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Spring Market 2017

Spring Market 2017

Posted on by Avril Brown

Spring Market Staging Update 2017

The 2017 Real Estate staging year at Prep has had a busy start. Our staging consults are way up from last year, as more and more Real Estate professionals and homeowners are beginning to catch on to the value of a staging consult when selling a property.

Too often seen as an extra expense, staging is now being recognized for the value it brings, in time on the market, internet exposure and return on your investment. Online images are the “make or break” when a busy home buyer shops the internet for a new home. A “no thanks” is just a click away so don’t be fooled into thinking your home is “ok” to list on the MLS. A home owner can’t be objective when it comes to their “palace” You may have put time , money and sweat into getting your home ready for listing but does it have the look today’s buyers are looking for.

Even professionally decorated homes often need tweaks by an experienced staging professional. We do this everyday, we know what buyers are looking for, what turns them off and what it takes to get your home on their “must see” list.

All the homes above and many more have sold this Spring. Many of them had just a 2 hour staging consult and e mailed report.  All had an experienced Realtor who is social media savvy, professional photography and serious, “do what it takes” owners who trusted Prep Home Staging to advise them on what is required to attract buyers in today’s Real Estate Market.

Call me today

Avril Brown 902 489 6162

Why staging to sell is so important

Posted on by Avril Brown

 

Staging is marketing

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Hiring a home stylist to prep your home before selling is no longer just an option…….. it is a necessity.

 

Buyers don’t want boring. They want to see how a home will function for their needs and family life and many homeowners don’t have the vision or expertise to market a home in a way that will excite and entice a buyer to fall in love on the first showing.

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Whether repurposing a client’s furniture and accessories or starting with an echoing empty space, a home stylist uses furniture placement, colour and texture to tell the story a home buyer wants to hear. Failing to think it’s not all about the buyer and resisting changing wall colours, fixtures and furniture is minimizing the chance of attracting the right buyer who will pay top dollar for your property.

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You may be competing with new homes who have a staged model home with on trend furnishings and accessories. Home builders are now recognizing the value of investing in staging, to sell a lifestyle. Your lifestyle has to appeal to a buyer and staging sets the scene.

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A home stylist will assess your property and compile a plan to market your home to the target buyer, so trust your home stylist, we do this for a living and as they say, sometimes you have to spend a little money to make some.

Prep Home Staging

902 489 6162

 

Merry and Bright

Merry and Bright

Posted on by Avril Brown

Holiday decor ideas for the merriest season

The photo studio at Wicker Emporium has been a busy spot in the last few weeks as we gear up for the Holidays with fabulous new product. You will have to wait a little while to see this years images but here’s a look at what we got up to last season.

Red and rustic is always a favorite and I certainly had fun styling this one. Here are some of my styling ideas for keeping your decor fresh and festive. Enjoy.

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All photo credits

Justin MacDonald, Halifax n.s.

 

 

Reluctant to stage your home ? I get it.

Reluctant to stage your home ? I get it.

Posted on by Avril Brown

You are reluctant to stage your home, I get it. You love it as it is, so why shouldn’t someone else. You took time to pick out that purple/orange/lime green paint for the bathroom. You love the layout in your family room with those 2 comfy sofas you have had forever, where the dog loves to curl up. Your wall of family photos makes you happy and no, you don’t have a bed skirt, they are too much trouble. I get it.

So here lies the problem and might be the reason your home isn’t selling as quickly as you had hoped. How does that purple paint in your bathroom look in your online images. Does it make a small room look even smaller and darker. Does the floral shower curtain look too busy. Does it really show off the good points you are trying to emphasize in that room.  Does the lack of a bed skirt, lumpy, flat pillows and mismatched bedding say “Serene Master Bedroom”

You may think that your home looks perfect and is ready to sell, but remember: not everyone likes green paint in their living room or a floral bedspread in the master bedroom. Both men and woman want to envision themselves in your master bedroom. Show the buyer there’s enough space for both. You’re going to need to stage your home.

When listing a home, especially if you haven’t been involved in the world of real estate for a few years, you make the mistake of assuming that everyone walking in for a showing has the same taste as your family, and it would sell in no time. After two or three months on the market and zero interest, it may be time to switch things up a bit. Despite your reluctance to change the place you called home for 20 years, calling in an expert who does this for a living could be a game changer.

I sometimes have clients who are resistant to staging a home (a realtor may have called me in to be the bearer of bad news) but by the time I have done a staging consult they are starting to “get it”. Even newer homes need staging. One particular client was dead set against staging, but the area and price bracket their home was in, dictated the presentation required to sell. After a few days and a lot of persuading on the part of the realtor and input from my report they finally decided to go ahead.

Result, the home sold in 3 days after I staged.  A similar home, 3 doors down had been on the market for 6 months and had had a price reduction, which was far more than the cost to stage.

Change is hard but sometimes necessary and getting the right advice can make the process so much easier.

 

 

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www.prepstaging.com

902 489 6162

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