During the housing boom, home staging was all about vaulting your property into the stratosphere above the asking price.

Canwest News ServiceWhen staging your home, neutralize your colour palette and de-personalize by removing family photos.

Today, it’s about getting your house sold. Period.

Matthew Finlason, of the HGTV series The Stagers, has witnessed the housing arc of the past two years and says home staging is perhaps even more relevant in today’s turbulent market.

“Whereas the objective in the previous market was how much over asking, now it’s just about selling,” says Finlason.

Finlason, who works for home staging company Dekora in Vancouver, says in the first episode of The Stagers, which aired last summer, one house sold for $100,000 over asking.

But by the end of the first season, some homes did not even sell, an indication of how quickly the market had changed.

Today, many of his clients are in the stressful position of having to sell quickly and view staging as the key to getting their property to stand out from the competition.

“Staging is about first impressions. It’s about putting your best foot forward,” says Finlason.
“The moment you list your home for sale, it becomes a product and like any product, it needs to compete.”

Lindsay Do, who runs Staging Etc. in Vancouver with her partner Alice Tam, says staging helps buyers make decisions more quickly because they’re shown how a home would meet their needs.

“It’s like having a person there showing you the function of the house. Rather than saying you can fit a queen-sized bed in here, you show them,” says Do.

“In today’s real estate market, buyers with purchasing power want more for their buck, so showcasing the potential lifestyle of a home is equally important as the actual architectural features and design, especially on the pricier homes.”

However, Finlason is clear that homeowners should not see staging as the “magic wand” that will sell any property.

“Price will sell your home,” he says.

Rather, sellers should see staging as a piece of the overall marketing strategy. To prep for a sale, start with a detached view. Declutter your home and keep personal items stored away.

“The biggest mistake sellers make is underestimating the value of the emotional connection a potential buyer will have with a home in the first 10 seconds of walking through the door,” says Do.

“When staging a home, our motto is ‘Every impression counts.’ ”