Before & After- Kitchen/Dining

Before & After- Bedrooms

Before & After- October 08

HOME STAGING - Top Sellers Best Kept Secret

What is Home Staging?

Staging of homes is a growing trend in real estate. It is especially important in slow markets with high inventory and many competing homes. Some of the things that stagers do are:

1.They advise removal of personal items that might make the home look crowded, or they might distract buyers. Too many personal photos on the walls are a sure way to have buyers commenting on your ski trip instead of your kitchen.

2.In staging a home, many times the furnishings are rearranged to enhance the look of a room or make it look larger. This can mean the rental of a storage building for those that have too much furniture.

3.In new or unoccupied homes, the stager will provide rental furniture that fits the style of the home and makes it look more livable. Large expanses of open floor space may look large, but it's hard for buyers to envision their furniture in the home or get an idea of what would fit where.

4. There are even cardboard televisions and computers to place on desks in the home to make it seem more hospitable and help buyers to imagine their belongings in each room. From: http://realestate.about.com/

Staging: Is It Worth It?

The main benefit of hiring a professional to stage your home is that they will look at your surroundings with an experienced, tasteful and objective eye. They won't be attached to grandmother's antique table, nor will they have the same affinity you may have for that pink bathroom. They will be able to come in and tell you which items should be removed, what should be added and how best to feature your home.
While home staging may seem like an unnecessary expense, there probably isn't a single house that couldn't benefit from a bit of carefully manipulated staging-even if it's a simple matter of re-organizing, freshening up and removing clutter. And often, suggestions and changes from professionals can amount to significant increases in the bottom line profit when selling your home.
Home staging pricing for a simple consultation run from $200 to $400, yet for extensive staging work on larger homes, be prepared for pricing to run up to $6,000. However, according to www.StagedHomes.com, a leader in home staging services, statistics show an average of a 3% minimum increase in final sales price on homes that had been staged, versus those who had not. On a $300,000 home, that's a $9,000 increase-and well worth the home staging fees.
For more information on how best to showcase your home for sale, visit a home staging professional or your local realtor. Many realtors will even offer home staging services as part of their listing package, so be sure to ask if that's something they offer, or if they can recommend someone in the industry. If you're willing to put out a bit of money up front, you just might find that the benefits from staging your home can greatly outweigh home staging costs.
From: http://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/