What's the difference??

Recently, I met with a client who was putting his home up for sale. His family had already made the move into their new home so the current house was vacant. He had already met with an Interior decorator thinking that staging and interior decor were the same thing. I explained the differences and why a stager was what he needed in order to sell his home. Here is what I said to him.

Home staging and interior decoration have become a very lucrative businesses today. Many schools are offering programs in the field, more and more magazines with a focus on design and decor are on the shelves and there are TV stations completely dedicated to home improvement. With the boom in the real estate industry, more and more people are taking up these fields as their career of choice. There are a large number of people who want to know that whether there is any difference between them or not.

Well, the basic difference between home staging and interior decoration lies in the design principles, like how they are applied and what it results into. Interior decoration is more of furnishing and fitting in things in a way that suits one’s lifestyle and preferences and ading that perosnal and unique touch.Home staging on the other hand is a type of marketing strategy. It is a process by which a house is decorated so as to make it appealing to a large audience who are looking for their new home. This brings out only the positive features of a home - the true selling points. In home staging, there won’t be as much of furniture as you might use in your day to day life but that is done so that the property looks spacious. A home stagger will also remove personal items such as family photos, trophies and reglious items so the buyers can visualize themselves in the home.

Only the required furniture should be used so that the potential buyers can feel the comfort of home. A good home staging can help a lot in selling the property (staged homes sell faster and usually for the asking price or more). It creates an emotional connection between the potential buyer and the property. It also hilights certain features as well - home staging is a sales tool.

In case of home staging, you have to keep in mind about the likes and dislikes of the general population, the home is staged for the purpose of selling it.

There are professional home stagers who can be hired for staging a property. Some real estate agents work with stagers to improve the salability of their lisitings. In Ottawa, for example, the Bennett Real Estate Pros (http://www.bennettpros.com/) work exclusively with the KIKI Interiors team. They know the right way to present a home in it's best light.

Remember an Interior decorator is taking your taste and style into account. They are there to truly personalize your space. When you hire an interior decorator, you can instruct the decorator to arrange things according to your choice. This may take into account the paint on the walls, the furniture, the architectural style, etc.

To make a great deal from a real estate investment, the seller should be clear about the differences between home staging and interior decoration. To sell a property at a good profit, the home should be nicely staged. To make a home look like home, the interior should be properly decorated. One is for the sale of the home and the other is to create the space you want. Do you know which is which?