Staging Your Home
• THE NEW 'MUST DO'
—
You've probably noticed the 'buzz' about home staging over the past few years. Throughout the real estate industry, staging is becoming the norm to help buyers visualize the true potential of a home and for sellers to create a memorable impression and emotional attachment that will stay with them throughout the home search. In an increasingly competitive market, staging is quickly becoming a 'must' in order to make your home for sale stand out from the rest.
• CAMERA READY —
According the National Association of Realtors (NAR), over 72% of buyers in 2006 actually drove by a home they originally found online and 46% toured it. The Internet has become a major marketing tool for selling homes. In addition to many free and fee-based websites to
place
a home for sale, most real estate websites also feature 'virtual tours'
of homes for sale now. How will the photos of your home compare with the
others buyers find online? Imagine the potential for selling your home
if 72% of all the Las Vegas buyers who found your property online drove
by to look at it and 46% came inside!
• AN INEXPENSIVE WAY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE —
Staging doesn't need to be costly or difficult. The essence of it is 'detachment' - stepping away from your home and viewing it as a product you want to sell. It is as much a mindset and perspective as it is an art and a marketing tool. Touches as simple as removing the clutter can make all the difference.
• DECORATING VS HOME STAGING —
Staging is not 'decorating,' however. It's the opposite. Decorating is personalizing your home; staging is depersonalizing it. Think about all the model homes you've visited. No photos of a family living are displayed in them; only the generic photos that came with the frame. There are no collections of plates or football memorabilia because all of those attach the home to someone else. The buyer must mentally block out these images of the current owner to visualize themselves living there. Builders know how to sell houses and staging to enable a buyer to visualize ownership is their number one marketing tool.
• 7 MINUTES TO MAKE A LASTING IMPRESSION —
The average buyer typically spends only 7 to 9 minutes touring a prospective property. It's not much time for someone else to imagine what it would be like to live in your home and then remember it throughout the remaining home search. How then do you capture a buyer's interest and create a memorable impression that will stay with home seekers when yours may be one of the first ones they tour? You must 'stage' it. You must 'cue' your home to make buyers immediately feel as though it could be 'their' home. By moving out your family's personality and presenting each room as a clean slate for a buyer to visualize how he or she might use it, you set your home apart from the competition. Staging makes is easier for the future owners to imagine how they might place furniture and utilize the rooms. It showcases the house - the product for sale - and not the current occupants. Don't allow a buyer to waste minutes admiring your refrigerator magnet collection or stumbling over your son's train table in the middle of the living room. You are taking those items with you anyway. Move them to a storage unit for now and focus on selling the house. Make it easy for the buyer to visualize creating their own memories in their new home. "Give' the home to them before they buy it.
• THE MYTH —
Many sellers believe that only luxury homes are staged. It is a misconception that can affect the number of showings and the final purchase price. Any property can benefit from home staging, and the smallest homes often experience the most dramatic results.
• THE OPTIONS —
Every property demands some degree of staging. Your options are:
The first option, 'doing it yourself,' is difficult because we are usually too close and emotionally attached to our homes to see the flaws clearly, but if you feel you can look at your home objectively, you'll find many excellent ideas on the Internet. The second option, working with your real estate agent to do it, should come as a standard feature of his or her marketing package. If the Realtor you are considering cannot quickly point out many ideas for making your home show better, you should keep interviewing. Staging is a crucial component of marketing your home and if a real estate agent doesn't know the basics, you can be assured all the other marketing attempts will reflect the same lack of experience, too.
• THE PROFESSIONAL HOME STAGER —
The third option is by far the best one. You can either hire a home stager as a consultant who will walk through your house and make a list of ideas for you to implement, or you can contract with one to stage some or all the rooms from start to finish for you. If you are interested in a professional stager, you'll find links at the bottom of this article with a few suggestions to begin your search. The cost for home staging can vary from $500 and up, depending on the services needed - less than your first reduction in the asking price if your home fails to capture a buyer within a reasonable time.
• STAGE BEFORE LISTING —
It is important to do the staging before listing the property. At any time, regardless of market conditions, buyers are in various stages of a home search. The number of showings usually peaks around the second week because, in addition to the usual stream of buyers weeding through the inventory, you also have buyers who are farther along in their home search and are looking at only the newest listings now. Prepare your house for photos and showings before it is listed.
• THE BASICS —
There are a few basic things that every homeowner should do before placing a house on the market. Depersonalizing and de-cluttering are at the top of the list and the keys to success. You want your home to be attractive and inviting, waiting for its new owner. Essentially, your objective is to make it possible for buyers to believe they could move right in without making any significant changes, at least not upfront.
• DETAILING YOUR WAY TO THE BEST PURCHSE OFFER —
Every home can benefit from staging on a cosmetic level. Depersonalize, clean and remove clutter. Pay attention to the details - deep clean the house, professionally clean the windows, repair the chipped tile and leaking faucet and anything else that needs it. Make your home appear well cared for and loved - pampered.
