Home Staging while still new to some is sweeping the country with its amazing results. What is home staging you ask? What will it do for you in your real estate market? As a Professional Home Stager I'll share the answers to these and other frequently asked questions so that you can learn the secrets to selling your home Fast and for Top Dollar!

What is Home Staging?

Home Staging, also know as home fluffing, or primping is a service whereby a Professional will provide expert advice to prepare your home for a sale and make it the most buyer-friendly and ready. The ultimate goal is have multiple interested buyers realize "This is the one. I love it!" Once you tap into the buyers' emotions, their list of requirements can often become less important such as the extra bathroom they originally desired. Home Staging is the art of preparing your home properly with an objective eye to see what buyers see and make the appropriate changes to your home in terms of look and flow. The areas consist of furniture placement, flow of furniture, balance in a room, de-cluttering, general repairs, creating a clean, modern fresh look that one would find in a model home. This can be as simple as using your own furniture, or as creative as using rental furniture in an empty home, as well as the addition of small accessories where needed. It is key to remember that the cost of home staging is almost always less than the cost of a first price reduction.

What will Home Staging do for me?

Ultimately home staging is intended to get your home in shape for showings, open houses so that you can turn it over quickly and for the most amount of money possible. The idea is to not get caught up in costly price reductions, which is what happens when a home is not appealing to buyers. No matter what the real estate market is doing, it is important to remember that Staging sets your home apart from all the others that are your competition. Your home will look clean, fresh, revitalized, modern, and have a cozy feel of a home that the buyer is seeking out. In addition some simple De-cluttering can give your home a more inviting and spacious look.

It is unfortunate to me, the amount of people that have had their house on the market for more than 6 months and have price reductions hovering around $40-$60K. The whole point of home staging is that it creates a demand for your home because it will stand out. It is not uncommon for Staged homes to get offers that exceed the original asking price, which can lead to bidding wars in the sellers favor!

Is Home Staging really necessary to sell my home or can I get by without it?

Certainly many people have been selling their homes for years without the help of home stagers. So the question you have to ask yourself is how long do you want to sit with your home on the market, and how much money are you willing to lose in low offers and price reductions. Since these are the two most common frustrations that home owners face, I urge you to ask yourself how much time you have to waste waiting to sell your home. Again the idea is to set your home apart from all the others that have leaky taps, unusual paint colors and improper furniture placement since those items will make buyers weary of work ahead and wonder if their furniture will look right in a home like that.

What does Home Staging typically cost?

Staging a house can run from a few hundred dollars up to a few thousand dollars. The payoff is in the final selling price you get. It is such a vast range because you must take into consideration many things such as the square footage, price and condition of the house as well as if current furniture exists or if it needs to be replaced with rental or new furniture. Empty homes are a hard sell. This is why home builders' have model homes. It is hard to envision the home until you can see a layout then have your own ideas of what your furnishings will look like there. Some homes just need a simple re-arrangement of furniture, placement of pictures and art and a new coat of paint along with some de-cluttering. Others require multiple small repairs, rental furniture, artwork, as well as landscaping. At the end of the day, it is best to listen to your Home Stager as they have your best interest at heart, since the results of your depend on it. Some Stagers charge by the hour and some charge by square foot. Myself, I charge by the project as to protect both the client as well as myself in terms of time and cost.

How do I choose a Home Stager in my Area?

You can look on the internet by doing a simple google search as is still your best bet as it will show you articles and websites of those in your area. I myself, reside in Orlando, FL and cover the Central Florida area. You might want to ask your Real Estate agent who they recommend, or if they use anyone that exclusively works for their Agency as this is common. Referrals are always a good way to go, as with any other service.

Most importantly you'll want to know statistics. What I mean by this is how fast the homes sold, how many offers their clients got and what ultimately the selling price was. Was it their asking price, above that amount etc. If the client had their home on the market for many months and then decided to finally have it home staged what did they see as a result? Having a home that shows well with your personal taste is different from catering to the actual buyer's emotions. Ultimately you as the seller only care about the final price and how long it takes to get it sold.

If you or someone you know lives in the Central Florida (Orlando) area, please feel free to refer them to me, I'd also be happy to answer any questions they may have. Due to popular demand we will be offering an email consultation service shortly whereby Florida and out of area clients can take a series of photos of their proposed rooms and send them to us by email. We then assess the photos and provide them with suggestions for improving the look and flow of the room and explain how to stage the room using props and accessories they may already have or can purchase for a nominal cost. Fee: $200 per room, Payment through paypal.

I wish for you the best of success in preparing for the sale of your home. As I always say-

Get it Staged. Get it Sold. Get Top Dollar!

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