The value of a Staging Consultation

Posted on January 10, 2024 by Avril Brown

Marketing is a powerful selling tool, used to sell everything from cat food to cars. Marketing is appealing to the emotions, the senses and the wallet. Knowing how to market your home to successfully to appeal to todays buyer is key when selling your property.

Todays world is very visual, we are bombarded with images on social media, some memorable, some easily forgotten
To sell a product you have to differentiate from the competition to get noticed
You have literally seconds to grab a buyer’s attention
A home is the largest purchase the majority of people will make in their lifetime
Presentation is key to attraction

Staging a home takes all the above and more into consideration. Staging is marketing to appeal to the buyer, the minute you list your home to sell it’s no longer about your tastes and preferences. Your home is a commodity and you need to add the “wow” to attract the right attention to make your property stand out from the competition.

To be successful in marketing a property you need :

An experienced Realtor who will price your home realistically for the market

Quality images for listing, video and social media posts

The right presentation to make your property stand out

The advice of a stager, who knows from experience what will and won’t appeal to todays buyers

It’s all in the details

Prep Home Staging Consultations

902 489 6162

Keep calm and sparkle on

Posted on November 4, 2015 by Avril Brown

A little sparkle goes a long way, whether staging your home for sale or decorating for the holidays. Nothing brightens a room more than the shimmer of silver, the glint of glass or a flash of chrome. But beware, there is a fine line between too much bling and tasteful sophistication.

Here are some of the ways I like to add glamour to a room, without overdoing it.

Mirrors

Lighting

Mercury Glass

Velvet pillows (or upholstery)

Glass

Art

Adding any of these accents will instantly add sparkle and update your decor to get your rooms noticed.

Reluctant to stage your home ? I get it.

Posted on October 25, 2015 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.

www.prepstaging.com

902 489 6162

Home Staging in Fall

Posted on September 30, 2014September 30, 2014 by Avril Brown

Home Staging for a Fall buyer

What could be better than a cable knit throw, a good book and a comfortable chair on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Sounds good doesn’t it, chances are your home buyers would love it too. Selling a property nowadays requires careful marketing. You aren’t just selling four walls, you are selling a lifestyle, a feeling, a place where memories will be made and you are asking buyers to invest in your property with their hard earned $$$$$$’s.

As a home stager and photo stylist my job is to market a product in the most attractive way possible to drive sales for my clients. Setting the stage, to woo home buyers, apartment seekers and retail consumers to choose to purchase your product over the competition’s. Sounds pretty straightforward right, but a lot of thought, time and effort goes into each and every project I do. Every home is different, every product comes with unique attributes and challenges. How you present a property (your product) changes with the seasons. Colour, texture and pattern all evoke a feeling, a lifestyle, whether a buyer is aware or not. Emotions are a large part of the buying process. Evoke the right emotions from a buyer and your home will stand out, be seen and attract attention.

Two words. Details matter. Even the smallest ones. When the business of living takes over your home, many things go unnoticed that a buyer will pick up on in 2 seconds flat. Those flat as a pancake pillows on the old sofa mean many happy nights of kicking back and watching your show on Netflix, but to buyers it looks shabby. Not quite the look they envisioned for the living room they will entertain friends and family in. Yes you say, they are only pillows but all these little things add up and to get the buyers with the offer you are looking for it takes putting your best foot forward, every time you show your home.

So have a good look at your surroundings, scrutinize every room, every closet, every nook and cranny. Your online images can make or break a sale and with all the resources available nowadays it is easier than ever to get your home in tip top selling condition. A great real estate agent, realistic pricing, professional looking presentation and images will get you well on your way to hanging that SOLD sign.

All images by Farm Gate Imaging