By: Theresa Minichiello, ASP, ASPM
Stage Right! Home Staging, LLC, Wilmington, DE
It seems as though more and more I am getting an abundance of builders and investors interested in professional Home Staging. They are using Staging to aggressively market new construction/rehabs and up their ante in the game.
In the past month, I have done three projects for builders and investors -- with 3 more on the burner. Not only have I Staged the actual models for sale, I have also been hired to Stage the homes of buyers who must sell their contingent homes. Some builders are even offering to refund their buyers up to 75% of the Staging fee.
Not long ago, the Hartford (CT) Courant reported that Toll Brothers, a luxury home builder with developments in 21 states, is offering Home Staging services to aid its clients in selling their current home thus enabling the client to buy a new Toll Brothers home.
Did it work? In the case cited, the home, which had been lingering on the market, sold in just TWO DAYS after it had been Staged! And the sellers are now preparing to move into their new Toll Brothers home!
For the average home seller, this means the heat has just been turned up. Not only do they have to compete with the abundance of amenities that buying new construction offers, attractive financial incentives builders are able to give their buyers, but they now also must contend with the builder's assistance being given potential buyers to get contingency houses sold.
There is good news! A professionally Staged home DOES sell faster, and faster means more money. So, it's time to get in the game and play like the big boys! Use the selling secret builders and investors use --Sellers can get their house sold fast too.
If you have any Home Staging questions you would like to see answered in a future column, please email them to StageRightHomeStaging@hotmail.com.
Every year, AVID Ratings Co., a firm that provides surveys and employee training to home builders across the United States and Canada, conducts a survey of home buyer preferences.
Here are a few of the hot home features they've found are absolute must haves when buying a new home in today's market:
• Large kitchens with an island
• Energy-efficient appliances
• Home office or study
• Master suite soaker tubs and oversize showers with seating areas
• Two-car garages
Remember, these hot features are for new homes. When selling your previously owned home, these are amenities your house will contend with and chances are, it is missing some - if not all - of these features.
Now I'm not saying that you have to do a complete remodel on your house to get it sold. There are many affordable ways a professional Home Stager can help you "up the ante" so sellers will see potential in your house to be everything, if not more, than the "newbies".
Some great features existing homes have that new construction usually won't are:
• Larger Property
• Mature trees and Landscaping
• One of a kind craftsmanship
• Architectural Features no longer available
• History of the property
While in the minds of buyers older homes usually equate to problems while new homes equate to luxury, there are ways to garner interest in an older house. The age of a house can be used to create an emotional connection with buyers. Do some research on the home's history and use it as a positive.
Even when selling an older house, when your home is in great condition and at a great price, you are in a position to better contend against newer homes in your area.
Thanks for taking time to read!!
If you have any Home Staging questions, please email them to StageRightHomeStaging@hotmail.com
by Theresa A. Minichiello, ASP, ASPM
Stage Right Home Staging, LLC
Wilmington Hockessin, Delaware
What is "virtual home staging," you ask? Well, after just hearing about this staging method myself, I just had to find out! Hey, I'm a computer savvy chick...I wanted in on VIRTUAL Staging! So, after some research, I found two different definitions:
1) A service in which a home stager provides recommendations based on photos and other details provided by the homeowner or real estate agent.
Translation: The home seller or Realtor® sends photos via email to the virtual home stager, who then makes recommendations on how to stage the house -- sight unseen. The stager suggests colors, furniture placement, and window treatments without ever having viewed the property in person.
The second definition is as follows:
2) A computer program is used to enhance photos of the house.
Translation: Using a computer program , virtual home stager take a digital picture of a house and alter it to their liking. This can involve everything from changing wall colors, air brushing out visible flaws, adding furnishings and wall art, etc. simply by doctoring the photo electronically.
As a professional Home Stager, both of these methods raise some concerns for me.
When hiring a Stager, an investment is being made to get your house sold. There is nothing that will ever compare to personal service and the human touch. Seeing only pictures, a "virtual stager's" view of the house is disjointed, and there is no feel for the flow of the house as a whole. A professional Stager will need to see the home in 3D in order to tie everything together for the most aesthetically pleasing finished product.
Also, with this "virtual" method, all recommendations by the stager are subject to personal interpretation. For example, let's say the stager suggests adding some color to a room and the seller decides to paint the entire room fire engine red. In this instance, the reason for hiring the Stager to begin with has been lost.
The second definition of "virtual staging" is akin to joining an online dating service and posting your high school graduation photo - from 1972. This is clearly misrepresentation. Realtors who bring their client to your house and realize this may not encourage another prospective buyer to view it.
