Category: Staging

When you think of home staging,what comes to mind?

Part two.

Contrary to some beliefs,home staging can be done for a modest budget.In many cases a short consultation is enough.I view a property and give the client my recommendations on the changes needed to get their home ready for the market.In other cases I am hired to work with the client to actually make those changes.That may mean helping them sort through and get rid of clutter,advise on what to pack up and remove unnecessary furniture,to reposition existing furnishings to help traffic flow and generally improve the appearance of a place,or to project manage larger changes that may involve re-painting,small home improvement projects,colour consultation etc.

The most important thing for clients to be aware of,though,is that studies have consistently shown that for every dollar they invest in home staging they can expect to receive $4 in return.That’s right folks,home staging actually helps to increase the value of a property.And these are not just numbers generated by the home staging industry.The National Association of Realtors,Royal LePage,Coldwell Banker aand other real estate agencies all report that home staging provides many financial returns.

Foe me, a great relationship is one with a real estate agent who sees the benefits of home staging and invites me in as part of their extended team to provide the best possible value and service to their customer.Strategic alliances of this nature help us all.As a real estate agent,you get to stand out from the crowd by offering your clients a comprehensive home selling service package.As a home stager,when I have enquiries from people who have just begun to think about selling but haven’t choosen an agent,I get to help them by linking them to someone I know and trust.Plus as I build relationships with the real estate agents I work with,I am able to support their overall plan for a client,and to take some tough conversations with clients off their shoulders.You have all had the experience of working with a seller who wants the moon for their place but isn’t at all open to to making any changes that will make it more sellable.We home stagers excel at supporting agents in these conversations,and helping customers actually get that hard work done so that you are freed up to prospect for more sellers.

As you can imagine not all home stagers are the same.We all bring various strengths to the table.I’m very pleased to be able to tell you that a couple of my specific strengths are the ability to work collaboratively with other professionals and my background in Visual Merchandising which allows me to fully understand the overall home marketing process and not just make a place look pretty.You know just how critical collaboration is in this business.You need other professionals who can communicate effectively,who meet deadlines and who aren’t prima donnas.You need someone who understands that in  todays world,homes are marketed to specific demographics and need to reflect the ‘lifestyle’ on offer,through appropriate use of furniture style,decor,colour and use of space.

It’s my pleasure to assure you that I can offer you both great collaboration and a thorough understanding of lifestyle marketing.Home staging is definitely an investment that pays off both in the value of homes and reduced time on the market.Home staging is valuable for all segments of the real estate marketplace.We offer a wide range of services from a simple consultation to managing complex projects.And finally, it is more common for us to re-use,re-purpose and re-imagine a clients existing pieces than it is for us to insist that they buy new in order to present their home in the best possible light.

As a home stager,I can support you in helping your client’s home look like the dream property every buyer aspires to.

When you think of home staging,what comes to mind?

Part one

In my experience there tend to be four sorts of responses to this question.First, some Realtors think that home stagers are a waste of time and money.Second,some think home stagers are only for high value properties.Third,some see home stagers as a valuable service.And finally,some think that we home stagers make moving more costly than it needs to be because homeowners have to buy all kinds of new furniture and accessories.

Before I address these home staging myths,let’s take a couple of minutes to talk about what exactly home staging is.From my experience home staging can best be described as a process of “dressing a house” so that it looks it’s best. Just like when we dress ourselves up to go to an interview in the hopes that we will be ‘picked’ out of all the people available,home staging pretties up a house so that potential buyers get the best possible impression of it.

So what are the economic realities of staging? As a Realtor you already know that most homes are bought as a result of an emotional response by the buyer.In today’s marketplace,emotionally based sales are becoming more and more common.It has become critical that homeowners seeking to sell quickly and for a good price have a home that hits a positive emotional response in buyers.Home stagers are aware of what most effectively and efficiently creates that positive emotional hit.The one that encourages a buyer to say “I’ll take it”. Home staging is not the same as home decorating; it’s focus is always on the needs of the buyer and not the seller.

Let’s face it,home buyers have changed.They watch all the decorating shows on TV and expect only the best for themselves.Often their expectations are out of line with their budgets,but that doesn’t stop them wishing for the moon.First impressions are critical to them.They have seen it all,the latest model homes,home tours,lottery palaces.They desire the best.

Conversely,the average home seller has lived in their home for long enough that they have stopped seeing it as a potential buyer would.They’ve long ago stopped noticing the clutter,blocked windows and doorways,how shabby the last paint job has become,how dingy their home looks to new eyes.That’s where home stagers can save the day.We look at a property through a buyer’s eye,to point out the negatives that will deter a sale and to highlight positive features of a property which may be currently hidden or overshadowed.

To be continued………

Going the extra mile,gets it sold!

As a Realtor it is always to your benefit to sell each home you list for the highest price possible and to sell it quickly.So the question of the day would be,why aren’t all Realtors having their listings staged and professionally photographed when stats show that  houses sell 50% faster and for a higher sale price* based on “Home Gain” statistics.

Until a Realtor has used the services of a stager &  professional photographer and seen first hand what a powerful marketing tool these services can be there will always be objections & naysayers.Trying something new is never easy but the Real Estate Industry has changed drastically in just the last five years.To be competitive in this field you have to have an edge and offer your clients the best possible service with the recources available to you.

Offending Home Sellers, whose listing you value and worked hard for is the last thing you want to do.You want to provide your client with the best possible service but those first impressions may have already killed the sale for you and it’s not even on the MLS yet.Preparing a home for sale requires alot of work and time.Time you may not have.Sometimes the job just looks too daunting and even though you suggest a few fix ups and some decluttering to a homeowner they don’t always carry out your instructions in the way that you wanted.The hardest thing for a seller to do is be objective with their own home and it’s contents.It’s all about emotions,the sellers emotional attachment to the home and the buyers emotional response when first viewing the home.A stager works as a third party seeing the home as a buyer would,pinpointing anything a buyer might see as a negative and highlighting the positive features to show a property in it’s best possible light.

As the market shifts and  homes begin to linger,you need a solution or a competitive advantage to offer discouraged sellers to get their house sold.Real estate staging and professional photography are not an option,they have become a necessity vital to a successful sale.

Encouraging your clients to have their property staged to appeal to a broader range of buyers and investing in top quality images will assure them you are going the extra mile ahead of your competitors to get the job done.

Referrals are everything in the Real Estate world and quality service gets quality listings and more of them.It’s all in the “Prep” work!