A Little Goes a Long Way
by Connie Williamson
So, you’ve hired a professional home stager to come in to work magic on the home you’re planning to sell. Do you know exactly what your professional stager is going to be doing to your home to make it more marketable?
Transforming the property into a viable buy is important in today’s sluggish real estate market. It’s like putting the tiny decorative umbrella on top of the Pina Colada, a little goes a long way. Banking on the location and quality of the property is one thing, but keep in mind…there are new listings coming on the market every day. Home sellers are up against some very stiff competition.
Every detail, every shade or color, should be immaculately designed for your potential buyer. Home purchasers are becoming more and more selective and fussy, so you can’t take a chance that poor color choice or tacky details won’t be noticed.
So, what, exactly does a home stager do when he or she steps into your home with that measuring tape?
Stagers determine appropriate styles to suit potential buyers.
A home is like a handbag, it’s hard to know which style will appeal to any particular buyer. Some people will pay any price for a certain type of bag, others won’t.
How do you know who will pay top dollar for your property? While a middle-aged man with a dog might find your home a little off-putting, a career-climbing, Porsche-driving, thirty-something woman might find your property to be a real deal.
There is actually a way to zero in on the thirty-something woman and a professional home stager knows just how to do that. Determining buyer style preferences is the biggest role the home stager will play in maximizing your chances for a quick sale.
The home stager will be looking into the kind of style or décor potential buyers of your home are looking for, and will incorporate the style into your home without overdoing it. Subtly counts, a small decorative touch here and another there. While it’s offputting to have a home for sale choked with ‘style’, it’s not a good idea either to try to sell a home that has none whatsoever.
De-cluttering and de-personalizing the home
The home stager will zoom into each room, and remove items that represent or are part of the life of the previous owner. Little mini bars, kids toys, personal portraits, dilapidated kitchen counter, bare walls, exercise equipment, quaint collections from your travel expeditions… all will be removed or updated. Sometimes, if the home stager thinks it necessary, he or she will spend some time rearranging existing furniture to make it more presentable or to create a more spacious appearance.
Cleaning up
Show me a person who loves to do dusting, and I’ll show you a talking Barbie doll. Not many real people are fascinated with dust and grime. A good home stager will dig into every nook and cranny, in all rooms, to uncover every trace of microscopic life.
Every closet is scrutinized, we look under every carpet and also check the top of every shelf and make notes of any cleaning that needs doing. We will then prepare a cleaning report for you. If you’d like help, for an additional fee we will bring in a trustworthy cleaner to do the cleaning for you. We want to make sure the people who actually take the trouble to come for viewings, will be impressed with your sparkly clean home.
Like we said earlier, a little usually goes a long way.
About The Author
For more information on home staging please visit Serenity Redesign at http://www.serenityredesign.com, or contact Serenity's home staging expert, Connie Williamson at (780) 417-9521 or connie@serenityredesign.com.
