Kim Slade

It’s your money, right? Did you ever stop to look at the math around real estate transactions?

Say you want to sell your home in January for $300,000. In scenario A, you bring in Kim Slade from Staging Impressions to prepare your home for sale. The place is ready and it looks its very best, much like a model home. Sure you had to invest some money but you are confident you will sell faster and for a higher price because of Kim’s staging services. You have a good Realtor who is willing to market your home and promote it well. An Open House is advertised and scheduled for this weekend right after the home has been staged. You and your family move to your in-laws for the weekend to keep the house in show ready state. The house is well received at the Open House and had thirty visitors. Realtors heard about the house and there has been steady showings for the last week. You receive a cash offer for $315,000 the following weekend. It was an intense week, but the house is sold! And above asking!

In scenario B, still a $300,000 house for sale in January. The owners decide to list the property without staging or trying to prepare the house for sale. They do only the bare basics – doing the dishes in the kitchen and making the beds. Clutter is an issue in this house. Delayed maintenance is visible and requires attention. Paint colours are very personalized. Furniture is oversized and does not flow well to emphasize the strong points of the house. Open house is scheduled. Twenty visitors – minimal interest. Open House is again booked for the following weekend. The results are similar. A few scattered showings but no offers. March is upon us. Realtor wants a $20,000 price reduction, now listing at $280,000. More Open Houses and one low ball offer that is rejected. End of April and there are no offers. Realtor suggests another price reduction of $20,000. Owners will not and decide to call Kim to get there house staged and show ready. Another Open House with twelve visitors. Excitement and encouraging remarks abound. Realtors start ringing and showing the house. One more week passes and an offer for full asking price. Accepted at $ 280,000, a full twenty thousand below what they wanted, but at least it is over.

Selling a house is a stressful time financially. All of us would prefer scenario A, I would imagine, keeping the other $20,000. It is always about timing. Call Staging Impressions to have your home staged first, then sign on with a good Realtor and set up the first Open House for immediately following Home Staging. If you can, move out of the house for the weekend to allow realtors to show the house as much as possible and allow prospective buyers to view at the Open House. Prepare for multiple offers… it’s a very exciting time!

Home Staging is the process of changing a home into a marketable product ready for potential buyers so that it can sell quickly and for its best price. It works because it assists potential buyers in imagining what it would be like to live in the home, which usually leads to offers. Staging often involves decluttering, moving some items elsewhere, painting, cleaning, rearranging of furniture, placement of art and accessories, etc.. Usually, I can work with what the owner already has but sometimes, furniture rental or purchase of a few items is necessary.

The best time to stage a home is before you call the real estate agent and put the "For Sale" sign on the front lawn. This allows you the chance to get the best possible pictures for MLS listing. Did you know that 90% of Canadians look for their next home online before calling an agent? They search online with logic, then create their short list of homes to go see and then they buy on emotion. Home staging really helps prepare and present the house.

If your home has been on the market for a while, with no offers, staging can definitely help get it sold. The cost of staging is far less than the cost of your first price reduction.

For help from your local home staging expert call Kim Slade 519.429.0823 or email at kim@stagingimpressions.ca. Check out her website at StagingImpressions.ca

You've decided its time to move on to the next phase of your life. You think you're ready to list with an agent to sell your home or are you? Is your home picture ready, emphasizing all its best points, for marketing on the internet? Is your home in its very best condition and ready to impress company? Do you lack the time to get it in this position? Do you wonder how to make it shine and stand out, in your price point range, on the real estate market? Do you want top dollar for your home? And now that you have made the decision to sell, you want it sold quickly with a minimum of intrusion on your life, right?

Enter the Professional Home Stager. With the critical eyes of a potential buyer, I know what needs to happen in your home to get it company ready. In many cases, I can work with what you have to make the most of the home you want to sell. Sometimes it is necessary to purchase a few items to bring out the WOW factor in your home. Statistics at RESA, show us that homes that are staged sell for 4 to 10% higher that homes that are not, on average. On a $250,000 - four percent higher would be $10,000 and ten percent higher could be a whooping $25,000. The statistics also show us that staged homes sell on average, in two months in comparison to a not staged home being nine months. So how do you enter the real estate market poised for action and the best results? Hire me, a Professional Home Stager, then call your proven Real Estate Agent.

Kim Slade,Home Stager

StagingImpressions.ca

kim@stagingimpressions.ca

519.429.0823