In today’s real estate market, would you agree that we are saturated with properties for sale? There are so many homes to choose from in every neighborhood and in every price range throughout the country. Competiton alone, makes selling a home challenging.
Some homeowners want to downsize, others want more space for their growing family. Yet some are forced to sell because of a job transfer or because of the state of their finances. Whatever the reason for selling a home in today’s market, many homeowners are currently trying to sell their home and are having extreme difficulties doing so.Â
As an ASP, Accredited Staging Professional, I would love to share how making your home stand out, can get you “top dollar” and get it sold quickly. Some interesting facts that many sellers are not aware of, is that staging can provide a great marketing tool for realtors. You see, with 90% of the buyers looking on the internet for their “dream home”, a staged property will invite and excite the buyers, as they view the beautiful photos on the mls. With only 10% of the buyers being able to visualize what a space can look like, 90% walk in with a “no offer” showing. Buyers need to emotionally connect to a home, and unless this visual is in front of them, they just don’t see the potential in living in the home. Effective staging will allow a wide variety of people to see themselves living in a home, and therefore gives sellers the greatest chance for selling their home.
Often times, I have sellers and realtors say to me, “I’m not spending any money to sell my house”.    Well, I can appreciate the financial responsibility, but in almost every incident, homeowners think nothing of reducing their asking price by thousands. Staging a home is an “investment”. In most cases a persons home is one of their largest assests. Why wouldn’t you want to get the most amount of money possible? “The investment of staging in your home, is less than a price reduction on your home, and the market time is cut in half.”Â
The National Association of Realtors says, that 84% of the buyers are looking for “turn-key” move -in ready conditions. Your ASP Stager, can give you recommendations on what to do for the most return, such as, painting, power-washing, curb appeal. Keep in mind, that buyers want the MOST for their money and will expect conditons that are just about perfect, or they will give you the lowest offer possible.  You can lower and lower your asking price, but unless someone “falls in love” with your home…..they are not going to buy it.
There is no charge for an ASP Stager to view your home and talk about ways that you can work together to get your home SOLD quickly and for More money. Â
So when you are serious about selling your home, and when you can disconnect emotionally from your “things”, consider hiring a Professional Home Stager, to get your home set above from your competion.
Trained through the “buyers eyes”, ASP Stagers will increase the value of your home and get it sold quickly. With the first 3 weeks of market time being the most important, can you really afford not to stage your home?
In the real estate market, we as homeowners, realtors, investors, can have many reasons why we think a home has not sold.  Over the past few years, I’ve heard many ideas on what could be happening. ”It’s the economy”. “No one can get a loan”. ” We can’t get any showings”. Too many houses for sale in the neighborhood”, etc. I’d like to believe that some of the reasons are justifyable.Â
We do exist in a period of time where our economy struggles and money is not as accessible for loans. These elements make buying a home much more challenging today. However, are these reasons really the only ones that control a home sale? If we aren’t getting any showings, is it because of the economy or is something else going on?
“One of my staged homes located in LaGrange Park, IL., has had 28 showings. What would allow so many people interested in coming to see this home? What stops them from purchasing the home? You’ve seen these words before from my notes. There is a Recipe for a Sale and when there are missing “ingredients”, the sale will take longer. First of all, the photos of a staged home always attracts more interest. They see from the photos that it is appealing and therefore mark it a possibility. Yet, in this case, when they get to the home, there are certain “ingredients” that don’t measure up. The owners have recently moved out, but when they did, they had three cats and it was very apparent. The litterbox was in the lovely glassed-door pantry. Cat beds and scratch poles were in the vacant bedrooms. The cats were sitting on chairs and the bed during the showings. In my experiences and in my training, I’ve learned that all pets should be removed from the premises along with all the pet items.Why is this so important? A buyer could be allergic and will often times not even do the walk through showing. Either they don’t want to come in contact with the animal or they are fearful that the home will carry some after affect even when they move out. So, needless to say they don’t buy it.
Another negative aspect of this “staged” home, is that now that no one is living there, the landscaping is not being attended to. The debris is blowing on the front porch, newspapers are piling up, and the grass is getting longer and longer. A sure sign that the home looks “abandoned”. Since it only takes a few seconds to view something and have a feeling about it, ….we’ve lost the buyers at the curb. If we can’t get the buyers in, we can’t sell the house!
So when homeowners are searching for the answers as to why their home is not selling, I ask you not to take it personally, but to look for guidance and realize that there are ways to sell a home.  Each one is as important as the other, so please don’t skip any. Consider the training that an ASP, Accredited Staging Professional has, and consider talking to one before you place your home on the market. However, it is never too late. If your home has been on the market for a while, no reason to reduce your asking price again. Talk to someone who knows what it takes to walk away from the closing table with a lot more money and in a fast amount of time.
