The First Showing
Happens at
the Street
A riverfront contemporary, a 2015 luxury home and a 1910 Fan corner home. Different in every way but one: the staging didn't stop at the back door.
This fall, three homes we staged closed within a month of each other, and they had almost nothing in common. One was a contemporary on 4.33 riverfront acres along the James. One was a 2015 luxury home near the Country Club of Virginia corridor. One was a 1910 corner townhome in the Fan. Different decades, different buyers, sale prices from $1.2 million to $1.8 million. What they shared: on every one, our staging didn't stop at the back door.
Three Homes, Three Outdoor Stories
We dressed the pool deck and grounds like a resort, because on the river the outdoors is half the home. It sold at its full $1,499,000 asking price with a contract in nine days.
We staged the pool and backyard to the property line. A newer luxury home competes with new construction, so it has to show like a model home. It closed at $1,800,500, more than $50,000 over asking, eleven days after it listed.
The porch and outdoor spaces got the same attention as the living room, because a corner lot is on display from two streets. It had an accepted offer in five days and closed at $1,205,000, ten percent over list.
Three properties, three different outdoor stories, one pattern. Buyers made up their minds before they reached the front door, and these homes were ready for that.
Why the Outside Gets Decided First
We've offered exterior home staging as part of our process for years. This fall put numbers on it that we couldn't ignore.
Most sellers put their preparation money into the kitchen and the living room, and those rooms matter. But the first showing happens at the street, and in the listing photos it happens even earlier. A staged porch, a furnished patio, a pool deck that looks like Saturday afternoon instead of a maintenance chore: those pictures are working while a buyer is still scrolling in bed.
"On the James, the outdoors is half the home."
Johnathan H. Miller, on 1400 Aqua Vista LaneHere's what exterior staging looked like on these three homes:
Furnish the outdoor rooms
Seating, tables and textiles on decks, terraces and porches, so buyers see a place to spend an evening, not an empty slab.
Stage the pool like part of the house
On both pool homes, the deck was dressed with the same care as the interior.
Follow the sightlines
On the corner lot, every side a passerby sees got attention, not just the front door.
Shoot it on purpose
Outdoor spaces were composed for the listing photos, so the first image a buyer sees is already selling.
Listing This Winter? That's the Argument For It
If you're listing between now and spring, the off-season is a reason to do this, not a reason to skip it. When inventory thins, a prepared home has less competition for attention, and the buyers out looking in November are serious ones.
Every home we stage is vacant, and exterior staging is part of the plan from the first consultation, not an add-on at the end. Qualified sellers can also use Pay at Close to defer the staging cost until closing.
The press releases on all three sales are on the wire: the James River contemporary, the Three Chopt Road sale, and the Hanover Avenue corner home. For the full story behind the river home's renovation, read From 1992 to $1,499,000. And the full breakdown of what exterior staging includes is on our exterior home staging page.
Thinking about selling? Start with Ready-Set-Sold®. Call (804) 239-9845 or visit jsquaredrva.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. This fall, three Richmond-area homes Jsquared staged inside and out sold at or above asking with contracts in 5 to 11 days: 1400 Aqua Vista Lane at its full $1,499,000 asking price, 6604 Three Chopt Road at $1,800,500 (more than $50,000 over asking), and 1901 Hanover Avenue at $1,205,000 ($110,000 over asking). Buyers judge the outside first, in listing photos and from the street.
Jsquared's exterior staging furnishes porches, patios, decks, terraces and pool areas so they read as finished outdoor rooms, and composes them for listing photography. It is planned in the same design consultation as the interior. Jsquared stages vacant homes exclusively.
Usually, yes. Inventory thins in the off-season, so a prepared home faces less competition for attention, and buyers who shop in November and December tend to be serious. Listing photos also carry more weight when fewer people are driving by.
Jsquared Interior Staging & Design, 1908 E Main St, Richmond, VA 23223, (804) 239-9845, stages vacant homes inside and out across a 150-mile radius of Richmond. Founded in 2011, the firm has won more than 100 industry awards.
