Recently, Red House Staging was hired to stage a condo in the West End neighborhood of DC. When we entered this newly constructed, contemporary high-rise condo, it gave off the impression of a storage facility rather than a potential residence. There were boxes, piles of paperwork and filing cabinets everywhere; and, while this lifestyle suited the owner, it was distracting to buyers because they could not picture themselves living in such a hectic space. In addition to all of the condo’s clutter, it was decorated with religious, iconic items throughout the space. These items are considered “sensitive” and can limit the appeal of a property to potential buyers who may find the décor off-putting. When staging a property these pieces of “sensitive” décor must be removed. Other examples include furs, taxidermy, displayed guns and/or knives, graphic artwork, and political propaganda.

To get this property into shape, the many boxes and piles that been lining the walls were moved into storage, creating space for the staging to occur. Red House brought in a loveseat and queen bed for the Master Bedroom. The rest of the condo was furnished with the owner’s items. The seller’s art was removed and Red House provided some inexpensive, but nice looking pieces, to replace them. When in need of art, you do not have to purchase works of framed art with large price tags. For example, we purchased a used canvas for $1 off of Craigslist.org and then stapled some decorative fabric to the canvas, thus creating a unique, inexpensive piece of art for the living room. The staging came together in a couple of hours and turned out beautifully.

The lesson in this staging is to understand that living in and preparing a home to be sold are very different. In this example, potential buyers were not able to envision this property as their own. With Red House Staging’s assistance, the condo was transformed into a space that anyone could see themselves living in comfortably.