Home Staging Is All The Rage (In our slowing housing market, where it seems as if it will take years instead of days to sell a once ultra-popular home, many sellers are turning to alternative methods to get their home noticed. )
Professional home stagers are all the rage lately, as more and more people want their home to look the best it possibly can for any potential buyers.
Home stagers are hired by sellers or their real estate agents in an attempt to spruce up a home so it looks nearly perfect while sitting on the market.
A recent article by Elizabeth Weintraub of about.com, “Staging a house – What is home staging?” looks into this new attempt at selling a home faster and for more.
A home stager’s main goal is to get your house looking like it came out of a home and garden magazine. They bring in various props and gadgets, as well as a “designer’s touch” to get your home looking the best in can possibly look.
“Home staging is about illusions. It's how David Copperfield would sell a house. It's beyond decorating and cleaning. It's about perfecting the art of creating moods. Staging makes your house look bigger, brighter, cleaner, warmer, more loving and, best of all, it makes home buyers want to buy it.”
“Contrary to what you might think, it's about more than preparing the house for sale. Staging is what you do after you've cleaned, decluttered, painted, made minor repairs; it's all about dressing the house for sale. It's about adding the small details: the lipstick, mascara and, for simplicity, a stunning, single strand of Tahitian pearls.”
Home stagers are thought of as artists in this industry. They should have the ability to transform even the ugliest and out-of-date interiors into something that people are clamoring at each other to buy.
“They can take a blank canvas and paint a sensuous portrait without ever lifting a paint brush. Stagers possess the skills of a top-level designer and they create dramatic scenery that appeals to all five senses.”
Stagers come equipped with a wide-variety of props that are used to make a home look better. Some of the more popular items stagers come armed with are mirrors, art work, plants, small love seats, pillows, ottomans and baskets.
“An artist for 35 years, Dawna Johnson, is an Accredited Staging Professional Master (ASP) and owner of Sacramento Staging Solutions. She says the idea behind staging is to allow rooms to show themselves. ‘If your home is vacant, it's soulless,’ Dawna warns. ‘Without staging, it will probably remain on the market for many months.’”
Johnson believes that one of the most important parts of the home is the kitchen, and she calls it the “heart of the home.” She suggests putting out large bowls of fresh fruit and displaying colorful cookbooks and recipe books on the counters.
She also warns that home owners must not forget about the backyard, front yard and any decks or patios. Bring in potted plants and add a picnic table with fun place settings. This will surely appeal to new home buyers.
If you are thinking about staging your home, be prepared to shell out the cash. “Prices vary depending on where you live and the local demand for professional home staging. Coastal areas and large metropolitan cities where home staging has been prevalent for years command higher prices. Some real estate agents help sellers Stage® the home themselves. Most listing agents agree, however, that vacant homes show better with staging and will encourage sellers to hire a professional stager. Fees range from $500 to $5,000 or more, depending on square footage and the number of rooms staged.”
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