EMOTION BEATS NEUTRAL EVERY TIME! There is a myth that home staging
requires that the house be neutral to appeal to as many buyers as possible. Keep the house a blank slate and
depersonalized are parts of this myth.
For me the new trend in professional home staging is the need to build
emotion into the house with the For Sale sign in the front yard. Buying a house is an emotional decision and
buyers need to connect emotionally with the house. Therefore, the staged house needs to make
that great first impression with a statement – and not a neutral, blank canvas.
I find the emotion for the house by discussing the target
market and neighborhood with my Realtor partner as well as their vision for how
this house should look to potential buyers.
Plus, I bring my experience to bear in terms of how we can highlight the
focal points of the house to amplify its emotional appeal.
BUYERS STILL WANT “MOVE-IN” READY. AND THAT MEANS SELLERS NEED TO DO HOMEWORK
BEFORE PUTTING THEIR HOUSE ON THE MARKET. Many buyers have very busy lives and do not want to
face major projects, kitchen upgrades or extensive painting. It is enough to unpack their boxes, arrange
their furniture and settle into the new home and neighborhood. The want move-in ready without any
remodeling or major projects required.
The growing trend for houses that sold quickly in 2012 and a
continuing trend for 2013 will be the need for home sellers to make investments
in their house to make it look and feel “move-in” ready.
For many staging projects, I spend 60-90 minutes giving the sellers “homework”
which can be everything from new carpeting and fresh painting to furniture and
accessory removal. I then go in to stage
the house only after the “homework” has been completed. I find that some sellers are excited to do
something productive to help make their house more marketable. There are other sellers who resist and do the
work reluctantly – but are usually very happy with the end result. The big advantage of this approach is that the
home staging becomes a team effort among the sellers, Realtor and home stager.
SAVVY REALTORS SET STANDARDS FOR THEIR SELLERS BEFORE
THEY PUT THEIR SIGN IN THE FRONT YARD.
Some of my really savvy Realtor partners set clear standards and
make sure that the house is ready before they list it. These Realtors know that buyers will pick
“move-in ready” over “fixer-uppers” just about every time. They also adjust the asking price up in
cases when the seller’s improvements and professional home staging truly
increases the value of the house.
These Realtors can be proud of their track record of quick
sells and one of the reasons is the expectations they put on their
sellers.
WORD OF MOUTH TESTIMONIALS AND REAL-LIFE EXAMPLES OF THE
POWER OF HOME STAGING WILL DRIVE MORE SELLERS TO STAGE THEIR HOUSES. In the past, most people knew about
professional home staging from shows they watched on HGTV. The new trend has been friends telling
friends about what a difference staging makes and referring their friends to
the Realtors who use professional stagers.
For example, I worked for and with a circle of friends who
each chose my Realtor partner, and ultimately me, to stage their houses because
of the very positive experiences and results shared by their friends and
neighbors.
The best part of the story is that one of circle members had
their house on the market for over a year – listed by a friend of Mr.
Seller. When they saw their friends
using my proactive Realtor partner and selling their houses quickly, they
decided to switch Realtors and had me stage their house. After being staged, this house sold in less
than a month!!
And the circle of 5 will be expanding to 6 as we are now in
conversations with another friend about listing that house. We are not sure when this circle will end if
it will ever end – the possibilities are endless!!!
Dwell in
possibilities
Cindy
