Staging is the Key to the Recovery of the Housing Market

The other night while shopping for some accessories for my staging inventory, I met a  man who was moving to India to retire. He was going to rent his home because he didn't  think he could make a decent amount on the sale of his home. There were two homes across the street from  him on the market already.  I told him that staging should help sell his home faster and without a price reduction and is tax deductible if he itemized on his tax return. I gave him my card and could tell as he walked away that he was deep in thought about what I had said. Time will tell if he "gets it' or not.  Have a funny feeling I'll be staging his home in the near future!

Staging really does work.  Don't let other houses on the market scare you. If yours is staged , you are ahead of the competition.  Buyers want to walk into a clean, decluttered, attractively arranged home.  When they do, they form an emotional connection to that property and that's what sells them. They don't want allowances for paint or carpet. They want to move right in with little work.  Case in point, my kids are moving back to Jacksonville (Yeah!).  They are looking for a "buy" like everyone else, but they have ruled out looking at short sales and foreclosures because most of them need work.  They are a professional couple with two young kids who don't have the time to devote to fixing up a house.  They want to "move right in and feel at home." 

Staging is actually changing the temper of the real estate market.  Properties are moving faster and for better prices than those houses which are not staged. Here's a good article on how staging is causing the real estate market to rebound.   Remember staging is the wrapping paper - the packaging which gets your home noticed  -unwrapped - and purchased.

http://rismedia.com/2010-02-10/home-staging-key-to-recovery-of-housing-market/

Let the Staging Begin

Will be going out to Orange Park, Florida later today with all of my staging merchandise to start transforming a condo into a home that will have buyers eager to make an acceptable offer.  The condo is practically vacant. I've asked the homeowners to leave a few pieces of furniture which they will later donate to the Salvation Army once this property is sold.  These sellers are smart. They realize that staging will get them their money quickly.  Buyers don't like to walk into an empty place.  90% of them can't imagine what their furniture will look like in their new home.  A vacant home also makes a buyer feel that the sellers are desperate to sell and makes any flaws much more obvious.  If you are thinking of selling your home, do yourself a favor and hire a profesional stager who has been trained to "merchandise" your property.  It will be well worth it.  I always tell my potentiel sellers that staging costs less than their first price reduction which is usually at least 5% of the selling price. Once it's staged, you most likely won't have to reduce the price.

~"I just want to get on stage and sing and be happy!" ~ Ronnie Spector