Thanks for reading my note and if your selling your home…..Happy House Selling.Â
Often times I will hear a realtor or homeowner say, “this house doesn’t need staging, it’s decorated so beautifully”. I can understand this being said, if they’ve never seen the works of a professional home stager, or if they’ve not spoken to one. In their eyes, maybe the house does look good and they believe buyers will get excited when viewing the property. As I listen to this statement, I wait for an opening to explain the following.
When we place our home on the market, the very thing that we love, may be the very thing that may turn away a buyer. Living in a home personalizes and reflects those who live there. We surround ourselves with the things that we like, therefore, we may have something visual that is very distracting to our buyer. Although many furnishings in the home may be very lovely, it could possibly be too much. We want to sell our space, not our things.Â
I’d also like to reflect that a professional home stager has been trained through the “buyers eyes”, what goes, what stays, and how to arrange it. We place the (redesign) furniture to make it warm and welcoming, along with re-accessorizing with accents. Bringing color texture and balance into each room. I know it sounds like decorating, but it’s strategically placing all furniture and accents in a room that will “highlight” the focal points and down-play the least favorable features. We call this staging. With a neutral palate, a wide variety of people will come to visit our staged properties. So just when you thought you had a great looking home to sell………. it could look even better!
Keep in mind that 94.6% of staged homes sell in 33 days or less. So, when your looking for a home, and you have one to sell, consider staging . Staging gives you the edge you need to get your home sold quickly and for more money. Before you know it, you’ll be moving into your “dream home” and hiring me to help you with your “decorating ideas”.
“The investment of staging in your home is less than a price reduction on your home and the market time is cut in half.”Â
As I reflect on today’s market, I can appreciate a difficult and challenging time for all parties involved in the process of selling any type of property. Sellers worry that they are not going to get what they believe the house is worth. Realtors are skeptical about taking a listing when they know a property is not marketable. Investors want to be sure they are using quality materials to up-grade a property, while still being within a profitable margin, just to name a few. As I think about the concerns of the real estate industry as a whole, I have to say that each concern is valid in all situations.
As an ASPM, Accredited Staging Professional Master, my challenge is to communicate and educate the public about the benefits of home staging. For instance, the seller can “invest” in staging and INCREASE the value of the home by a minimum of 6%. The NAR says, if you invest 1%-3% of the sale price of the home, you stand to earn more than 6% more for your asking price. “The investment of staging in you home is less than a price reduction on your home and the market time is cut in half.”
When realtors’ go on a listing appointment and see the condition of the property is not turn-key ready, their concern is how much time and money in advertising are going to be spent to market the home.  Only then to be dropped by the seller 6 months later when the property doesn’t sell. Since, the NAR, also says that 85% of the buyers look on the internet first, wouldn’t that mean that the photos have to be “dynamite” in order to get any showings? Staging provides the “WOW”, that gets buyers interested in coming to see a property.
As investors design and get a plan going to re-invent the structure of a property, a professional stager can provide a Return on your Investment List that will clearly confirm the condition and give recommendations on how to invest in the re-hab property that they will be listing. Home Gain has given the number two position to Home Staging, as the best investment in the sale of your home. F.Y.I., the number one position is “de-cluttering”.
So, you see, my personal challenge, is getting those to appreciate the value of what I do….. and to know that there are choices when it comes to “how to sell your home for “Top Dollar”. So before you lower your asking price, consider staging. Staging will give you the results you need to get your home SOLD quickly and for more money. In most cases, our home is the largest investment that we own. Doesn’t it deserve to get the most value in the sale price?
As the media and press has determined this to be a down time to be selling your home, I find more and more homeowners are wanting to place their home on the market, but are doubting the timing for it. In my 4 1/2 years of owning a staging company, it has been my experience that many people have to sell their home regardless of what the market it is doing. Some sellers have received a promotion and job transfer. Others have health issues and need to downsize. Whatever the case may be, homeowners can be assured that there is a positive note to the selling aspect of today’s market. Interest rates are at a low, and your asking price may be lower than you want, but you’ll make it up on the buying side. There is no time better than the present to get a great deal on your purchase. So, if life changes are allowing you to sell your home today, investigate the benefits of “home staging. Staging will give you the edge you need in today’s market, and in every market. Why does staging work? “Because buyer’s only know what they see and not the way it is going to be.” Have your home “showcase” ready and you’ll be sure to get top dollar and sell quickly.Â
log onto www.stagedhomes.com for the history of home staging. For more information about me, check out www.mghomehighlights.com   I can do as much or as little to help you sell your home.
