Setting The Stage

Before- Playspace

After-Staged Playspace Photo Courtesy of Whitney Wasson Photography

Preparing your home to go on the market is an exhausting and emotional process. I've been there and done that. Five years ago I put my home on the market in 10 days time all with a 2 year old by my side. I weeded and mulched, sorted and packed, and cried. It wasn't pretty.

Pro-tip: crying because of the realization that this is no longer really your yard while you are up to your elbows in mulch creates mud and will literally make you a crying mess. Perhaps this is the actual origin of the expression "Suck it up Buttercup". Nonetheless, don't cry and do yard work, it's sad and makes your neighbors feel awkward.

Muddy tears or not I knew that I had to pull my house together, the faster it sold the easier it would be for me to move on and get a fresh start. Every closet, every cupboard, and every cabinet had to be clean. I was already a really organized person but there are always areas that could use a little tweaking. You have to understand that when your home goes on the market, EVERY area is safe for them to look at. There are NO HIDING PLACES! The goal of an Open House and any House showing is for that person or family to see themselves living there. They are entitled to open a closet and see the storage, peek through a cupboard to see where they will stash their seldom used but rarely parted with appliances. Any prospective buyer will instantly imagine their furniture in your space, their photos on your walls, and their children playing in your house. As a homeowner, you need to make that vision as simple as possible.

Staging makes your home more presentable and easier to sell. Homes that are staged are on the market for less time and sell for a higher price. Getting rid of the clutter, rearranging furniture, and changing the paint colors, will make your home more appealing and appear larger. By no means do you have to go shopping for new furniture, a few adjustments, and some additional accessories will do the trick.

Above I have shared a Before and After of a Client's home. Not one thing was purchased for this staging. By simply moving some furniture in from another room, straightening up the area, and changing the lighting - the "Bonus Room" becomes a real asset to their home for potential buyers. I didn't even eliminate the toys but instead featured them and organized them so the children can still play. It's now easy for a potential home buyer to envision this light-filled space for their kid's playrooms, a home office, or a playroom.

Ashley Ingraham is a very organized Mom of a daughter in Baltimore, Maryland. Always creative she was a double major of Studio Art and Education at Furman University and spent the beginning of her career as a teacher in Baltimore City. After staying home with her daughter she founded Home Perspective to share her Organization skills and life experience to make others homes and lives better. Her business has been featured in Baltimore Magazine, Oprah & Entrepreneur. When not busy helping people organize their lives she can be found at concerts all over the country or busy raising her tween daughter.