging. But, without great before-and-after pictures, sometimes seeing the difference that staging makes is difficult.
So, I decided to try Stagerie on my own home to showcase how cleaning, pre-packing, and adding a few décor items here and there can completely change the look and feel of a home. Here’s how it went:
- The Stagerie Process
- Key Home Staging Suggestions
- What Did I Buy for Home Staging?
- What Didn’t I Do?
- The Stagerie Results!
Here’s a sneak peak:
The Stagerie Process
Before I began my home staging journey, I was a little nervous about uploading pictures of my house! I consciously chose to take pictures of the house before I tidied up, knowing that many clients feel the same concern. I also had no idea what to expect from the Stagerie stager, or even which stager would evaluate my home.
I uploaded pictures to Stagerie, and my project was completed by Emily Morris of Green Door Home Staging (thank you, Emily). I received my to-do list in about two days, and it took me about two more days to have the courage to open the report and see what she wrote!
When I finally looked at the feedback, I found that Emily was not judging my design choices; she was focusing on quick, actionable steps I could take to prepare my house on my own.
Key Home Staging Suggestions
My Stagerie report included many helpful suggestions:
- Add décor to the dining room table, basement bar, and bathroom counters.
- Pre-pack items in the kitchen (oh, and put away the holiday décor, which I still had out in January; please don’t judge).
- Move some prints around, and remove some prints from the walls.
- Include white “show sheets” and “show towels” to brighten up the space.
Some of her tips, I knew. Some, I didn’t know–and I help people buy and sell homes! I will definitely keep the tips I didn’t know as a reference for my future home sellers.
What Did I Buy?
After reviewing the report, I clicked on all of Emily’s suggested links, and ended up spending only $264 at Target, primarily on white comforters and throw pillows, a runner for the dining table, and small odds and ends for the wet bar area.
Those items were the cherry on top of my pre-packing and cleaning; they added the perfect finishing touch. By the way, I intend to keep those items for when I eventually do sell my home, so the cost was well worth it!
In general, I reused many items I already had. In the before-and-after photos below, you’ll see that the furniture in some of the rooms don’t go together; for example, the bedroom furniture is much more traditional than the rest of my house.
In most cases, Stagerie’s stagers won’t ask you to replace all of your furniture. By following Emily’s suggestions and step-by-step instructions, I was able to use my current furnishings and just add a few décor items to make them shine!
What Didn’t I Do?
Did I do everything on Emily’s list? Frankly, no. If I was truly selling my home, I would have completed everything on her list. The tasks I didn’t do included the following:
- Touch up paint on walls and baseboards, as needed.
- Miscellaneous caulking around the kitchen backsplash and other areas, as needed.
- Stage All rooms in the house (including my daughter’s very messy bedroom, which I did not touch).
But, I feel I did enough to demonstrate the difference that home staging can make. For less than $500, I went from a messy house to a beautifully staged house. With Stagerie, you can, too.
