What is “Home Staging”...
and How Does it Help Sell My House?

“Home staging” is not a new term, but for many homeowners the concept of “professional home staging” is shedding new light on how to promote a home in the real estate marketplace. Home Staging is the very best proven way to get top dollar for your home as you prepare it for sale.         Homes that are “Staged” with an ASP Home Stager sell faster and for more money!         Staging is more than removing the cluttering and organizing. Staging sets the scene throughout the house to create immediate buyer interest in your property. A specially training “ASP Home Stager” is practiced in the art of preparing a home for resale and knows the right way to work with the “flow” of a home, eliminate clutter, edit and arrange furniture, and even assist in enhancing curb-appeal. With the aid of staging, your house can make a notable first impression on potential homebuyers.         The goal is to create that “welcoming feeling for potential buyers” in every area of your home – so that they are comfortable and want to linger in the home.

This will then lead to your home selling for the highest possible price in today's market. Remember, the way you live in your home, and the way you market and sell your house are two different things.

When you get ready to place your home on the market for sale it becomes a product, and just like any product on the shelves at your local store it has features and benefits, pluses and minuses, and there are other products to compete with.       To gain an edge in your marketplace you must be priced right and look better than the competition.         Sometimes it’s difficult to think of a home as a mere product, but it helps to think that way so that you can get top dollar for your property and sell it in a reasonable amount of time.

When you sell your home you're going to have to move.         When you move you're going to have to pack.         Most of the principals of Staging just mean that you're going to pack up some of your things early.         It’s a little bit of work, but you're going to have to do it anyway, so lets do it now so you can get top dollar for your property in your marketplace.

STAGING STATISTICS Return on Staging Investment This chart shows the average return for a variety of home improvements and illustrates the value of investing wisely in your property. Based on a 2003 Home Gain Survey of 2,000 Real Estate agents nationwide. Days on Market Statistics These charts compares equity gain, and time on market of houses that were listed, Staged and sold, and houses that were Staged first, then listed and sold. Based on 2004-2006 study of 300 houses Staged by ASP Stagers.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The first impression is the key factor in selling your home.         Typically, a potential buyer has made up their mind within the first ten seconds after they step through the front door. They were already forming an opinion as they pulled into the driveway.         That feeling really doesn’t leave any room for the agent to “turn the showing around” – once they’ve lost the interest.             To achieve the greatest possible outcome, a home should always be presented at its best - the first time around. 

GENERAL COMMENTS

In every room, stand at doorway and look at the room through the eyes of a buyer.         What do you see?         Be tough on yourself: What can you live without while your home is on the market? 

Most carpets need to be cleaned.  Have them professionally cleaned before coming on the market. Buyers only know what they see…not the way it’s going to be!  Unless your home is a fixer-upper, badly worn or very out of date - carpets should be replaced before coming on the market.  Offering a buyer a credit to “pick their own new carpet” or a discount off the price is far less effective and will always end up costing you more money and slow the selling process.  Pick a light-colored short plush or Berber carpet.  Real-estate beige is the safest color.

Check all light fixtures. Are they working properly? Replace all burned out light bulbs. Look for dark hallways and corners and increase the wattage of bulbs in those areas. Make sure there are lamps with adequate bulbs in dark corners that are always turned on for showings.

Repair and repaint cracks on all walls and ceilings.

Repair or replace broken light switches and switch plates. Clean any dirty areas around them.

Keep all curtains and blinds open during the day to let in light and views. The extra cost of additional heating or air conditioning is a necessary cost of selling.

Reduce the number of pillows on couches to zero or two.  Remove all afghans and blankets.

Pack up all valuable items to protect them.  If necessary, take them to a safe deposit box.

Take a hard look at houseplants.  In most cases they need to be pruned and/or the number of plants reduced to create more space.  If plants don't look healthy and are just barely clinging to life give them away.

Fireplaces need to be cleaned out.  Glass doors should be cleaned.  Mantels and hearths need to be cleared off except for a very few necessary items.

To create more space you may want to remove a chair, a loveseat or other pieces of furniture. (Remember the model home!)

Pack up all collections (you're going to need to pack them up sooner or later anyway).  They become a distraction for buyers from the desired focal point your home.

Reduce the number of books on bookshelves. Pack up extra books early!

Reduce the number of family pictures on shelves, pianos, and tables.

Reduce the number of wall hung photos and paintings in every room to one large piece on a wall or a small group of three. Make sure they are hung at eye level.

Be sensitive to odors, because buyers are!  Excessive cooking or smoking odors, dog or cat odors, baby, laundry and mildew odors will turn off buyers.  If there is a challenge with odors in your home use room deodorants or disinfectant sprays and keep windows cracked open for ventilation even in very hot or cold weather.  (There are great products in pet stores for pet odors, and many professional carpet cleaners have special ozone machines that can really help with difficult odors.)  You can’t sell it if you can smell it!

Wash all windows and make sure they operate freely. If the seal is broken on a double-pane window, replace it now.

Repair items that are broken. This will show that your home is well-taken-care-of.  In most cases, buyers will ask for them to be repaired anyway, so do it now.

Don't be afraid to move furniture from room to room.  That extra chair from the living room or dining room may just look great in the master bedroom.

In general, pack up the little things.  Little things create clutter and they need to be packed up anyway, so pack them up now.

STAGING SERVICES

Placing your home up for sale can be VERY EXCITING!  But at a time when FIRST IMPRESSIONS are so important, deciding where to start can be confusing.  And, with so much to do in addition to normal daily activities, a little nerve wracking, too.

Brenda Jones Real Estate offers Staging Services that will help ease the strains that often accompany preparing a home to be placed on the market.

A consultation starts with a complete and thorough walk-through giving you a detailed analysis of your home's attractions, as well as the trouble spots.  From curb appeal, to room-by-room assessment, to what repairs and investments may be needed for a quicker sale and higher profit, and more!  You will be advised how to specifically show off your home to make a premiere presentation, in prioritized order.  Your instructions will be stream-lined so your efforts in the process can be simplified and the results extremely effective.

What a Difference a Day Makes!

Because knowing what needs to be done and actually doing it are two different things, so Brenda Jones Real Estate offers hands-on Staging Services that are a compliment those services offered to sellers listing their properties with her office.  To ensure your home will be shown at its finest, each room will be edited and arranged to show off its best features.  Clutter elimination, organizing, furniture layout, and lighting are just a few of the areas we consider when staging each room for showings.  You will also be given a detailed listing of repairs or improvements that may be essential in the re-sale potential of your home.

Rather than having two separate professionals (a Stager and a REALTOR) work together with the sale of your home – why not hire Brenda Jones Real Estate to help you with both.  Brenda has received extensive training in Staging (and was awarded the Accredited Staging Professional designation for her work).  This coupled with her award winning real estate career combine to make your home sale an enjoyable and HIGHLY PROFITABLE experience for you.

Whether you are looking for help with one or two rooms, or the entire house, Brenda Jones Real Estate can be of help.   You will be amazed at the transformation that can be made…in just a day or two!