Episode 20: Staging Advice for Home Sellers with Shana Hutson

In this episode, Reside Broker/Owner Brady Bridges sits down with Shana Hutson, owner of Clover Lane Design, to talk about what staging is, how it's different than interior design, and her best advice for home sellers.

Watch the video below or listen at anchor.fm/residedfw, and don’t forget to subscribe to be notified of new updates. 

Shana says staging is really preparing a home to looks its best for buyers. This process generally includes cleaning, depersonalizing, and decluttering each room and storing unneeded items to present the home in the best possible light. This is especially important in today's market since buyers are primarily shopping online and can easily move onto the next listing if the one they're looking at doesn't immediately grab them. "Staging helps the buy see the features of the house, instead of being distracted by the seller's things," explains Shana.

She says that staging is different than interior design, which she also offers as a service, in that staging is meant to appeal to the widest possible number of buyers. "We don't want it to be plain vanilla, but we need it to be not so personalized" that it turns away potential buyers. With interior design, the goal is to make the space and the home what you want - and since you're the person living there, you don't have to be concerned about your taste appealing to other people as well.

Staging, at least at a basic level of cleaning and decluttering, is needed on nearly every property - but Shana warns that completely clearing away everything can make the home look cold instead of inviting. Homeowners often don't notice what's around their home after it's been there awhile, so it can be a struggle to decide what needs to stay and what needs to be moved.

Her top tips for homeowners getting ready to sell has three key parts: depersonalize the home and remove items like family photos and diplomas, declutter or combine any objects smaller than a cantaloupe, and fix the lighting to be brighter and all the same color. 

Shana can be reached at cloverlanedesign.com or 817-657-0760.

There's much more in the full episode - listen at anchor.fm/residedfw or search Real Talk with Reside Real Estate on Spotify, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, Pandora, and more. 

Reside Real Estate represents the region's finest properties with exceptional skill using the most innovative technologies currently available. Reside Real Estate offers ultimate privacy and security, speed, and efficiency. Their years of full-time experience have given them a clear understanding of the mindset of home buyers and sellers and a thorough understanding of the regional marketplace.