Home staging is the professional arranging of furnishings & accessories to present your home in a way that is most attractive to visitors or potential buyers. Staging may include painting suggestions, furnishing rearrangement, decluttering, repair suggestions, carpet or flooring changes as well as accessorizing. Exterior staging is also very important because your buyers 1st impression is what will determine if the will even come inside to see you home.
Buying a home is largely an emotional decision because people are not just purchasing a home; they are buying a dream...a lifestyle. Your home needs to reflect that dream. Are you Ready?
Home Builders who provide model homes.
Realtorswho value the need for staging to help sell their listings.
Homeowners who want to be ready when that buyer comes along.
Model Homes
Creating workable budgets for project.
Selection & procurement of furnishings, accessories & window treatments.
Art selection and hanging.
Installation into home & "staging" for visitors.
Fees are based on time spent & purchases made.
FOR SERIOUS SELLERS ONLY!! Don't read this unless you REALLY want to sell your home.
Home Staging is not typical interior design and is not something just anyone can do successfully. While we all do some "staging" when putting our house on the market, successful staging performed by an expert greatly increases your homes' chances of being shown & considered.
Buying a house is largely an emotional decision because people are not just purchasing a home; they are buying a dream ... a lifestyle. Your home needs to reflect that dream to a buyer. ARE YOU READY?
If you are reading this material then you are wisely considering enlisting the help of a professional home stager. Today’s market creates a challenge for all home sellers. Everything you can do to reflect that vision of someone’s “dream home” is a step in the right direction.
BEFORE YOU EVER LIST YOUR HOME
Don’t put your house on the market before it is ready.
This usually happens if the seller is in a hurry or impatient. It may also be that he has procrastinated & is finding himself up against a deadline. The home gets put on market without the necessary repairs, painting, staging etc. being done. Presentation is everything! Get all the work done BEFORE you market the home.
Don’t get emotionally involved in the sale of you house.
This will be one a homeowner’s greatest challenges. Once you decide to sell your house it is no longer a home but a commodity. It needs to be treated as such. All the personal likes & dislikes you may have are out the door so to speak. You will be selling to the masses & so you will need to present a product that can appeal to the masses. Personal items, unusual color schemes, funky furnishings from your college days, kid’s toys, family photos, refrigerator magnets, worn out rugs, and pet beds & boxes ….they will need to go. Any changes made will be to depersonalize & make it a home that can appeal to many. You can’t afford to be emotional. You are here to SELL your house. You can do your own thing in your NEW home.
Let your home stager guide you.
Your professional home stager is prepared to help you market your house by being truthful in presenting you with the problems & the solutions. We don’t always appreciate the truth, (too emotionally involved) but if it is important to sell your home then you will need to pay attention. Let your stager do her job. Your stager will give you the best professional advice possible. It will usually begin with decluttering, depersonalizing, cleaning, rearranging and discarding. It may include repairing, repainting, & updating. Your stager will give you a MUST DO list. There will also be other lists that will be listed by priority. Cooperation will be the key to the success of your home staging project.
Discuss the budget openly & honestly.
Your professional home stager is used to working with limited budgets when necessary. The condition of the home, major repairs that are needed, as well as how much of the work can reasonably be done by the homeowners, will determine realistic budget preparation.The realtors advise on pricing of your home for the local market & potential monetary return on remodel & redecorating projects etc will also be taken into consideration. An accurate budget & reliable information as to what funds are available for the project is crucial. Your home stager can not help you prioritize & spend your funds wisely if she is misinformed. A good home stager will not use your funds unwisely or overspend.
Realistic expectations
A professional home stager will be one of your best investments as you prepare your home to be sold. The knowledge, resources, training, & experience will be invaluable. A home stager will actually save you money by being quick to save & reuse where she can, as well as helping to avoid pitfalls that will waste precious time & money. Some homeowners however may have unrealistic expectations. A home stager will not be able to “fix” everything, especially if there are really limited funds. Some of the reality style “HOME” shows on TV are responsible for some unrealistic ideas both in time and the costs. The shows are edited & leave out the details about actual time required & problems that might REALLY have occurred. Many of the costs given for each room re-do are also questionable. Be sure to discuss with your stager what realistic costs and time frames might be needed for your successfull project.
How to select your professional home stager You will need to trust your home stager & feel comfortable in taking her advice. You will need to know up front what fees the home stager will be charging. Don’t underestimate the value of your stager both in experience & in compensation. Selecting the home stager with the “cheapest” fee will not always be your best way to save money. A professional home stager knows her value when she sets her fee & will provide you with the service to earn it.
Do not work without a contract. This is for the protection of both parties & should clearly state fees, any deadlines, budgets & other expectations. There should be included in the contract how any purchases you are making from your home stager are to be paid as well as outlining who will be paying for labor & materials etc. If the homeowner is providing self-labor then it should be stated in the contract. It is also advisable that your Realtor be included in a preliminary meeting once you have selected your home stager. This will be a team effort so be sure the team is together as you start your project.
Suzanne Denning has been staging homes for clients for many years. Your just one phone call away from the help you need.
Home staging is the professional arranging of furnishings & accessories to present your home in a way that is most attractive to visitors or potential buyers. Staging may include painting suggestions, furnishing rearrangement, decluttering, repair suggestions, carpet or flooring changes as well as accessorizing. Exterior staging is also very important because your buyers 1st impression is what will determine if the will even come inside to see you home. 