Should You Stage It Yourself?

Inevitably, I'm asked this question by clients. My answer is always the same. Sure, given the following criteria.

1. You have lots of free time. Decluttering and staging can take a lot of time, particularly for someone new to it.
2. You really like shopping. Stagers spend a lot of time in stores, searching for just the right accent in the right color at the right size.
3. Are you generally creative? Do you get frequent compliments on your home's decor? The way you dress? The birthday party you decorated for your daughter? If so, chances are you have a keen eye for color, balance and focal points. If not, stay far far away from staging.
4. Do you have patience?In addition to time, you can't find yourself easily frustrated. You'll likely have to manage multiple vendors at once. Patience must be in abundance.
5. Are you objective? Can you be self-critical? One of the biggest obstacles people have with staging their own home is being able to see the home as an outsider would. This is easier said than done. Even the best of us have items in our home that only we could love and pile of "stuff" that we are completely oblivious to.

So, yes if you answered yes to five out of five of these questions-stage it yourself! If not, you can always hire a professional stager. Believe it or not, we actually enjoy this stuff.