I know it may sound a bit crazy to consider traffic when you are selling your home….like you need a traffic cop to assist you, but in a way you do. I guess I am that traffic cop! 🙂 
When you are putting your home on the market you really need to consider that you may have 5 to 6 people all together walking through your home. Potentially the Realtor, husband, wife and 2-3 kids. That is a lot of people getting through a space and yes, most tend to walk together through the house, at least at first.
I entered a home this week to do a home staging consultation and 4 feet inside the door was an extremely large easy chair that also blocked over half the hallway straight ahead into the rest of the home. Yes it was a great placement for watching TV but it was not a great placement for selling. Some short term inconveniences may need to be made.
You need to leave all hallways, walkways, stairways and landings completely open. In addition, any major traffic pattern through a room should have 4 feet of clearance. If it is a not a key walkway, then a 3 foot space is sufficient. In some cases 2 feet is fine, like the back side of a dining room table.
You don’t need to walk through your home with a tape measure but if it helps than by all means! When I do a Home Staging Consultation I literally stand at the front door and determine which way the buyer is going to walk through a home. A well trained Home Stager can even direct the traffic flow in a direction you may want them to go in order to highlight a key feature of the home.
In addition, traffic flow through a living room for example is best if it isn’t cutting through the middle of a furniture grouping. There are times in can not be helped but many times re-arranging of furniture can create a much better flow. In the picture above not only is there a direct line to the stunning and cozy sun porch, the buyer is not walking through the living room sitting area. That was grouped up towards the fireplace with ample space behind it.
So when you are getting your home ready for sale…stand back, look at the traffic flow and walkways in your home and determine where adjustments may need to be made. Or call your Certified Home Stager for assistance!
