Home Staging and Occupied Properties: Sellers May Not Like the Staging and That’s OK

Yes, home staging can be an emotional process for sellers, particularly those with a strong attachment to their home. It involves making changes to the property that may feel like giving up personal items or altering the space they lived in. 

Let me elaborate:

Emotional Investment:Sellers often have deep emotional connections to their homes, viewing them as places of memory, family and personal history. This can make the process of preparing a home for sale, and particularly staging, feel like a sacrifice of personal belongings and the alteration of their home's character.

Decluttering and Personal Items:Home staging often involves decluttering and removing personal items like photos, artwork and decorative objects. This can be a difficult process for sellers, especially those who cherish these items and the memories they represent. Changes to the Home's Appearance:Staging might also involve changing the layout or furniture arrangement or even making minor cosmetic improvements. These changes can be unsettling for sellers who are used to the existing design and feel like their home is being altered without their consent. Dealing with the Process:The staging process can be stressful for sellers, who may have to juggle the emotional aspect with practical considerations like moving, storage and the overall sale timeline. Also, not all moves are happy moves… A seller can be moving against with their will or due to circumstances outside of their control, such as death, divorce, etc.

Potential for Misunderstandings:Staging can sometimes lead to misunderstandings or disagreements between the stager and the seller, particularly if the seller is not fully receptive to the recommended changes.

So how do we make this work? One word: Empathy.

Stagers often need to approach their work with empathy and patience, understanding the emotional implications for sellers. This must involve clear communication, personalized advice and a willingness (up to a certain point) to work collaboratively with the sellers. My approach? I am honest with sellers. I tell them up front they may not like the staging and that’s OK. They don’t have to like it. (I also don’t like every house I stage…)

It’s important to remind sellers they have to adjust their mindset and start to view their home as no longer “home” but a property - a property they are trying to market to sell. The goal is NOT to deliver a design the seller likes; that’s called interior design. The goal is to deliver a design that works best for the style, size and age of the property so it sells quickly and for top dollar.