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Benefits • Statistics • The Staging Process • I can't afford to stage • Vacant (empty) houses • Areas served
Why stage? The benefits
You never get a second chance to make that all-important first impression.
Think about that. Once you see a house, you have an image of it in your mind that will not change. For better, or for worse!
That is why Real Estate Staging is an important sales tool to use at the start of the selling process, even before the Realtors® open house.
Staging creates those appealing, welcoming images of your home, especially online, that the buyer will recall. 87% of buyers 'shop' online**. You will use staging to allow you to sell your house more quickly and potentially for a higher price.
For you, staging makes your house the focal point, showcasing its best features and architectural details for a potential buyer to admire. It will allow your buyer to move past the 'home' that it is currently for you and be able to see it as their own future home.
Think about when you find that perfect dress, piece of jewelry or even a car. You have been visually and emotionally drawn to it. That purchase may have been the designer's passion to create, but it is yours now. The same process happens when you sell your home.
Your home is now a product to sell. It is no longer your family home full of your own personal touches and the years of wonderful memories: possibly that of your children growing, the parties, the family gatherings, the holidays, the laughter and the tears. Now your home is a product. Thus, there is the need for staging so a buyer can get past your home's history, see its best architectural details and furniture placement, make an emotional tie to it and envision it as their new home. You will have the sale and move on yourself!
Tax-deductible expense? Staging should be able to be classified as a selling expense if a home is staged as part of the marketing and sale of a primary residence. For a rental property, the staging expense should be able to be deducted as an expense when selling the property or if the staging was done in an attempt to rent the property. Check with your own accountant or tax advisor for a final opinion.
What are the statistics?
Homes staged as compared to those that are not...
> Furnished homes in 2008 sold in 60% less time
Staged homes - 24 days on market; unstaged homes - 63 days on market (57 days on the market, pulled off, staged and put back on the market sold in 6 days).
> Project a strong digital appeal for virtual tours online and on phone applications. 87% of buyers shop digitally, 94% for 25– 44 year olds
> Often sell for prices closer to the offering price. Sell more quickly and avoid a costly price cut, totaling in the thousands
> Appear better than maintained
What is the staging process?
First, we will meet for a consultation, your 'buyer's eye view' walk through of your property and your house. Yes, the property too; curb appeal is paramount. Your consultation typically lasts for 90 minutes.
We will go through your home room by room. With a specific checklist, there are details of your home that I will be noting. You and I will then review my suggestions. Some of the ideas you will be able to do yourself for free, if you choose. Occasionally, a few accent pieces like simple pictures, a throw or some accessories can be part of the recommendations.
If staging is needed, you then decide when you want to move forward and schedule a date for staging, one that will work best with your schedule. You need not be home during the staging and it generally takes half a day to a day. I am insured.
What happens the day of the staging? Now the transformation begins!
I begin with a blank canvas. To give you the best results, I will completely empty the room(s), including taking art off the walls.
Your home will be neutralized to appeal to the largest pool of potential buyers. It is my job to depersonalize it while still creating a house with character. I will create…
> an accent on the house's architectural features windows, fireplaces, millwork, etc
> the best traffic flow you have to allow for three people to be walking through at all times
> more space and light; light, spacious rooms sell
> new furniture arrangements that are the most visually appealing
> Move-in ready. 63% of buyers said they would pay more for 'move-in' ready**.
When staged, your house will be best posed to sell. The buyers' perception will also be that you have maintained your home very well over the years. And this perception will only help sell your home too. You will now have best differentiated your house from that of the competition. Your house will be the stand out.
The results will be dramatic, leading to more offers in a shorter period of time. Money in your pocket! And it will be time to focus on yourself and move on to your new home.
But I can't afford to spend any money on my house!
You can't afford to not!! For a fraction of a percentage of your home's value, you can stage it and have your house in top condition to sell. If you knew a buyer was coming over, would you answer the door in grubby clothes and bed head or would you dress for the occasion and have your hair done? Avoid costly price cuts and stage!
Keep in mind, some changes you can do for yourself, for free. See the tips section. Become a subscriber of our free e-newsletter and continue to receive complimentary updates. Click here to join.
Would you prefer to have buyers deduct thousands for needed repairs or updates and continue to pay the mortgage and expenses to own your current home? Or, should you spend far less, stage it and make the repairs and be ready to move on to the home you want, the one which will meet your current demands.
Ask your real estate agent to include staging as part of his/her marketing budget to sell your home.
Click here for those free staging tips.
Note: The National Association of Realtors® has consistently shown that staged homes sell in half the time as compared to non-staged homes.
A special staging -- vacant (empty) houses
Remember that enormous, blank piece of paper or canvas in art class? You had an assignment that required you to fill the entire page. You had no idea where to begin or what the finished piece of art would look like?
An empty house can present a similar experience.
A vacant house lacks a warm, welcoming feel. How does a buyer connect to that? Buyers must rely solely on their imagination to envision themselves living in this 'space' and wondering how their furniture will look, how much will fit and where to place it.
You are making the buyer work too hard!
And, when empty, each one of your houses' imperfections is highlighted. Chipped paint, scratched floors, faded wall paper, uneven drywall tape, you get the idea. Will that look sell your house?
When staged, we will rent furniture for your whole house, a few rooms or even just a few vignettes (small furniture groupings) to be placed throughout the house. When staged, your home will have that inviting feeling of warmth and comfort that will sell your house. Prospective buyers can now see themselves and their furnishings in your house rather than musing at the echoes they created in each room when speaking.
Show me the numbers, please!
Homes staged as compared to those that are not…
> Vacant homes sold in 85% less time. Staged homes 33 days on the market; Unstaged homes, 218 days on the market (190 days on the market, pulled off, staged and put back on the market and sold in 28 days)
**Source: Real Estate Staging Association, 2009
I will make your house the one the buyer will simply not want to live without.
Just remember… selling a house is not the same as living in a home. You must market your product, your house, to be the best product: a house, on the market to appeal to the most prospects. When staged, your home will look its best; it will be differentiated from the competition and will sell!
Areas served
Serving Chicago and the suburbs. Including but not limited to: Burr Ridge, Clarendon Hills, Darien, Downers Grove, Elmhurst, LaGrange, LaGrange Park, Hinsdale, Oak Brook, Oak Brook Terrace, Western Springs, Westmont, Willowbrook