So many people are looking for new ideas for home staging, including do-it-yourselfers and professional property stagers alike. I try to keep my staging strategies updated by always considering new ways of applying techniques and alternative ways of looking at my job, as a whole. Staying fresh is always easy if you keep yourself up to speed on the industry by watching many of the best home staging shows, perusing some instructional magazine articles and even reading the occasional worthwhile book.
This essay shares some new staging ideas, but more importantly, provides information about staying current with the latest trends in this fast-paced industry.
Re-Thinking New Ideas for Home Staging
Here are some tried and true ideas which can always be used to improve your staging designs. Remember the basics and you will always do a good job:
Take your opinions, tastes and preferences out of the equation. Study the target buyer demographic and design for them exclusively.
Take your client’s preferences out of the equation. Tell them you are not designing for them, but instead to please their prospective buyers. They might be put off, but they will forgive you when that home gets sold through your hard work and intuitive efforts.
Do not buy into fads or “flavors of the week”. Instead, embrace solid trends and real fashion to suit buyers who are on the hunt for properties right now.
Remember to consider every aspect of the target buyer’s imaginary life. Design to suit what they will need, as well as what they want.
Implementing New Home Staging Tactics
I love the idea of trial and error. I truly believe that in order to make a space work, you may need to change it up a few times in order to get it all right. This is only possible, if you are on time and on budget. Some stagers utilize their time very poorly and are always rushed at the end. I prefer the opposite approach, which is to finish ahead of the game and then use any extra time to perfect the space, rather than leave it rated merely as “acceptable”. This is what defines a good property stager or a good (insert any profession here) for that matter.
The last point to consider when it comes to implementing property enhancement ideas is the aforementioned budget. Many stagers make the mistake of really wanting to use a particular design element, but do not have room in the budget. They might make the mistake of angering the client by requesting a large over-budget allowance, might sacrifice needed elements for the sake of their expensive whim, or worse of all, might use a poor substitute instead to save money.
As a staging professional, never let your wants dictate the design. I will repeat it over and over: Consider your budget carefully and do not set “must haves” for the space if your client can not afford them.
New Ideas for Home Staging Synopsis
The best way to become good at anything is to do it. Get your hands dirty and just do it. If this is a DIY staging project, then just try it all out and experiment. Arm yourself with helpful materials and just jump in. However, if you are a pro and are looking for new ideas, I suggest concentrating on some of the fundamentals first. This is the way to get to be a real expert, instead of someone who is simply making a living.
If you are that good, you will never have to try that hard. You will also never have to point out specific parts of your designs, since clients and buyers alike will immediately see the impact they make. If you have reached this level, then great. You are an elite stager. If not, then keep at it until you can re-write the book on staging designs using all-original theory.