It's always in your best interest to consult with a professional home Stager when preparing your house for sale. Use caution, and always be sure your Stager has Staging-specific training, such as the Accredited Staging Professional (ASP) certification.
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We serve all of Delaware, Southeastern Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Eastern Maryland and Southern New Jersey We are a Full Service, Full Time Home Staging Company!
Stage Right! Home Staging was founded by Theresa Minichiello and is headquartered in Hockessin, Delaware. Stage Right! Home Staging warehouses the largest Home Staging inventory in Delaware which enables us to get your houses Staged faster! The Stage Right! Team is comprised of dedicated professionals who have a passion for what we do!
Theresa is one of only 300 professional home stagers in the world to have earned the rare double certification of Accredited Staging Professional and Accredited Staging Professional Master and serves as the Principal Stager, CEO, & Founder of Stage Right! Home Staging, LLC, headquartered in Wilmington, DE with offices in Hockessin, DE and West Grove, PA.
She is recognized as the area's leader in the home staging industry, being the first and only home stager in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey to have earned the designation of Accredited Staging Professional Master which is the highest designation recognized by the National Association of Realtors. Some of Theresa's expertise is currently showcased in "Home Staging Tips of the Week," a column she writes every Sunday for the real estate section of Delaware's News Journal. Additionally, she has authored exclusive feature articles, published in the New Castle County Women's Journal.
Theresa's core experience and trained eye are keys to her ability to transform any home into a showcase which prospective home buyers routinely fall in love. Using home staging techniques such as color theory and psychology, feng shui, and proper furniture placement, Theresa can design and implement unique and ideal plans that appeal to the widest market of buyers, thus selling homes faster and for more money. She's helped some of her many clients see up to a 500% return on their home staging investment by getting them the most money for their home in the least amount of time.
Most recently, Theresa has become the first and only professional home stager to have been approved by the Delaware Real Estate Commission to teach Realtors® in her craft for continuing education credit hours. She is sought after instructor whose classes are regularly filled to capacity. She has been invited to teach at the Delaware Association of Realtors 2010 Convention, and is honored to have taught more than 500 Realtors to date.
Theresa is a member of the National Association of Women Business Owners, the New Castle County Board of Realtors, the New Castle County Chamber of Commerce, and the Kent County Association of Realtors. She is also a Distinguished Lifetime Member of the National Association of Professional & Executive Women and was voted one of their Women of the Year in 2008. Furthermore, Stage Right! Home Staging, LLC is a Better Business Bureau accredited business.
Adding to her extensive education and experience in home staging, Theresa earned her Life Coach Certification in November, 2008. She is combines her life coaching skills with her expertise in home staging to create harmony in homes, both aesthetically and emotionally. This helps her to develop client and personal relationships, build rapport with new clients, and train and empower women business owners.
With a complete palette of Home Staging services, Stage Right! Home Staging offers Sellers and Realtors alike every solution for any Home Staging need! We provide everything from a hands-on, do-it-yourself Property Staging Plan for the pro-active seller (Realtors - this is a great pre-listing tool for you!) to Our Ultimate Staging (occupied or vacant) in which the Stage Right! Team plans and implements the entire house Staging! You decide how much or little you would like done!
The Stage Right! Team is the solution for your worry, anxiety and stress that accompanies preparing your house for sale. We can do it all! We have a network of professional that we will happily recommend to complete all of your pre-listing needs.
Dining Room Before Stage Right! Dining Room After Stage Right!
Living Room Before Stage Right! Living Room After Stage Right!
WOW!
"Theresa is a true professional. I couldn't believe how fast my listing was Staged! Then -- it sold in 3 DAYS!! I highly recommend her and the Stage Right! Team. They do what the name says!"
Linda Hanna, Realtor, Patterson Schwartz, Hockessin, DE
The Staging convinced me to buy!
"I must have looked at 25-30 townhouses before seeing this one. The cleanliness, attention to detail and "homey" feeling were apparent immediately. The Staging job you did sold this townhouse for me!"
Henry Curry, Newark, DE
Awesome
I used Stage Right! Home Staging, LLC for a listing I inherited that sat vacant for almost 3 years. We staged the property, listed it on the market, and sold it within a few months. Stage Right! Home Staging did a great job transforming the "space" into a "home". It was this artistry that allowed the buyer to see the potential of this fabulous home and purchase it. Thank you Stage Right! I will definitely recommend you again!
Pat Molitor, Realtor, Prudential Fox & Roach in Hockessin, DE
Sold!
Stage Right was the solution for getting my dads home sold in Bear, Delaware under very difficult circumstances. I would recommend their services to anyone who must sell a home!
