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Home Staging
     
 

What is “Home Staging”
How Does it Help Sell My House?

“Home staging” is not a new term, but for many homeowners and real estate agents the concept of “professional home staging” is shedding new light on how to promote a home in the real estate marketplace. In past years, homeowners were left to their own discretion as far as preparing for home showings. Though they could occasionally rely on an agent for instructions, more often than not real estate agents were just as perplexed at working out the details as the homeowner.

While agents are experts in the field of selling and closing, many are not design savvy. Agents usually know exactly what factors can help sell a home. It’s just not always easy to get a home into selling condition in a timely manner without some sort of experienced assistance.

Professional home stagers are practiced in the art of preparing a home for resale. They work with the “flow” of a home, eliminate clutter, edit and arrange furniture, and even assist in enhancing curb-appeal. With the aid of a professional home stager, your house can make a notable first impression on potential homebuyers.

 
 


First Impressions

As the real estate industry often stresses, the first impression is the key factor in selling your home. Typically, a potential buyer has made up their mind ten seconds after they step in the front door. They were already forming an opinion as they pulled into your driveway! That really doesn’t leave too much room for fault.

To achieve the greatest possible outcome, a home should always be presented at its best the first time around.


 
 


How Much Does it Cost?

When you contact a home stager, ask for an estimate. Most home staging businesses will be happy to give you a free estimate and it is usually a quick process. Keep in mind that this is only an estimate and estimates can be a bit off. However, unless something unforeseen takes place between the estimate and the actual job itself, an estimate should be fairly accurate.

Get several free estimates and make some calculations. Just like any service, pricing in the home staging industry can vary over a wide range. Some charge an hourly rate and some will charge you a set fee for the entire job. Be sure to ask how they determine their fee so that you can make an educated decision. Also, factor in the condition of your home, the average amount of time homes have been on the market in your area, and the asking price of your home.

Asking price can play a huge factor in what a homeowner should be willing to pay for staging services. Some professional home stagers bring in rented furnishings, driving the price up considerably. Some simply charge too much to make it pay off. A lot of home stagers seem to forget that their clients are planning on moving out of the house very soon. Most home sellers are not willing to invest a huge amount of cash in a house they are planning on leaving behind.

Find out up front what the stager is planning to bring in and at what cost. Though expert services do come at a price, the cost should balance with the expected benefit of a higher selling price. As a rule, the higher the asking price of the home, the more one can spend to have it professionally staged.

Agent Participation

For the most part, an agent should be able to determine if a home is in need of staging and if it would be of benefit or not. If the agent knows it would be in the homeowner’s best interest and if you know that something will need to be done before the home is listed, it might be wise to set an amount in the listing contract for staging. If it’s a reasonable fee to be paid, it is usually a worthwhile investment. It could certainly make all the difference in your showing.

Learning to Stage Your Home

Ideal Realty has a program to assist sellers interested in Home Staging. Staging is very visual. It is all about presentation. It aims to make things pleasing to the eye  -- and nose!.

Discover how to redesign or fix up homes with design elements known to attract specific potential buyers. Develop a strategic design and marketing plan to make changes that help buyers connect to your house on an emotional level. Prepare your home for sale by eliciting positive responses from a buyer who can see, hear, smell, feel, and even taste that they want to buy your home.

* Redesign with color psychology, lighting, landscaping, and other strategies to create spaces that make buyers feel happy and uplifted in your home.

* Stage your home to suggest ways a buyer will enjoy an improved lifestyle if they buy your home.

* Market your home to highlight its emotional benefits and make it stand out from all other houses on the market.

* Sell your home to motivated buyers who bring great offers to your front door.

Don't just compete with other home-sellers: redesign your home with Ideal Psychology so buyers compete with each other for your home!

Home sellers interested in learning "Home Staging" can contact Ideal Realty at 615-494-5100. "Home Staging" instructions are offered to all Ideal Realty selling clients. Owners offering the home for-sale-by-owner may take the "Home Staging" course from Ideal Realty for a very small cost..

                

© 2005  Ideal Realty - 4230 Burt Burgen Road,  Woodbury, TN 37190  -  Phone: 615-494-5100