Don’t Be In Denial, Stage That House And Sell It Fast!

In today’s tough real estate market, you’d be crazy to list your house for sale without staging it first.  Most people, and I’m sorry to say, many professionals that work in real estate, don’t have a clue how staging could benefit them.  Unfortunately, a lot of people really believe that staging a house for sale is unnecessary.  Of course, if asked they would insist that they are big believers in home staging, but then will actually go and list a house without staging it, claiming that this house was immaculate and didn’t need to be staged.  It’s a proven fact that home staging, also called real estate staging, is the art of preparing a home for sale.

When you stage a house, you’re enhancing a home’s appearance and emphasizing the features that buyers are looking for, thus, creating a feeling which helps the buyer develop emotional connections to the property.  It also helps define vacant spaces through the use of strategic furniture and accessory placement.  Staging is also a proven approach that maximizes your home’s appeal to the buyer and is a profitable and powerful marketing tool.

Staging also helps a house sell fast and for top dollar. And here’s one that your realtor should be telling you, that the investment in staging is always less than any price reduction!

So, I ask, how could you not stage your house before you put it up for sale?  But, it happens all the time, houses go on the market vacant or occupied not having that “wow” factor.  And that hurts everybody in the long run.  The seller doesn’t get top dollar, and as a result the realtor makes less money.  I’ve seen many staged homes and none have stood out as much as the homes that have been staged by a San Diego stager, Tawni Oppenheim from Staged4Sale.  The first thing that I noticed when entering one of her staged homes was all the finishing touches.  The colors of the pillows just popped!  The way she laid her throws just pulled my eyes in and every room was staged, not just the so called impact rooms.  I called Tawni and asked her why she staged every room in the house that I previewed and she told me that since the seller was trying to sell the entire house that she believed that every room needed to be staged.  That’s a pretty good philosophy for staging.  And it turns out that it is, because most of the homes that she stages sell so fast, it’s just unbelievable.  Tawni told me that she has staged homes that had been sitting on the market for over a year and after being staged they received multiple high offers during the first week.

It’s imperative that the house is professionally cleaned and then staged right away before it is listed.  If the house is professional staged, a seller will sell the home for top dollar.  Buyers aren’t stupid.  If I buyer walks in to your home and see’s that your home is dirty and in disarray, then they are most likely going to walk out or submit a low ball offer.  Home Staging is like anything else in life.  When you go to a special event, you dress up and brush your teeth as though they have never been brushed before.  You have your car detailed and go the whole nine yards to look your best.

Why not do the same to prepare your home for sale?  Imagine your home is a cake and staging your home is like adding frosting to a cake.  Home staging is like adding a cherry on a sundae.  I think that it’s fair to say, that your home does not present a finished streamlined look unless it has been staged.  And serious buyers in this market are looking for homes that have a finished look.

If you’re really serious about selling your home fast, then you really need to have it professionally staged.  When interviewing realtors, always make sure to choose a realtor who insists on staging your home before it is listed on the MLS.  Never hire a realtor who doesn’t believe in home staging.  The best realtors stage their listings, because they know that staged homes sell fast.  And homes that sell fast make everybody happy.  So, remember if you ever put your home up for sale, have it professionally staged first.