First off let me start by saying, not all people that claim to be home stagers are professionally trained, accredited and insured. Look at the stagers references, insurance and license. Ask how long they have been in the industry and lastly look to see samples of their work.
Once you have chosen an Accredited Staging Professional determine the type of service you need from them, whether that be just a consultation for those that want to do the work themselves and have the time and creativity to do the work, a consultation may be just for you. Typically, a consultation will give you ideas and suggestions for curb appeal and point out some needed repairs to the entrance of your home. This is very important to address since this is the buyers first impression on your home (and potentially their new home). If you need a bit of a “WOW” factor added and need some help getting the work done, a ASP Stager can do the work for you or give you guidelines to follow to do it yourself.
Often people have moved and have left behind a vacant home. The fact is -Vacant homes do not sell or show well. 85% of buyers start their home search online, their search brings up several (often times hundreds) of houses meeting their parameters. Buyers start clicking through pictures trying to find the best looking, best priced home that appeals to them. When they find a home that appeals to them visually, they will start looking at the inside pictures of the home. If all they see are 4 beige or 4 purple, green walls, they will get turned off and move onto the next home. Empty rooms have nothing to capture the buyers eye and show them the size and scale of the rooms. All they see is the ugly paint color or the stains on the rug or other unfinished projects in the room. This is a vital reason why you need to Stage your vacant property. It doesn’t need to be the entire house, but ideally, the main living areas of the home, and special attention should be made to the foyer/entrance of the home, since this is their first impression of the home. Homes that are staged by an ASP Stager sell faster and often for more money than non-staged homes. Many stagers have an inventory of furniture they can rent to you while your home is being sold.
When working with a ASP Stager they will recommend paint colors that are great for selling your home and make suggestions on updates and repairs that may be needed that will help your house show and sell quicker. Most buyers do not want a “fixer-upper” if you want your home to sell, make sure it is clean, updated, priced right and staged to sell.
As a home owner and home stager I realize how difficult it is to try and have the objective eye on your home and try to see it’s faults and weaknesses. Unfortunately, when you live in the home, it’s often very difficult to see your home with a buyer’s eye and have the neutral nose to smell any odors your home may have, mainly because you live in it and it’s normal to you. One clear fact is if buyers can smell it – you aren’t going to sell it. Hire a professional Accredited Staging Professional to review your home and find out which staging option is right for you. Keep in mind, the cost of staging can often be accounted for in the sales price. Also, the cost of staging is always less than your average 5-40% decrease in prices if the home does not sell.
Learn more at http://www.creativehomestagers.com