• PLAYING THE BUYER —
Spend
a few minutes in each room and look at it objectively to determine its
best use. How could it appear more spacious? Does it feel 'livable?' Comfortable?
Is it inviting? If you have converted a bedroom into an office, undo it.
Remove the file cabinets and the desk and turn it into a guest room again.
A buyer may look at a bedroom and think about making it into office, but
its original purpose should be presented in all its glory. A converted
office will never look as good as the bedroom it was designed to be, and
vice versa.
• AMBIANCE —
Is your home 'loud?' Soften it with matching accessories such as candles or bathroom towel arrangements to help create a tranquil ambiance. Give your home a feeling of serenity, peace and comfort - a haven from the hectic world. The new owners may have five children and never know a moment's quiet after they actually move in, but then, that feeling of serenity may make it all the more attractive to them when they are dreaming of their new home and meet yours.
• MAXIMUM PRICE IN THE SHORTEST TIME —
Home staging isn't a trend or a luxury, it is a necessity for keeping up with the competition and surpassing it. It's crucial for making a memorable impression on the buyers who tour your home. When you list a home, the goal is to bring the maximum amount of dollars in the shortest time possible. Although it is only one component necessary to achieve that goal, the benefits of staging your home, inside and out, before listing it cannot be underestimated.
• WHERE TO GO FROM HERE —
Below are a few of our suggestions for further information about home staging. We've included a few sites with excellent checklists and specific suggestions, as well as associations and directories where you can begin a search for professional stagers in your area. Please feel free to call or email us anytime to talk about staging or to invite us over to give you a few ideas specifically for your home.
• HOME STAGING TIPS AND IDEAS —
A Field Guide to Preparing and Staging a House for Sale —National Association of Realtors
Home Staging Tips — How to Stage a Home for Sale —The Home Buying Institute
Winning the Real Estate War: 10 Tips From Home Stagers — Canadian Business Magazine
13 Home-Staging Secrets — Home & Garden Television
30 Can't-Miss Staging Tips — Home & Garden Television
Stage This Room! — Realtor Magazine
Staging Tips by Tucson Staged Homes
• BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTOS —
Before and After Photos — Property Staging Consultants
Staging Your Home for Sale: Before and After — AOL Real Estate
Before and After Staging Photos — StagedHomes.com
Before and After Photos of Staged Homes — MSN Real Estate
• PROFESSIONAL HOME STAGER DIRECTORIES —
Directory of Home Stagers — HomeStagingResource.com
Find an Accredited Staging Professional — StagedHomes.com
You've probably noticed the 'buzz' about home staging over the past few years. Throughout the real estate industry, staging is becoming the norm to help buyers visualize the true potential of a home and for sellers to create a memorable impression and emotional attachment that will stay with them throughout the home search. In an increasingly competitive market, staging is quickly becoming a 'must' in order to make your home for sale stand out from the rest.
• CAMERA READY —
According the National Association of Realtors (NAR), over 72% of buyers in 2006 actually drove by a home they originally found online and 46% toured it. The Internet has become a major marketing tool for selling homes. In addition to many free and fee-based websites to
place
a home for sale, most real estate websites also feature 'virtual tours'
of homes for sale now. How will the photos of your home compare with the
others buyers find online? Imagine the potential for selling your home
if 72% of all the Las Vegas buyers who found your property online drove
by to look at it and 46% came inside!• AN INEXPENSIVE WAY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE —
Staging doesn't need to be costly or difficult. The essence of it is 'detachment' - stepping away from your home and viewing it as a product you want to sell. It is as much a mindset and perspective as it is an art and a marketing tool. Touches as simple as removing the clutter can make all the difference.
• DECORATING VS HOME STAGING —
Staging is not 'decorating,' however. It's the opposite. Decorating is personalizing your home; staging is depersonalizing it. Think about all the model homes you've visited. No photos of a family living are displayed in them; only the generic photos that came with the frame. There are no collections of plates or football memorabilia because all of those attach the home to someone else. The buyer must mentally block out these images of the current owner to visualize themselves living there. Builders know how to sell houses and staging to enable a buyer to visualize ownership is their number one marketing tool.
• 7 MINUTES TO MAKE A LASTING IMPRESSION —
The average buyer typically spends only 7 to 9 minutes touring a prospective property. It's not much time for someone else to imagine what it would be like to live in your home and then remember it throughout the remaining home search. How then do you capture a buyer's interest and create a memorable impression that will stay with home seekers when yours may be one of the first ones they tour? You must 'stage' it. You must 'cue' your home to make buyers immediately feel as though it could be 'their' home. By moving out your family's personality and presenting each room as a clean slate for a buyer to visualize how he or she might use it, you set your home apart from the competition. Staging makes is easier for the future owners to imagine how they might place furniture and utilize the rooms. It showcases the house - the product for sale - and not the current occupants. Don't allow a buyer to waste minutes admiring your refrigerator magnet collection or stumbling over your son's train table in the middle of the living room. You are taking those items with you anyway. Move them to a storage unit for now and focus on selling the house. Make it easy for the buyer to visualize creating their own memories in their new home. "Give' the home to them before they buy it.
