Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Rug-on-Rug not a Good Idea for Staging

I advise sellers to not show their house with rug-on-rug.

Buyers read rug-on-rug as covering a stain, spots, or tear in the carpeting that they will potentially buy.  A buyer is not going to move your furniture to peek under the rug and see if there is a problem with the carpet. My philosophy is to eliminate objections before the house shows.

Rug-on-rug is OK for decorating but usually not for staging.

But then....
Yes, I have staged rug-on-rug when the seller refused to replace the carpet and offered a carpet allowance. (BTW, carpet allowances are an outdated relic in today's selling market). I only do rug-on-rug when the carpet is in poor condition and I need to do a smoke-and-mirrors-thing to distract from the carpets condition. It is not a cover up, merely a distraction. I have only used rug-on-rug in the winter.  The layering looks too hot in the summer--like a fleece over a sweatshirt.

Just sayin'
A good friend and I planned to have lunch today.  A frantic phone call this morning resulted in our plans being cancelled. She is moving.  Her house is barely 6 years old.  The problems that the Home Inspection Report revealed are baffling.  All of their energy will be directed towards making repairs instead of preparing for the move.

Stay on top of home repairs while you live in your home.

5 comments:

  1. Interesting....
    Never thought about rugs in that way for staging. I use rugs over rugs all the time for design.

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  2. The buyers are purchasing the carpet and need to access its condition. I'm with you about it being OK for decorating. (I like to point out the difference between staging and decorating, ya know Patty.) Thanks for your comment.

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  3. In your sample picture, I think it really works because otherwise the room would be beige on beige on beige. But other times, I think it makes the rooms look old and musty.

    Don't most people replace carpetting anyways when they buy a house? I always rip out any broadloom as soon as I can.

    And great advice about staying on top of repairs - nothing hurts a sale more than a bad inspection report. As the seller, it's expensive and as the buyer, it's troubling to think what else lurks beneath the problems.

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