What is this Space?

What is the purpose and function of this space?  Can you guess?  Well prospective buyers can't either and really you don't want them guessing.  When you are selling your house the spaces within need to plainly let the buyer looking know what they are looking at and what the space is used for.  The picture here is a rather extreme example but is one that many homeowners make and don't rectify when selling.  This is the master bedroom but when space is short homeowners often double up the function of the room so that it does double often triple duty.  So then what are the messages given to the prospective buyer.  Yes, there isn't enough space here for my needs either and I thought there were 4 bedrooms. . . hmm!   This next picture clearly lets the prospective buyer know what they are looking at.  Yes, no mistaking that this is the Master Bedroom.  No clutter of office/den/whatever you guess it to be. 

Master Bedroom - same view as above!

Now what do you think about this space?  Again the purpose and function of this space is confused and so will be buyers looking at your property.  Is it an office, a den, a family room?

Well it is actually a family room and has a wonderful view to the back garden.  However, all that buyers will see here is the office clutter.  After being staged, the function of the space became clear although the owners still insisted that they needed a small desk for their computer.  Well, OK.  The house sold in three days over asking!  

 

View into the Family Room after.  The small desk is more discreet.

The final example here is that of a wasted space that was being used for storage mainly.  It is just inside the front door and off to the side.  When staging it is often a good idea to give the prospective buyer an idea of what they might use the space for other than just storage.  

Just the spot for a chair for reading in the sun and let's move the desk into the alcove behind the staircase so that you might also have a place to write or use your laptop. 

                

Reading nook after

                      Now the prospective buyer will have no difficulty knowing what they can use this space for.  The purpose and function have been clarified.

Small desk in the corner

What do you mean - declutter?

Declutter must be one of our most used words in home decor and home staging these days.  Its a term that we quite liberally throw around to indicate things out of order, too many things, and too many small things that distract ones view of what we are supposed to be looking at and paying attention to.  For prospective home buyers, the seller wants the features of the home to be seen so that buyer might envision themselves living in the space without all your "things" i.e. clutter.  Seeing only this. . .

really just confuses the prospective buyer - too many things out of order - what is the purpose and function of this room?  So any smart home stager would suggest - declutter.  OK eliminating or editing non essential items that will need to be packed away or given away anyway is the PC way of saying get rid of anything not being used in the next month or so and anything smaller than a softball and looking at what the prospective buyer might be seeing the purpose of this space so that voila. . .

  It"s a master bedroom!  No confusion here now.

By the way, the top picture above is a work in progress.  I have the promise of an 8 year old that his "clutter" will not be there when I return in a few months!