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Home Staging

Home Staging

 

WHAT IS HOME STAGING?

By:  Teri Danahey, Accredited Staging Professional, Real Estate Agent

PRUDENTIAL NEW JERSEY PROPERTIES

 

 

Then and Now

 

Once upon a time, real estate agents advised their sellers to “tidy up, turn on the lights and soft music, and put a nice cinnamon scent in the air” before prospective buyers arrived.  These days buyers are more demanding and want prospective homes to be perfect and to reflect the way they live (or aspire to live) and thus, to help portray the ideal, a new phenomena was born called “home staging.”

 

Home staging is designing the home to show off its best features and to appeal to the largest number of buyers.  This is the opposite of traditional interior design where a home is furnished and decorated to reflect the specific needs and unique tastes of the residents.  It is not uncommon for a professionally decorated interior to be dismantled by the seller and home stager when the home goes on the market.

 

Home Staging Tactics

 

Basic home staging might encourage:

 

  • Cleaning and de-cluttering – this is Staging 101.  The time to start packing for the move is BEFORE listing the house.  Stack boxes neatly in the garage or better, rent a storage space. 

 

  • Personal photos be removed so that buyers don’t spend more time looking at the family when they should be looking at the house

 

  • Certain pieces of furniture be removed to open up space and show off the square footage of the house, improve the flow since many buyers travel through the home in pairs, they need twice the walkway to feel the space is adequate and to clear a path to the windows/view.

 

  • Personal photos be removed so that buyers don’t feel they are intruding on the homeowners space but are instead envisioning “their stuff” in its place

 

 

  • Certain pieces of furniture may be removed if they are damaged, unattractive or old because worn items make the entire house look dated and consequently worth less money

 

  • A fresh coat of paint is one of the easiest and inexpensive staging options – especially in a buyer-friendly color – and has a 150% return on investment.

 

Other staging tactics are to admit as much light and view into the room.  This could mean that certain window coverings like sheer curtains or heavy draperies that darken and weigh down the room (described by real estate agents as a “grandma house”) would be removed and the windows left bare or replaced with simple panels.   

 

One of the most financially impactful home staging tactics is to remove carpeting to reveal nice hardwood floors, currently preferred by buyers.

 

One of the most notable buyer turnoffs is wallpaper, especially a floral or other bold design.  The likelihood is small that a prospective buyer will appreciate the same wallpaper as the seller and so the next thought by the buyer is “How do I take that down and how much will it cost?”.  This is a significant negative in a competitive market and one that can easily be addressed before going on the market.

 

Staging the Exterior

 

Home staging is not just about a home’s interior.  Many buyers decide whether to view a home by how it looks from the street.  Buyers first notice the condition of the landscaping.  Overgrown bushes that hide the door or windows make a house appear older and smaller than it is.  In addition, buyers will look around the front door, the entry light fixture, door mat, etc while waiting for the real estate agent to get the key and open the door.  Dirty, worn or dated items will be a poor first impression and one that a home stager will likely call to a seller’s attention.

 

Resources

 

Home staging has garnered impressive results since its inception with shorter marketing time and/or higher sales price.  Meanwhile, HGTV, the home improvement channel, has several shows dedicated to the topic, underscoring its value.  Some of those shows are:

 

  • The Stagers
  • Designed to Sell
  • Get it Sold
  • The Unsellables

 What You Can Do

 

Consider hiring a real estate agent who is 1) proven in your market first and 2) an accredited home stager.  Buyer expectations and preferences vary by neighborhood and price tier and an agent/stager will give you the most relevant information for your area. 

 

If your real estate agent does not have staging credentials, you can hire a home stager outright.  Prices vary depending on the job but roughly equal $350 per day. 

 

 

 

 

 Note:  Teri Danahey, Sales Associate with PRUDENTIAL NEW JERSEY PROPERTIES, is also an Accredited Home Stager (ASP) – Real Estate Agent.  As an ASP, she is able to consult at no charge with sellers on the most desirable presentation of their home for marketing purposes.  She can be reached at 908-464-5200 x316.