Expert helps homeowners set the stage for a sale - The Indianapolis Star

by Jill Phillips

Linda Barnett

• Title: Owner of HomeMatters.
• Education/experience: Accredited staging professional; certified interior decorator; former real estate agent.
• Employment: Entrepreneur; Target Distribution Center; The Basket Connection; Graves Realty.
• Personal: Husband, Gary Barnett; a son.
• Hobbies: Singing karaoke, reading, gardening.
• With whom she'd like to have dinner: Oprah Winfrey. "I find her interesting and intriguing. . . . She's a powerful person to look and model your own life after."
• Best advice: "If you believe in something, never give up."
• Favorite quote: "Live today like it's your last." -- Unknown

Linda Barnett's philosophy is "Plan today for a successful sale tomorrow."

In 2004, Barnett, a former real estate agent, combined her entrepreneurial spirit and creativity to open HomeMatters, a firm that helps prepare homes to be sold.

Her clients' homes become a palette where Barnett, a certified home interior designer, shows owners how adding a touch of paint or moving furniture around can help them sell.

Previously, Barnett owned The Basket Connection, a gift basket and event-planning business, and was a real estate agent for Graves Realty.

It was during her last job that she noticed how she could help owners on a creative level. Barnett said builders can use the same technique to market new homes.

"The idea, of course, is to make you feel at home, comfortable and eager to buy," she said.

Question: What is home staging?

Answer: Home staging is a home-selling technique that uses the home seller's furnishings, artwork and accessories to create a visual experience, as well as a feeling of emotional warmth that will appeal to the widest range of people.

Buyers only know what they see, not the way it could be . . . which makes staging or setting the stage even more critical in marketing properties. Buyers want to imagine themselves living in the house, to clearly see its features and not be overwhelmed or distracted by the current homeowner's lifestyle.

Q: Will you stage homes in the same neighborhood or down the street from each other?

A: I will help anyone who needs help. You may have the same floor plan (as someone down the street), but with unique looks. I use a lot of what the homeowner has. For instance, they may have a couch that is too big for a space. I will suggest they move it to another room in the house that fits it and bring in something else.

It depends on the season, the buyer. It's kind of like a home makeover with very little investment. It's using what you have and lifestyle accessories -- candles, potpourri and greenery.

Q: At what point do you step in to help homeowners?

A: I've been called for houses that have been on the market for six months. I've had homes sell in two days after transformation. There is proof in the pudding.

Q: What do you do?

A: I offer a room-by-room list of recommendations to improve the appeal of the home. This report also addresses curb-appeal recommendations. I look for personal clutter (i.e., photos, collectibles, etc.), cleanliness, carpet conditions, wall colors, furniture layout, lighting, traffic flow, space usage, minor home repairs and organization.

I then get into what feelings to induce in the space. For instance, a kitchen should be orderly, spacious, efficient, festive, and suggest a sense of family gatherings, a possible homework space and gourmet cooking, and entertaining.

Q: What do you look for?

A: It's setting the scene so that buyers can emotionally attach to what you are trying to sell. Set the home as close to a model home as possible, with limited livability. Realtors will talk about curb appeal. The things I talk about are detailed -- color, and how that appeals to people. Furniture layout and lighting. Lighting is the number one reason they don't buy. It might have a dark feeling, or people neglect to make sure it's bright and clutter-free.

Q: How can people stage their home?

A: Nothing sells faster or quicker than a sparkling home. Be sure to clean windows and screens, closets, the furnace area, etc. Make sure the kitchen and bathrooms are clean, decluttered and sparkling. It's important to have an objective viewpoint. I'm not as attached to the home personally. I can tell them what items should remain and what should be prepacked and best use space.

Q: What do buyers look for?

A: Buyers usually make their first impression in five to 10 seconds of viewing the home. You want them to build excitement into seeing each room. What catches a buyer's eye is a clean, uncluttered, light, spacious and bright home. Most buyers want a home that doesn't need a lot of work and one that's ready to move (into). It's an emotional connection that makes buyers write an offer. Typically, only 5 percent of buyers can visualize a space with their items, and their own taste and lifestyle.

Q: What makes you successful?

A: I'm very passionate about what I do. I'm skilled and talented. I'm sensitive to home sellers because it can be a stressful time, to plan to sell and move with less stress. I help them get from point A to point B. I have a lot of compassion for that time in their life. I think that comes across in what I'm doing for them. I help owners accentuate the positives and de-accentuate the negatives of their homes.

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