Staging A House Helps Sellers & Buyers
Ideally everyone involved in the transaction wins when when a home is staged for sale. Here's who wins and how they benefit:
- the seller: because the goal of staging is to increase a home's appeal for the highest number of potential buyers, homes that have been staged effectively can be expected to sell sooner and at a higher price
- the buyer: staging techniques help improve a property's appeal by transforming it into a welcoming, attractive home in which buyers can see themselves living
- the listing agent: Staging depersonalizes and declutters a home, improving its general condition and landscaping. Properly executed staging leads the eye to attractive features while down-playing flaws. These factors help increase a home's marketability...increasing the number of potential buyers.
- the selling agent: When showing a home that has been staged effectively, selling agents can help their clients imagining themselves living in the home. When purchasers can see...or imagine...themselves living in a home, it simplified their decision to offer to purchase the home.
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Sandi Gerrard is the owner and creative force behind Feel At Home Interior Redesign which specializes in one day room makeovers and real estate staging.
She is also a Certified ReDesign & Staging Specialist (CRSS) TM, President of the Canadian ReDesigners Association (CRDA), a CRDA Approved Instructor, and Mentor for the Ontario Region.
Following are some of Sandi's comments about staging a house.
The Process of Staging A House
Typically, staging a house begins with a consultation with the home owner and REALTORŪ.At this time, we tour the home together and I give verbal recommendations on cost effective ways to help the home show better.
These suggestions might include cleaning, decluttering, color updates and quick fixes.
After the preparation work...such as cleaning and painting...has been completed, I will revisit the home to strategically place furniture giving the rooms more flow and space.
If a home is vacant, I can arrange for and place rental pieces.
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Home Stagers & Real Estate Agents
Staging a house adds quality to the service that agents deliver to their clients.As a result, many agents are quite agreeable to staging a home...and in most cases will pay for the initial consultation.
Bringing in a stager can help the agent maintain good relations with client.
Being
an objective
third party, the
stager will tell the home owner about deficiencies tactfully and
sensitively. Certainly agents know what needs to be done and what sells a home. But having someone else break tough news about the home's appearance reinforces the importance of making the necessary changes.
Home stagers can help real estate agents by being that objective third party to give recommendations to the homeowner without offending.
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Stagers are also very resourceful in knowing where to get a bargain, what’s on sale, and we often pass on discounts for storage, moving, paint, etc.
Real estate agents are often surprised at how little staging a house actually costs.
Agents can help stagers by providing as much information as possible about the demographics of the neighborhood.
This helps the stager understand how to appeal to a specific type of buyer.
It also helps to know what kind of budget the homeowner has for repairs and upgrades.
It is not effective to give suggestions for new flooring if it can’t be done within budget.
Appropriate lead time on doing a consultation will allow the homeowner to make changes so that MLS photos can help the home show better.
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Lessons Learned
From every assignment of staging a home, I have learned that every situation is different. Each homeowner faces unique challenges...everyone moves for different reasons.It is really important to be sensitive to the needs and feelings of the homeowner.
The owners may be experiencing such crises as separation, divorce, death or financial troubles.
It is also important
to remember that
how bad the home appears at first...there is so much that can be
accomplished by simply cleaning and decluttering
Even the shabbiest furniture will show better if correctly placed.
REDESIGN staging is very green, in that we use what the client has – no need to toss out and purchase new items.
REDESIGN is all about re-using, re-cycling, re-freshing and re-newing.
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