Today I met with an existing client and his real estate agent. It is a home we staged recently that we are adding some additional furniture to. While I was at the consult I could not help but stare at the living room wondering what the heck was going on. The furniture was all on top of each other and the "liveable space" of the room was cramped. And then it dawned on me..... someone had rearranged the room after we had staged it. I am not going to lie....this makes me mad.
So why am I mad you probably wonder. Sure the new arrangement worked - in the sense that the furniture still fit in the room. But it did not work in the sense that it made the room far less appealing to buyers. In fact, this new arrangement did a few things that really hurt the appearance of the room.
So what are the sins of the new arrangement?
1. Since this is the first room buyers see when walking in the front door we had wanted the room to seem open and inviting - the view now? A lovely 86" span of the back of a sofa. There is nothing inviting about that.
2. Secondly, this large expanse of upholstery now blocked the incredible marble fireplace that is the focal point of the room. You cannot even see the fireplace until you are well into the space now versus at the front door before. What a huge loss for the builder who took the time to create such a lovely feature in the room.
3. Whoever it was that rearranged this room did so in a way that involved moving all the furniture in about three feet - so that created a total loss of six feet of space. It felt cramped and tight even though there was a lot of room on the perimeter. A cramped and tight room does not sell a house.
So what is my point? My point is this...Every.Single.Detail in our staging is on purpose. We do this every day and there really is a method to our madness. We know it is difficult to embrace things when you do not understand how they work. But sometimes you just have to have some faith. We know our methods and ideas can seem whacky and but the result is always the same - they work.