How to Tell a Story Through Staging your Museum District Home

The beautiful and historic Museum District section of Houston, which includes the neighborhoods of Boulevard Oaks, Broadacres, Edgemont, North Edgemont, Brantwood, Windemere and Southgate, boast a lovely array of homes, many of which have been lovingly restored to reflect their original splendor.

The many architectural styles and designs of the homes of the Museum District also reveal the high-quality real estate found here, which can range from $400,000 to more than $3 million.

Therefore, a certain degree of detail needs to be considered when selling one of the beautiful, historic homes of the Museum District. We’ve all heard of home staging, but selling a fine home of a certain caliber requires a bit more thoughtfulness and finesse.

Many real estate agents, sellers and professional stagers have learned that staging is more than just artfully placed furniture. Instead, it needs to tell a story to the buyer about how good life would be if they lived there.

Edit your Home

The first step to properly staging your home is to “declutter” it, or get rid of the extraneous extras that do little but distract the client. Also called “editing” a home, many professional stagers have found that simple acts, such as removing the magnets and papers from the refrigerator, will instantly transform a kitchen.

Make a (Mild) Statement

The second step is to make a statement about your Museum District home. Make it a mild statement, not one that tells buyers how to live there, but to simply suggest ways in which they may want to use the home. You can easily accomplish this by thoughtfully arranging a small corner reading area, complete with a wing chair, a lamp and an opened book casually draped over the arm of the chair.

Or, set the kitchen table with a lovely china pattern and top it off with fresh flowers and a bowl of seasonal fruit.

Your Museum District home should be neat, clean and free of clutter, but it should also tell the story of the home and the lifestyle that can be found there. After all, Museum District homes are full of history and architectural significance, so it only makes sense that the interior of the homes reflect the same, charming spirit.

Richard is VIP Realty’s Houston real estate broker. With offices in Dallas, San Antonio and Houston.