Setting The Stage
While having a home inspection has become almost routine, that wasn’t always the case. Salespeople, home sellers and even buyers thought it was an expensive passing fad but with time, everyone began to see the value and worth of a home inspection investment. Today, we’re hearing the same things about the newest entry into the real estate marketplace - home staging. Is it a passing fad or something that will prove its value over time?
The idea of staging a home for sale is a relatively new concept that is becoming increasingly popular. Generally speaking, the idea of staging a home is to present the home in its best possible light by highlighting its strengths and minimizing its weaknesses. The goal is to help the Seller to sell their home for the highest possible price in the shortest period of time.
At first, I was resistant to the idea of potentially spending thousands of dollars to hire a stager with no guarantee of an appropriate return however, experience is now teaching me otherwise. There is no question that home buyers are affected by what they first see. Choosing a home to live in is both a rational and an emotional decision and it is the latter most affected by staging.
While some potential home buyers can easily look past clutter, smells and poor taste to see potential, the truth is that most cannot. Imagine two homes with the same square footage, built by the same builder at the same time in the same neighbourhood. As you approach one house, weeds have taken over the garden, the front door is dirty, the windows are grimy and the door knob sticks. Inside, the smell of wet dog assaults your senses as you look around to see laundry on the couch, a dirty fish tank on top of the fridge, purple carpet in the living room and a torn Lazy-Boy recliner fighting for space with the CD rack, dining table and kids toys. The bathroom has old blue fixtures, blackened caulking, mosaic tile floors and dirty towels on the floor. Down in the basement, you can’t move because of the boxes, tools, empty laundry detergent bottles and the cat litter boxes. Does this feel like home?
Imagine the same house with tidy gardens, a freshly painted front door and shiny hardware to match the gleaming windows. You come in to the scent of a roast in the oven cooking in the spotless kitchen. The living room features hardwood floors, minimal but tasteful furnishings and neutral walls devoid of family photos. The bathroom has newer fixtures, the grout is lily white and fresh towels have been laid out. The beds are made, closets are organized and even the basement is in perfect order.
Which house do you think will sell first and for more money? Do you think that the second house might sell for at least the $2,000.00 to $3,000.00 more that the second homeowner may have spent employing a stager? You bet it will. In the last year, every staged home in our market that I’ve seen has sold quickly and has netted a sale price at least five to ten times the original investment the owners made in hiring a home stager. From this Realtors® viewpoint, it’s an investment well worth making.
Marg Scheben-Edey is a Broker with RE/MAX four seasons realty located in Collingwood, Ontario. Please visit her website at http://www.collingwood-bluemountain.com for other helpful information.
Tags: home staging, real estate, selling for top dollar, selling your home
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