Stage Your Home For Top Resale Value

Builders: Stage Your Homes for Top Dollar Sales

Why Bother to Stage a Home?

1. Studies show that money spent in updating and staging a home properly for resale is usually returned at least 3-fold in a higher sales price. Staged homes also sell faster, decreasing holding costs.

2. Empty homes actually appear smaller than properly staged homes.

3. Potential buyers zip through empty rooms without pausing to really imagine themselves in the room. Realtors report that buyers spend twice as much time looking at a nicely staged home than an empty one and are four times more likely to return for a second look. Empty homes are often described as “cold” by buyers.

4. The psychology of staging takes full advantage of emotional transference. If the buyer loves the bedspread or bathroom towels, that feeling is also transferred to the home, even though those items may not be included in the purchase. Realtors take advantage of transference when they bake chocolate chip cookies for an open house. Buyers transfer the happy association of mom making cookies to the house. They can also better imagine themselves baking in that kitchen to create their own family memories.

4. Most buying decisions are made at the emotional level and then justified logically. Keep in mind: buyers equate the word house with mortgages, maintenance and upkeep, however, they equate the word home with family, cozy, warm and inviting. Staging and proper wall color choices help the buyer imagine this house as their home…or better yet, their dream home.

5. Staging helps the buyer understand the purpose of the room (e.g. bedroom, dining area, office) The area’s purpose may seem obvious to the seller, but buyers often need it spelled out. One of the most common staging tactics used on the it HGTV show-Designed to sell is to add a small table and chairs to highlight the fact that the home has an eat in kitchen, or to add a dinning room table and chandelier in the dinning area.

Hire some one or Stage it Yourself?

1. Generally it’s a good idea to hire a professional. A really good staging professional understands design and marketing psychology. Anyone can call them-selves a stager, so interview potential stagers and look at other work they have done or their portfolio and check their references. Most stagers have their own furniture, towels and accessories that they provide on loan until the house is sold. This can save a lot of money over purchasing the items (Unless you plan to reuse items in several homes). A few stagers will allow you to pay them from the proceeds at closing.

2. Don’t be afraid to work a trade. Professional stagers, Faux Finishers, and other professionals will often work a trade, or offer a steep discount. for a show home or model to help market their own business. Don’t be afraid to ask. Sometimes you can even get stores to loan furniture, window treatments, rugs and accessories in return for a sign next to the item or offering the item for sale.

Consider the following ideas for trade:

• Co-marketing: Flyers, ads signage in and outside the home, etcn • Getting a testimonial: Using you as a reference and for his/ her web site or marketing materials will ad credibility to stagers attempting to break into the market. Video or pod cast testimonials are particularly powerful web site marketing tools. You could do a before and after scan of the room and then testify as to how much faster the home sold because of their staging.
• A place to bring their clients: As a builder, you are more willing than an individual seller to allow a stager to bring in potential clients to see her work. Perhaps you can also offer her an office area or a spot to sit down with clients.
• Storage Space: Storage units are expensive. Do you have an area in one of your homes or warehouses that a stager can store her staging materials?
• A discount on purchasing a homen • A trade for something you may have unrelated to the sale: an old car, appliance, fixtures, cabinets-you’ll never know until you ask.
• Call stagers and suggest a trade or post an ad on Craig’s list or similar outlet.

3. Do it yourself or get help from a friend:

• This can be tricky because “there is no accounting for taste.” Bad staging can be worse than no staging. However, if you feel that you, your significant other or friend has a talent for it, try it.

• Educate Yourself. Trends change, colors change. For example realtors used to recommend houses be painted all in neutral white to sell. The opposite is now true. Remember when dark cabinets were popular then everyone went to light or white. Now dark cabinets are becoming popular again.nna) My newsletter available at www.fauxhouse.com announces each January the colors that designers choose for the New Year. Why should you care? Because manufacturers agree to the pallet so that almost everything sold in the upcoming year in terms of sheets, accessories, and other home products fall with in those color schemes.nnb) Watch HGTV. Shows like Flip that House and Designed to Sell are great ways to learn the power and techniques of staging.nnc) Study the Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel Catalogues. The looks shown there are looks that sell.nn d) Read books on home staging. A downloadable version is available at n YouPublish.com/doitbetterbooks. Author Jeanette Fisher has several books n on the subject on Amazon, or check out what’s available at your local n library.

Tips for Successful Staging:

• Less is more. Rooms should be uncluttered. Not all rooms need to be fully furnished. Just give the overall impression as to what that room is for. A bedroom with a double bed, nightstands, wall art and a few accessories is all you need for smaller rooms. In a master you may wish to add a small sitting area or TV.

• Don’t line furniture along the walls. Leave corners open. Pull furniture into seating groups, try different angles, etc. Ensure open flow between rooms.

• Use mirrors: Mirrors not only reflect light and make the room appear larger, they also enable people to “see” themselves on a psychological level as living in the house.

• Bathrooms matter: Select a great shower curtain, matching towels, soap and art to make the bathrooms stand out. Have a great soaking tub in the master? Add a bottle of wine or champagne, a couple of glasses and a candle.

• Let the light in. Great light is very important to selling a home. Open up or remove drapes, clean the windows, add extra lamps as well as accessories that reflect light. (Professionals often use floor level uplighting around plants and art. Sconces that provide upward light make ceilings appear taller. Ceiling lights, especially can lights can make short ceilings appear shorter.

• Add a few upscale elements that pop. You can get away lower and midrange items throughout most of the house if you choose just a few items or areas that pop or seam upscale. For example use builders grade cabinets but move some higher and others lower and add molding over them, great countertops are key and small touches like cabinet knobs, upgraded faucets, and faux or decorative art accents can make all the difference.

• Sell the lifestyle. Help buyers imagine the lifestyle they will enjoy in this home (e.g., A rocking chair and a pitcher of lemonade on the porch, an overtu
ed book and reading glasses next to the lounge chair, a party platter on the kitchen island, etc all enable the buyer to imagine themselves enjoying the home.

• Don’t ignore the exterior. Today’s buyer wants a great outdoor living space. Include a great deck or patio (or use mulch or stones to resemble one) Add great outdoor furniture, a fire pit or fire pit table, cooking area, etc. Add color with potted plants and hanging baskets.

See www.fauxhouse.com for the following illustrations:

Sometimes less is more. Had we included a sofa, coffee table and chair in this tiny living room, it would have appeared cramped, impeded traffic flow and hidden the beautifully hand stained parquet floor.

A table, pictures, pillows basket, and cream and sugar set were used to stage this kitchenn

A leather chair conac and a pipe create the ambiance of a gentlemen’s libraryn(The “wood” panels are just faux painted on drywall)

A table, old books, cigars and a chest game add to the cozy feel of this gentlemen’s room.

See more great transformational photos, sign up for a newsletter and download a free chapter from the bestselling new book “The House that Faux Built: Transform Your Home with Paint, Plaster and Creativity” at www.fauxhouse.com. If you’d like to know more about staging a home see www.youpublish.com/doitbetterbooks.n