MaryBeth Strait's (mbstager) Blog

This room needs to feel inviting and open.  Buyers will be looking at how to place their furniture to accommodate enough seating.  People will be noticing where their personal preferences may be accommodated.  Just as men will be searching for the TV, women will be searching for entertaining/dini...

One of the easiest ways to update dated lighting is to use flush mount lights.  Hampton Bay has some great simple flush mount lights for $10-$12.    Brass chandeliers are very dated… as is anything that hasn’t been replaced within the last few years.  Wrought iron and brushed nickel simple chande...

In order to truly experience the results you want and to be able to do the staging the way I will be teaching you, you have to emotionally detach from your house now. Not at the end of escrow, but right now… before the house goes on the market.Developing a successful sellers mindset   In my exper...

90% of buyers look at photos on the internet BEFORE scheduling a showing, which means that your online photos can make or break your chances of having a potential buyer show up in person.  www.marybethstrait.com

There is something huge that definitely separates committed sellers from interested sellers. You see, there are some that are just interested in seeing if they can sell their house for the price they want and do it all on their terms, and others that are completely committed. What am I talking ab...

When a seller is putting up resistance to changes you are making to a new listing, it can be because of many factors.  Maybe they do not understand how the current market works.  Maybe they haven't sold in a long time.  They may have a lot of pride in the way they live, and feel insulted by the n...

This is not so much an issue of staging, but psychology.  When a seller is not ready to let go of their home mentally, it will not sell... at leaat not for what you/they are wanting. Respect for the buyer is hard to come by, when the seller is subconsciously viewing them as an intruder. For more ...

Some Home Stagers have a style they bring to every house.  Some other operate as decorators, using an artistic aproach, that is different with each listing.  While the pluses and minuses to these styles are clear, I prefer to utilize a mixture of art meets conformity.  I call it "decorative neutr...

Your house ceases to become your home from the moment people begin viewing it.  Personal pictures must go.  Design preferences must be set aside, etc.  If you do not adopt this mindset, the house will not sell at it's full potential... if at all.  Not everyone can afford to move into a temporary ...