• THE MYTH —
Many sellers believe that only luxury homes are staged. It is a misconception that can affect the number of showings and the final purchase price. Any property can benefit from home staging, and the smallest homes often experience the most dramatic results.
• THE OPTIONS —
Every property demands some degree of staging. Your options are:
- Do it yourself,
- Work with your real estate agent to do it, or
- Hire a home stager.
The first option, 'doing it yourself,' is difficult because we are usually too close and emotionally attached to our homes to see the flaws clearly, but if you feel you can look at your home objectively, you'll find many excellent ideas on the Internet. The second option, working with your real estate agent to do it, should come as a standard feature of his or her marketing package. If the Realtor you are considering cannot quickly point out many ideas for making your home show better, you should keep interviewing. Staging is a crucial component of marketing your home and if a real estate agent doesn't know the basics, you can be assured all the other marketing attempts will reflect the same lack of experience, too.
• THE PROFESSIONAL HOME STAGER —
The third option is by far the best one. You can either hire a home stager as a consultant who will walk through your house and make a list of ideas for you to implement, or you can contract with one to stage some or all the rooms from start to finish for you. If you are interested in a professional stager, you'll find links at the bottom of this article with a few suggestions to begin your search. The cost for home staging can vary from $500 and up, depending on the services needed - less than your first reduction in the asking price if your home fails to capture a buyer within a reasonable time.
• STAGE BEFORE LISTING —
It is important to do the staging before listing the property. At any time, regardless of market conditions, buyers are in various stages of a home search. The number of showings usually peaks around the second week because, in addition to the usual stream of buyers weeding through the inventory, you also have buyers who are farther along in their home search and are looking at only the newest listings now. Prepare your house for photos and showings before it is listed.
• THE BASICS —
There are a few basic things that every homeowner should do before placing a house on the market. Depersonalizing and de-cluttering are at the top of the list and the keys to success. You want your home to be attractive and inviting, waiting for its new owner. Essentially, your objective is to make it possible for buyers to believe they could move right in without making any significant changes, at least not upfront.
• DETAILING YOUR WAY TO THE BEST PURCHSE OFFER —
Every home can benefit from staging on a cosmetic level. Depersonalize, clean and remove clutter. Pay attention to the details - deep clean the house, professionally clean the windows, repair the chipped tile and leaking faucet and anything else that needs it. Make your home appear well cared for and loved - pampered.
• PLAYING THE BUYER —
Spend
a few minutes in each room and look at it objectively to determine its
best use. How could it appear more spacious? Does it feel 'livable?' Comfortable?
Is it inviting? If you have converted a bedroom into an office, undo it.
Remove the file cabinets and the desk and turn it into a guest room again.
A buyer may look at a bedroom and think about making it into office, but
its original purpose should be presented in all its glory. A converted
office will never look as good as the bedroom it was designed to be, and
vice versa.• AMBIANCE —
Is your home 'loud?' Soften it with matching accessories such as candles or bathroom towel arrangements to help create a tranquil ambiance. Give your home a feeling of serenity, peace and comfort - a haven from the hectic world. The new owners may have five children and never know a moment's quiet after they actually move in, but then, that feeling of serenity may make it all the more attractive to them when they are dreaming of their new home and meet yours.
• MAXIMUM PRICE IN THE SHORTEST TIME —
Home staging isn't a trend or a luxury, it is a necessity for keeping up with the competition and surpassing it. It's crucial for making a memorable impression on the buyers who tour your home. When you list a home, the goal is to bring the maximum amount of dollars in the shortest time possible. Although it is only one component necessary to achieve that goal, the benefits of staging your home, inside and out, before listing it cannot be underestimated.
• WHERE TO GO FROM HERE —
Below are a few of our suggestions for further information about home staging. We've included a few sites with excellent checklists and specific suggestions, as well as associations and directories where you can begin a search for professional stagers in your area. Please feel free to call or email us anytime to talk about staging or to invite us over to give you a few ideas specifically for your home.
• HOME STAGING TIPS AND IDEAS —
A Field Guide to Preparing and Staging a House for Sale —National Association of Realtors
Home Staging Tips — How to Stage a Home for Sale —The Home Buying Institute
Winning the Real Estate War: 10 Tips From Home Stagers — Canadian Business Magazine
13 Home-Staging Secrets — Home & Garden Television
30 Can't-Miss Staging Tips — Home & Garden Television
Stage This Room! — Realtor Magazine
Staging Tips by Tucson Staged Homes
• BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTOS —
Before and After Photos — Property Staging Consultants
Staging Your Home for Sale: Before and After — AOL Real Estate
Before and After Staging Photos — StagedHomes.com
Before and After Photos of Staged Homes — MSN Real Estate
• PROFESSIONAL HOME STAGER DIRECTORIES —
Directory of Home Stagers — HomeStagingResource.com
Find an Accredited Staging Professional — StagedHomes.com
