Real Estate Staging
By Jeanette Joy Fisher
Because more homes on the
market benefit from real estate staging, those not
staged look bland and insipid by comparison.
Popular TV shows inspire home
sellers to use real estate staging strategies to sell
their homes faster and for more money. Shows like
Sell this House, Designed to Sell, House Doctor, and
Buy Me! raise awareness for real estate staging
and home staging services.
Real Estate Staging, sometimes termed
home
prepping, house fluffing, and even house
primping (maybe next it will be house pimping?),
simply means merchandising your home like a product.
Think of your home as a house to sell. Just like any
product for sale, you can use marketing psychology to
make your home stand out in a crowded real estate
market. You can either hire a home stager or learn the
art of decorating a home to sell quickly and for top
dollar.
12
Reasons to Stage Your Home
Staged Homes
What do home buyers want?
A poll of potential buyers released March 1, 2006 by
Maritz Research revealed that sellers ought to do more
than just look after required maintenance before
showing their home. In fact, decorating improvements
help make a strong impact on buyers and can ultimately
affect a home’s market value. The study found that
although renovations can boost a home’s sales price,
sometimes too much unique style can decrease a home’s
marketability. Therefore, if you're selling a home,
you should understand your profiled buyer and make
changes that buyers in your price range and location
want.
The study found that thirty-six per cent of potential
buyers were willing to pay premium prices for homes
with updated interior decoration. Surprisingly, more
men than women wanted updated décor with 41 percent of
men versus 30 percent of women desiring this feature.
More than likely, this is because women like to
decorate their own homes and men want to move in
without doing any work on the house.
When asked which home feature they would pay more for,
79 percent of buyers said that they would be willing
to pay more for a renovated kitchen. However, most of
these buyers did not want to pay for a remodeled
kitchen in a style they didn't prefer. Home sellers
need to evaluate the cost of a kitchen renovation in
relation to the expected price increase. Often, a
though deep cleaning, painting in today’s color
choices, and a new faucet combined with home staging
strategies give home sellers the market edge without a
large cash outlay.
The poll stated that 63% of buyers preferred a higher
priced home ready to move into than a bargain priced
fixer-upper. Because home buyers are willing to spend
more for the ideal home, but not the time or work to
renovate a fixer, home sellers who take advantage of
home staging can make their home feel like a "dream
home" without undertaking major remodeling projects.
Although most buyers prefer a renovated home, the poll
revealed that 65 percent of buyers expect to spend
about $5,000 making their home suit their tastes and
that only nine percent of home buyers would only buy a
home that needs no improvements.
How does Real Estate
Staging Help You?
Home buyers buy a home based on their emotions, not on
logic or "must have lists." You can use real estate
staging techniques to create a buyer's "dream home."
Understand which changes give you the highest return
on your exterior and interior decorating changes. Make
needed repairs, deep clean, declutter, paint walls in
today's fashion colors, rearrange furniture, place
strategic art and accessories; and add special design
touches specific to your target buyer.
Sell your home for top
dollar with real estate staging.
Copyright © 2006 Jeanette J. Fisher
Learn how to profile your buyers and create a
buyer's "Dream Home." Plus, get the added benefit of expert real estate
advice. Explore Jeanette Fisher's
Home Staging with Design Psychology books.
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