What's the Difference Between Home Staging, Home Redesign, and Interior Design

A buyer’s perception of value is largely based on emotional triggers, and good Home Staging is the process of catching as many of those trigger point as we can for a property within our operating budget and parameters.

How Does Home Staging Differ From Redesign and Interior Design

Wondering where one stops and the other starts? Let's break it down:

Interior Designers have the creme de la creme of educational design credentials. They work in all facets of design work, with owners, contractors, builders, and typically with the ultimate goal of creating a space that works in both form and function for the owner or the owner's clientele.

Home Redesign is very similar, however without offering the educational credentials that an Interior Designer holds. Home Redesign is often not as in-depth an experience as working with an Interior Designer and can be an excellent budget-conscious alternative for those who need a little assistance, direction, or basic services. Home Redesign focuses on revamping, refreshing, and redesigning to create a beautiful and functional space for the owner.

...and then there is Home Staging

Home Staging is a term thrown around frequently now in the real estate market, and what someone means when referring to “home staging” can vary greatly…as can the outcomes based on how it’s approached. Fluffy pillows and a tidy home are the minimum buyers will expect to see, not the extra that will push them towards a healthy offer and keep them emotionally invested through stressful inspection and objection deadlines. 

Home Staging is, in a nutshell, the process of physically presenting a property in a way that will increase desirability and sales price. Most consumer purchases are based much more on emotion that we’d like to admit, and home buying is no exception. Billions of dollars are spent each year on branding and marketing campaigns for just this reason.

A buyer’s perception of value is largely based on emotional triggers, and good Home Staging is the process of catching as many of those trigger point as we can for a property within our operating budget and parameters. Buyers hear the words “bright”, “open”, “spacious” so often they hardly mean anything now and when searching in a suburban area where so many of the homes are basically variations on a theme, your home needs to stand out for something other than just being clean and tidy.

Home Staging takes a very unique spin on redesign. We aren't designing for the person who lives there or even the future buyer’s tastes, but for a hypothetical feeling of belonging and desire that will catch as many people as possible. Where am I going to drink my coffee in the morning? How am I going to feel coming home after work? What would it be like to entertain friends here?

Since Home Staging can encompass such a broad range of services, let me break it down into my own personal 3-Phase process to help describe what it encompasses, what to do from DIY perspective, when to hire a professional, and how to get the most “bang for your buck” from a Home Staging professional.

PHASE 1:
This phase of Home Staging encompasses all the common knowledge "getting your house ready to sell" checklist items such as decluttering, cleaning, and fluffing pillows. Check back within the week and this will magically turn into a clickable link for an awesome DIY checklist! It's a great place for every seller to start, and most real estate agents can give you good direction on what's going to scare buyers away and how to approach some of the basics. Having this done before you call in a professional is ideal, that way your time with a Home Stager can be leveraged well and move your house further along towards it’s maximum potential.

PHASE 2 & 3:
This is where professional Home Staging and Home Stagers come in to move the process along, from simply presenting a property as tidy and clean (Phase 1) to taking a marketing approach in rebranding your property with an image and feeling, touching on key trigger points, drawing buyers in and increasing selling price and/or time on market.

Phase 2



Phase 3

This is where I come into a home and work with a seller, one-on-one. We a) identify our parameters (budget, time, etc.), b) set goals and create an action plan, and c) make a thorough walk-through of the entire property, inside and out, creating a detailed action plan which the seller can then implement.

This is for a seller who’s “to-do” list is longer than they have time for and who would like physical assistance in implementing the action plan we've created; this can include sourcing and purchasing, physical assistance in prepping an occupied home, or full staging of a vacant space.  

Whether you are working with an agent, prepping your home yourself, or considering hiring a professional stagger remember your home's value is only as much as a buyer is willing to pay! And as consumers we are always willing to pay more for a product that "calls" to us than one that is blandly sitting on the shelf. Find those emotional trigger points in your property and let your home put it's best foot forward!