The Difference Between Staging and Decorating




What’s the difference between staging and decorating? I’ll go over the answer to that today.


What is the difference between staging and decorating?

People sometimes get nervous about staging their home because they’re not quite sure what staging means. Unlike decorating, which promotes a personal aesthetic, staging showcases your home without being style-specific.

When staging, we make good use of color while tying everything together, and our stager can give you some great suggestions on how to use the items you have to best play up the color and your home.

What if the style is very pronounced in your home? If you have a Victorian-style home, for example, we will work to make sure it looks more modernized, as a modern style does the best on the market right now.



Modern-style homes are doing the
 best on the market right now.


We will also help you remove a lot of your personal items. Buyers need to visualize themselves in the home and depersonalizing will ensure they don’t get distracted.

Your kitchen and bathrooms need to be as neutral as possible. Those are the two rooms people often base their decisions off of, so make sure those are neat and tidy.

It’s also a good idea to remove any items that look like work when staging. For example, don’t leave your lawnmower out for prospective buyers to see because it will make them think about the chore of mowing the lawn.

If you would like a complete list of suggestions on how to stage your home for the market, if you’d like to get in touch with our professional stager, or if you have any other questions, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I’m happy to help!

Tips and Tricks for New Construction Buyers



If you are thinking about buying a new construction home, you’re in luck. I’ve got seven tips to share that will help you throughout the process.


If you’re thinking about buying a newly built home, we’ve got some tips to share today that should help you cover all your bases during the process to make sure you’re getting a good deal:

1. Research the area. Find out about the schools and the neighborhood. Even if you don’t have children in school, that information is important for the resale value of the home.

2. Use a real estate professional to represent you. If the builder has an agent on-site, they are most likely representing the builder and looking out for their best interests. You want a real estate professional on your side who can protect your interests as well.

3. Research the builder. You can go out and take a look at the homes they have built and even talk to homeowners who have purchased homes from the builder. This is a great way to verify the builder’s work.

4. Understand your floor plan. Those scribbles on a piece of paper look a lot different in person. It’s hard to put your mind into what the rooms will really look like. We advise your clients to walk through a home with a similar floor plan to give you a better idea.

5. Review the contracts. Builders use different contracts than agents do. It’s not a bad thing, the contracts are just different. It might not be a bad idea for your attorney to look over it.

6. Ask about the builder warranties. What kinds are there and how long are they good for?



Home inspections are still a good
 idea even with a new home.


7. Do a home inspection. Even though it's a newly built home, getting an inspection done is still within your rights. It’s a smart move just in case something wasn’t built properly or wired correctly.

If you want any more information about how to go through the process of buying a new home, we would be happy to answer any questions you have. Give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you!