November 09, 2009

STAGING A HOME ON A SHOE STRING…..Getting Started

Posted to Julie Sarton

In a tough real estate market like this, showing your home in its best light can determine whether or not it sells quickly. Even if your home has appealing features and is priced well, it still needs to show well to gain that extra advantage. Many sellers are choosing to have their homes professionally staged. Professional stagers are highly skilled artists and designers, and bring in a vast array of items to “dress” each room, creating a dramatic atmosphere to capture all five senses of prospective buyers. Staging makes your home look bigger, brighter, cleaner, warmer, and more inviting. It’s what you do after cleaning, de-cluttering, painting, and making minor repairs. With that said, however, if you can’t afford the luxury of a professional stager, there are inexpensive ways that you can dress your home up yourself to show at its best.

I recently met with two sellers, anxious and willing to learn and implement some staging techniques that will make their home stand out. We went room by room and discussed different options as they eagerly took notes. We concentrated on making inexpensive changes that would improve first impressions of buyers, from the inside to the outside. We decided to put off listing the home until the staging ideas were complete, at which point we would take lots of photos for the listing and for a virtual tour. They worked diligently, and when I came back to see the home I was stunned and delighted at the difference! It looked fresh, clean, spacious, bright and organized….a home any buyer could visualize themselves in. More on inexpensive staging later, when I will have ideas to get each room of your home ready to show.

Posted By: Julie Sarton

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