Top Ten Staging Tips - #7

Room Usage - "Where is the dining room?"

            Have you ever gone to see a home listed for sale that is supposed to have a formal living room and a formal dining room as well as a den?  However, when you get there you find a den, an office and a playroom.  What happened to those other rooms? 

            What happened was this - Those rooms are there as the builder intended, but that is not how the homeowner is using them.  The homeowner has every right to use those rooms however he/she wishes.  That should change, however, once the home goes on the market.  Those rooms need to be shown as they are advertised.  The majority of the buyers are not going to be able to visualize them as a formal dining and formal living room. 

Turn the playroom back into a formal living room by putting the toys back in the children's rooms.  If all the toys do not fit, then refer to Staging Tip #1 - declutter by packing up the excess and getting it ready to move.  You are going to have to start packing anyway so why not do it now and help your home sell faster. 

The formal dining room should have a dining table in it.  Downsize the office furniture if at all possible and consider if there is another room that could be an office or perhaps a small desk in the den would work.  If your livelihood does not require you to office daily at your home, this should be a simple task. 

Remember, it all has to be packed sooner or later; and, hopefully, this will make it sooner.