There was a time in our little old London Ontario that home staging and interior decorating was mostly limited to houses and townhouse condos.
But these days, it seems like everywhere you look a new condo building is sprouting up.
Whether it’s a new build in downtown London as empty buildings come down to make room for the new or on the edge of the city, condominium living is becoming more and more appealing for people.
It has its benefits and drawbacks, of course.
But for young people looking to get into the real estate market, or folks whose kids have moved on, it can be an appealing low maintenance option.
So what happens when you want to sell your condo?
Do the rules of home staging still apply?
Well, yes and no.
What Are The Rules Of Home Staging?
Broadly speaking, home staging is about depersonalizing a space.
The idea is to create a sort of blank canvas where people can project their own lives onto a space.
It’s sort of like taking somebody’s imagination by the hand and walking them through the process of picturing their own lives there.
In that case, the principles never really change.
But of course every space is different.
What sort of neighbourhood is your house in?
What’s the house’s layout?
How many floors does a house have?
What sort of buyer might be interested in it?
How many rooms does it have?
How big are the rooms?
The list of questions go on and on, and each of them influences how we stage a house here at MatiDesign.
And those questions don’t change when it comes to staging a condo.
But that doesn’t mean they’re exactly the same.
Here are some of the differences between staging a house vs. staging a condo.
The Outside
When staging a house, the first impression is always going to be from the outside.
That is, unless your real estate agent blindfolds you before you enter.
As a result, that’s where we often start.
Each home staging tells a story, and the first chapter of that story is going to be the outside.
Considering the walkway up to the house, the driveway, the garage if there is one, gates to the yard, the porch, the front door – it should all be appealing.
You need to consider the neighbourhood as well.
You can’t do much if the next door neighbour’s house is messy, but you can still stage your house to inspire the type of buyer that might be interested – bachelors vs. families, for example.
With a condo, the outside is already staged.
The building exterior itself, the front lobby, and even the hallways are already prepared.
You don’t get any control over them, so it’s not really something to think about.
The Home’s Style
Homes have a wide variety of different possible styles.
That’s true everywhere, but it’s especially true in a city with as rich a history as London’s.
If you have an older Victorian home you’re preparing for sale, you can include some modern elements, but it’s important to play up its classic charm.
After all, Victorian homes are highly sought after.
And if you have a more modern home, a more modern staging will make more sense.
On the other hand, condos tend to all be fairly modern.
The architecture on the inside is usually fairly understated, which means they’re sort of a blank canvas.
You can do pretty much whatever you want with the home staging of a vacant condo.
It helps to match with the building’s decor, but that’s not a hard and fast rule.
The Space
When you think about a house vs. a condo, you might think houses are always bigger.
And that’s true most of the time, but not always.
That said, a larger home takes more effort to stage.
Houses are also more likely to have unusually shaped rooms – a long thin bathroom, for example, or an L‑shaped bedroom.
This isn’t as common in condos.
These unusually shaped rooms need even more attention from a home stager, since it’s harder for people to imagine what such a space could look like.
But because condos are typically smaller, it’s more important to play up their spaciousness.
That means less is often more when it comes to staging a condo.
You might enjoy sleeping in your king size bed, for example, but don’t be surprised if your home stager encourages you to swap it for a smaller one if you have a small condo.
On the other hand, if your king size bed does fit naturally in your condo, your home stager will want to play that up since it makes the place look more luxurious.
Book Your Consultation With MatiDesign Today
Of course, these aren’t the only factors to consider when staging a house or condo.
They’re just a few.
If you’re planning on putting your home on the market, regardless of what it is, I can help you make sure it sells for all it’s worth.
Even in today’s hot real estate market, home staging still makes a big difference in helping your home sell for top dollar.
