31 Wyldwood Drive Photo courtesy of Jane Weiss Coldwell Banker

Staging and rental furniture.  Many assume they’re 2 halves of the whole, if not synonymous. And both words usually give home sellers and agents pause.

Understandable. Neither the staging or real estate industries have done much to update or better articulate this process beyond the 50-year-old,  1.0 model of clearing out, and then bringing in rental furniture. 

Westchester County has had more demand than inventory – now, and for as long as most can remember. Yet staging with rental furniture has a place here, and in even a strong seller’s market, but first, be clear about what you want to accomplish.

TRH made the business decision to stop working with rental furniture some years ago, but recognizes its value in certain circumstances.

Home staging at its core is about preventing or solving problems. Stagers project how buyers will see the property, then plan for what will smooth the path to their saying yes, both quickly and enthu$ia$tically. (See what I did there? )

Because TRH is 1000% vested in helping sellers and agents find their best solutions, we’re sharing 5 scenarios where we’ve found rental furniture to be a good solution:

 1.  Large Rooms

 Over-size, empty rooms throw buyers.  ‘Where do things go?’ or ‘Do we even need this much space?’ are top of mind. Purpose and function equal value to buyers. First: rental furniture makes the eyes slow down and take in the space. It adds worth by defining areas and adding purpose. 

This large area below was off the kitchen. I used rental furniture to showcase the abundant natural light and define the elevated eating area. I chose generously scaled pieces, then brought in bright accents and oversized art from TRH’s warehouse to fill, warm, and balance the room.

49 Overlook Family Room Before, and After

Photo courtesy of Janet Brand of Houlihan Lawrence

2.  Large Houses

Buyers like the price per square foot metric. Large houses with generous but empty spaces or areas of transition seem unnecessary, a waste. After the basic/expected rooms are set, use rental furniture/props to create niche, or specialty spaces in other, less expected spaces.

Below, a reading nook in a dormer of a child’s 2nd floor BR; an office in the entry of a loft condo. Other ideas for other smaller empty spaces:

• A professional suite, a music room, or library
• A craft room, meditation or workout space

Ardsley Cape

Life Saver Condos aka 1 Landmark Square

It doesn’t take much! Niche spaces stand out against less imaginative listings, and expand function. They touch on buyers’ dreams, and are markers-spaces agents and buyers will remember, and seek out.

3.  Unusual Space/Unexpected Floor Plan

The median build date of Westchester County homes seems to be 1959 by the most recent calculation (scroll down). That’s LOTS of styles.  All sorts of improved/extended properties, not always done as might be expected.  Cool and funky spaces have a special place in my own heart, but can be real trouble for showing agents and buyers. 

• Empty properties with unusual spaces, unexpected flow, and open floor plans can create real speedbumps. Besides buyers not knowing where to put things, sometimes they can’t even find all the rooms, or worse, remember they saw them.  
• Use of rental furniture and distinctive props creates memorable photos as well as markers for buyers and agents, making sure they persevere, find, and remember all the rooms. 

           49 Overlook LR and DR Before and After

Photo courtesy of Janet Brand of Houlihan Lawrence

4.  Vanilla Box

• We can’t not see color and light. I’ll cop to the poor grammar but the science is proven: If you want people to really see the space, bond with the space, you need to give them-and the camera!– something to look at. To engage with, to find, and linger over. 
• Empty properties with all the same one-size-fits-all-gray (or white, or whatever) wall color is sure easier for sellers and painters to implement. But it reads as boring/confusing to buyers.  Think like a buyer!  Without anything to tell the rooms apart, they blur together. Is it 3 photos of 1 room, or 1 photo of 3 different rooms? 

Here rental furniture and  TRH’s props added the happy to this modest den. It added interest, depth, and context, drawing buyers in, online and in person. 

 1061 Washington TV Room Before and After

5.  Smaller or Choppy Space

Most folks are not spatially confident. And even those who can visualize don’t trust themselves in the very big business of buying real estate. In other words, they go with what they see. 

Photos above and below are of the same home, a modest 1920’s Tudor. (Arch at right, below opens to den above). This sofa below was left behind, but as the only thing in this room, it broke up an already choppy space. 

• Choppy spaces make actual square footage feel smaller. Doorways, closets, windows, fireplaces, and built-ins all disrupt the energy flow in a space. Thoughtful use of color, strategic placement of art, lighting, and other props fill in the room, balance furniture. It also draws eyes in, and through the room, adding unity to smaller or choppy spaces.
• Generally “cute” doesn’t add value or put money in your pocket.  Even in kids’ rooms-anything diminutive lessens perceived value. Start with the right scale. Add important and bright contrasting colors as punctuation (art, lighting, and pillows) for the most impactful listing photos and the best ROI. 

                1061 Washington LR Before and After

Betcha didn’t expect such detail about why it might be a good idea for you to do something I can’t help you with! But again, without being all prissy-pants about it, advocating for sellers and their agents is what The Refreshed Home does best. Click here to read the other side, some whens and whys rental furniture is probably not needed.