This is a piece originally published in my September newsletter...
A mentor to many in the staging profession, and certainly to me, is Christine Rae. Christine is the founder of Canadian Staging Professionals, known as Certified Staging Professionals in the US. She travels the world, recently expanding CSP into Australia, and is keynote speaker internationally at both real estate and staging specific conventions. In her spare time, along with co-author Jan Saunders Maresh, Christine penned Home Staging for Dummies. Yes, there really is one, although it's for anyone BUT Dummies.
I find one chapter of this book to be particularly relevant, and would like to share some of it here. These are their thoughts, condensed by me.
Reasons Sellers Don't Stage Their Properties (But Should)
"We don't have time for home staging"
If you have time to sell your house, you have time to stage it for sale. Don't undervalue the staging process unless you are prepared to accept less than the property is worth. No one can guarantee the results, but statistically unstaged properties realize a lower return on investment than staged properties, and they may be on the market longer. Why would you gamble with the equity?
"Location and Price will do the work"
While location is important, and price is key, a house that isn't in great condition will probably still stay on the market longer than the seller would like, convincing them to eventually sell for less. Improving the condition of the home before listing will positively influence the selling price.
"I get compliments on my home all the time, so I don't need to stage it."
Remember that the home is not being sold to family and friends. Decorating a home for living, and staging a property for selling are two very different things.
Selling a house isn't about taste or decorating style, it's about what the buyer wants.
"My neighbor's house sold without staging"
Well done, but we'll never know if they got as much for their home as they could have. Again, why gamble with your equity? A property that has been properly staged leaves a positive and lasting impression and stimulates multiple offers.
"If it's good enough for me, it's good enough for anyone"
Buyers are more educated about the real estate market than ever before. They're busy, and most make a short list of homes to see off the internet. Staging before listing gives the property more opportunities to get on that short list because the on-line photos will be so much better. Remember, buying a home that requires lots of work is only appealing if the price is low.
"Staging is just de-cluttering and cleaning and I've done that already"
True, these are huge parts of preparing to sell, but far from the entire picture. There's also furniture editing, reducing, replacing and placement, correct use of colour, lighting, props and art, all targeted to the buyer most likely to be looking to purchase the home.
The home is going to be competing with every other home on the market, and many will have been staged. In order to sell the property at a price that everyone is happy with, it needs to compete with EVERY home out there ~ and win!
Christine Bird, owner and lead Stager of NEW VIEW HOME STAGING, is a Canadian Staging Professional.
We can be reached in Kitchener-Waterloo at 519-505-0892
christine@newviewhomestaging.ca
This is just a quick add-on note I wrote for my newsletter recently.
Keeping curb appeal current with the season is important, and early September is a good time to add some Fall flowers to your landscaping. Some ideas would be the safe standbys mums and pansies but also kale, asters, pumpkins ~white, orange and even funky looking ones. Fall is definitely the season for deep reds, golds and citrus colours of all shades.
Pull out some of the older annuals that have gotten tired, and dig the late summer plantings into gardens to add a sense of permanence and belonging, rather than just dropping a grocery store container onto the porch. There's no need to advertise "The house doesn't usually look this nice so I picked this up today".
If you're interested in home staging in and around Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge & Guelph, please contact New View Home Staging. Christine Bird is a Certified Canadian Staging Professional.
Call Today!
519-505-0892
christine@newviewhomestaging.ca
I often wonder if sellers realize all the personal information their home is giving away and that some buyers may turned off because of it? This can be a hard conversation to have because just talking about it could indicate you personally are turned off too, however the risk of losing a potential buyer over of a negative emotional response is far worse. We all know the taboo topics in daily conversation ~ sex, religion and politics ~ and we need to consider that these may come up unintentionally while selling a home. If you've raised teenagers you understand already, but some keep mementos and photos of "good times" and their choice of accessories and poster art is sometimes "questionable".
Teenagers are just an example. You can also look to the books stacked beside beds or around living areas and they usually tell a clear story of the people that live there. If the buyer can't connect with the space because their personal beliefs are so different, then either the offer will reflect this or there won't be an offer at all.
A way to discuss this tactfully would be to remind your sellers that this is their home's job interview...they need to prepare for their home's interview with the same frame of mind as if they are attending one themselves.
Here's my plug, which of course you knew was coming ... hiring a home stager to work with the seller and handle tricky conversations such as these will protect your client relationship!
New View Home Staging is a full service home staging and property styling company. We offer effective, attractive and affordable solutions for preparing a property for a quick and profitable sale. Consultations with written reports include curb appeal, space management and flow, lighting, de-personalizing, neutralizing, and colours, and all projects can be tailored to fit every budget.
Christine Bird, owner and lead stager, is a Certified Canadian Staging Professional.
christine@newviewhomestaging.ca
All too often homeowners are in a scramble to get their house on the market, so that they don't miss the perceived "window of opportunity". No doubt, that actually does exist in some markets at different times of the year, but is taking an extra couple of days going to make such a huge difference that a home should be photographed and presented while not yet looking it's best?
Actually, rushing to get on the market can work against you.
Buyers make decisions for a number of reasons, not the least of which is an emotional connection to the house. They also need to see the "space" without an overwhelming sense of the people that live there, before they can picture themselves moving in. Both of these connections can best be achieved by putting some extra effort into getting the home ready, and turning it into the "marketable product" that it needs to be.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself when preparing to sell:
A professional stager will guide the homeowner through the process of identifying priorities and the order in which they should be addressed, to ensure your house hits the market looking it's best.
New View Home Staging is a professional staging and property styling company providing services to both Realtors and Homeowners. We offer effective and affordable solutions to properly prepare your home for a quick and profitable sale, by creating winning first impressions that appeal to the broadest base of buyers. Christine Bird, owner and lead stager is a Certified Canadian Staging Professional.
To ensure you are "list ready" call for a consultation! It takes a couple of hours, and could be the difference between a profitable transaction or a so-so sale. 519-505-0892.
1,2,3 SOLD! Showcasing isn't just for vacant homes. An occupied home will benefit from showcasing as much as a vacant, we just approach it differently. It's the third step of a three step process -- Consultation; Improvements; Showcasing. Showcasing creates and promotes the positive feelings and emotions that we want the potential buyer to experience when they view the home, and it's done economically, using primarily items already owned by the homeowner.
While staging consultations may identify literally dozens of projects and enhancements that the homeowner should take advantage of, there still needs to be a plan to present, aka showcase, the home once the work is done. Some homeowners can do this themselves, but many will end up with the home looking exactly as it had before, which is only natural because because they live in it, and are used to the way it looks and feels. Bringing in a professional home stager to showcase, the final act of staging, ensures maximum appeal with the least amount of wiggle room in the resulting OFFERS. ~ A professional stager understands about lighting the space and improving traffic flow, plus can create focal points and vignettes that pull on the heartstrings ~
It's all about creating winning first impressions, and showcasing is a huge part of that. Great on-line photos and curb appeal will give a buyer incentive to get out of the car and enter the home, while showcasing invites them to stay. If they can't picture themselves living there, it's going to be reflected in the offer and this is where a professional stager can help!
Consultation + Improvements + Showcasing = MAXIMUM APPEAL or 1 +2 + 3 = SOLD!
New View Home Staging
www.newviewhomestaging.ca
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New View Home Staging provides professional home staging, pre-listing consultations and property styling for sellers and realtors in KW/Cambridge, Guelph, Stratford and throughout SW Ontario.
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