J.R. Andress in Hockessin, DE
Staging Sells a Home
Living in texas, being an absent owner, and having initial troubles with a real estate company all led to our house being up for sale for several months without any prospects. Our new real estate agent recommended Sate Right! Home Staging to us. I'll admit I was skeptical and at first hesitated due to the cost. But after deciding to go ahead with the staging, I was amazed to see the home sell to one of the first prospective homebuyers to walk through. Stage Right! did a great job of making our home look and feel like a home you could see yourself living in. Thanks Stage Right!
Stephen Cutter in Mansfield, TX
Affordable Homes
We sell affordable homes to low - moderate income buyers. We had 8 units that had been sitting on the market for months with no activity so I was given Theresa's number. The house looked great after she was done she made the bedrooms look bigger than they were and gave the buyer a view of how their furniture would look, she was very easy to work with. While I can't say the houses flew off the market (because of the market not the staging) we have sold 6 of 8 and in a large part due to the staging.
Interfaith Community Housing in Wilmington, DE
500% return on your investment
We called Stage Right after we thought we cleaned the house up for selling but prior to listing the house for sale. Thank goodness we did because what we did not know was sure to hurt us. When you live in a house you stop seeing certain things that are an eye sore to others. Every room looks so much bigger and brighter. Sometimes cleaning just is not enough. The things we were told to change now seem common sense and we wonder why we did not think of that. Most of the things we were told to change took no money at all to do, just rearranging and getting rid of stuff. If you spend money on a cleaning service or lawn service why wouldn't you invest in your property to stage it and get it sold? Your ROI will more than pay for itself.
Rebecca Hardy, Newark, DE
Awesome Work!
I listed a vacant house. After 1 month of very little activity the seller and I decided to have the home staged. We had an acceptable offer in 1 week! I couldn't believe the difference of perspective a buyer has when furniture and pictures are in the home. Theresa was a true pleasure to work with. I will have her stage all of my homes!
Colleen Doyle, Realtor, Coldwell Banker Preferred in Wilmington, DE
Incredible Experience!
Incredible experience with Stage Right helping us sell our home in a slow real estate market. We're convinced that it helped immeasurably to move it in a down market. Ten years in the home and many accumulated possessions had to be tastefully removed and screened! What a difference it made! Follow all suggestions and it works!
Prospective buyers can visualize their family furniture and decoration ideas in a minimalized atmosphere much better than a cluttered one.
I would recommend Stage Right to anyone who is serious about selling their home!
Phil & Kathy Worrell, Hockessin, DE
Stage Right - Done Right you mean!
I have been dreading selling my house for the simple fact that in order to get top dollar in this market, your house has to look better then every other house at the same price. I did not have the time to devote, which is where Stage Right came in. They gave me a reasonable price after they went through the work was to be done. Then they scheduled a time, came in and made it happen. The house looks better staged than it did when I lived in it! The whole process was easier then I thought it would be.
All the comments from buyers to agents was the same, "it looks the best for homes in its price range on the market". I believe I will get an offer much sooner than homes that are not staged. In fact, there are more than a few buyers looking seriously at my home right now and it has only been a couple of weeks!
If you are selling your property, do yourself a favor and have the pro's at Stage Right Home Staging do the work for you and get it staged.
Mark Wilson, Hockessin, DE
Not Enough Superlatives! What a pleasure!
Theresa brings great qualities to her presentation. I had the opportunity to see Theresa as she performed magic at the property where we met. The home was nice but she made it sparkle. My 20+ year history as a Realtor, Broker & Appraiser have taught me to look past some of the normal things that one expects to see. Within minutes Theresa was showing me potential that I couldn't imagine.
Theresa balances the business of her work with common sense & uncommon awareness of the mission. My clients are also as impressed. Her contributions made more progress than any of us dared to expect. Her services & customized approach allows for any budget & awesome results.
I will seek her advice again. Without hesitation, I will suggest her name & skills for the benefit of future clients. How can one quantify the positive influence & overall benefit of the important "First Impression" when shopping for a home?
Not enough superlatives? I am available for further comment.
Will Webber, Realtor, Keller Williams Wilmington/Newark, DE
What a difference!
I thought my house was beautifully decorated and not very cluttered until Theresa came over and worked her magic. I recommend that anyone interested in getting the most out of the sale of their home call Stage Right!
Not only is Theresa talented, but every time I had a question, I was able to call or e-mail her and she always answered the phone or e-mailed me right back. The house we were looking at fell through and we never moved, but I still have my house staged and am loving it!
Cheryl Evans, New Castle, DE
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