#Stagingconfessions How much is enough?

Is this space too cluttered? Too sparse? Just right? What do you think?

Staging a home to sell is different than decorating a home to live in. There are issues to take into consideration when staging a home that don't apply when designing a space to live in. (And vice-versa, now that we think about it.)

Staging requires delicate balance: between how a home will look in photos vs. how it feels when you're in the space; between injecting enough character to be memorable, but not so much that it's a distraction; between enough furniture and decor to make a home feel livable, but not so much that it feels smaller or too cluttered.

Casey and I have a #stagingconfession: We haven't always gotten the balance right. There were times when a space looked and felt fantastic while we were standing in it, but when we viewed the photos, felt we could have removed that one basket near the fireplace. And conversely, projects that looked great in photos, but while we were in the space felt almost too minimal -- could've used another piece of artwork or two. It's a super-fine line and it's harder than you might think.

We've seen so many listings where if the homeowner had taken down that one piece of wall decor or cleared the clutter from the fireplace mantel or removed a piece of furniture, the space would have looked so much bigger and felt so much more open -- both qualities buyers care about and look for when searching for a home.

We've learned how to strike these careful balances. That's one of the advantages of hiring a professional stager. We've done this staging thing a time or two. We know all of the subtle and not-so-subtle factors that need to be weighed and how to thoughtfully address them.

Staging a home is incredibly nuanced. There are a thousand things to consider: Color, scale, architecture, neighborhood, price point, buyer profile...the list goes on. Why not let the professionals worry about it? You have enough to think about as you prepare to sell your home and look for a new one!