HELPFUL STAGING PRODUCTS

Selling a home can be time-consuming and stressful. Here are some helpful product suggestions. Some are practical, while others are fun extras.

• Battery-Powered Candles
  I highly recommend these for home staging. They come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, both scented and unscented. Most come with timers, and some even come with a remote control.
  I use these all the time, even though I’m not selling my home. I find them safer to use than real candles, especially if you have pets or kids. I have birds. They are fascinated with the flame, and love to throw things on the floor. These candles are much safer. The ones I have purchased look very realistic. Candles are also especially useful when staging during colder months. They look great in the entry to welcome buyers, especially during colder months.
  
  
   
  Flame-less or battery-powered candles are safer when staging a home.
  Copyright 2010 by BarbaraLN
  
  
  
  
  
  Here are just a few examples.
  • Gerson Company Everlasting Glow Flameless Ivory Wax Candles with Drip Effect, Set of 3
  • Flameless Candles -- Ivory Pillar Candles with Timer Remote Control, Gift Set
  • Orange Distressed Pumpkin Set of3 with Timer
  • Helsinki Outdoor/Indoor Flameless Candle Lantern with Auto Timer Option 
  
  
• Cleaning Wipes
  There are great for quick cleanings before showings. The first one is a set, but you can also buy them individually. The second is an eco-friendly option.
• Clorox Cleaning Wipes
• Seventh Generation Wipes


• Wicker Basket with Handle  
  
   
  Wicker baskets are easy to find and come in so many styles and sizes.
  Copyright 2009 by Peter J. Bellis
   

Keep one of these in major rooms to allow for quick clean-ups each day. Simply use the basket to collect any wayward items that belong in other rooms. At the end of each day, pick up the basket, and return the items to their proper location.
This simple 5-minute technique is much quicker than waiting to do it once a week, or rushing to do it before a showing. Baskets come in all shapes, sizes, and materials. Most are decorative as well. I happen to prefer the wicker ones. Here is just one example.
Wald Imports 20-Inch Willow Basket with Handle

• Cleaning Caddy
  Keep all your cleaning supplies in one place by investing in one of these containers. They range from a basic caddy to versions with specialized compartments. I find I’m much more likely to clean if I have quick and easy access to my supplies. In addition, you can carry the caddy from room to room.
  
  • The Container Store Cleaning Caddy
  • The Container Store Cleaning Caddy with Lid

• Open House and Showing Bag
  To make leaving the house for showings and open houses easier, have a bag that’s ready to go with anything you might need. This can be just about any type of tote bag, backpack, or even a small suitcase with wheels. It depends on your preference and the size of your family.
  
   
  These are just one option for a grab-and-go bag. 
  Copyright 2012 by Wm J. Mills
  
  
  What you pack will also depend on your family’s needs. If you have kids, you may want to keep juice boxes, snacks, and a few toys or games in there. For adults, maybe all you need is books or magazines, bottled water, snacks, and anything else you need to make your time away less stressful.
  
  • Here’s one option, a simple tote bag. I own a couple of these and I love them. It is available in several colors.
    Zipper Travel Sports Bag
  • Here is a cross between a suitcase and a bag.
    Olympia Rolling Shopper Bag with Wheels
  • Finally, here’s a small suitcase on wheels.
    Travel Suitcase on Wheels with Extendable Handle

Candies
We all like getting things for free. And who doesn’t love sweets? Plus, anything that makes buyers linger in your home is great. For sanitary reasons, only use candies that are individually wrapped. An alternative is to make your own bags of non-wrapped candies, such as M&Ms. Avoid any setup where hands are touching the edible portions. Even a bowl of mints with a spoon is not recommended.
A few good candies to use are Starburst, Hershey’s Kisses, Hershey’s Mini Bars Assortment Pack, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups (miniatures), or individually wrapped packages of M&Ms or Skittles. Make sure to get some that you love too, just in case there happen to be “extras.”

 

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are a great option because they're individually wrapped.

Copyright 2008 by KEF08

A fun, but slightly pricier idea, is to get personalized labels for candies. These are common as favors at weddings or showers. Or, purchase personalized M&Ms and put them in little bags.
Personalized M&Ms
If you want to get personalized candy labels, there are many sites that offer this service, or you can make them yourself. Here’s one site that makes them.
iCandy

Personalized Water Bottles
Purchase inexpensive bottled water and add your own labels. You can include information about your home, such as the website of your listing, or your agent’s contact information. You can purchase pre-made labels or make your own, either on the computer using label sheets, or by purchasing blank labels and handwriting the information yourself.
Here’s one company that makes labels for just about anything.
Bottle Your Brand

These are just a few products that I find either useful and practical, or just fun when selling your home. Use these ideas to generate others that might work for you and your situation.