3 June 2016

Stage it, what is all the hype about?!?! Coming from a Realtor / Design Junkie let me tell you why! Staging has gained huge popularity over the last couple of years in the Real Estate industry and is all over the television. Staging allows potential buyers to see your home in its best state ever before even walking through the home. We live in a virtual world and over 96% of today’s buyers will decide if a home is even worth looking at through the photos posted online. Why not set your home apart from every other home on the market through staging and professional photography, especially when Guelph is such a technologically advanced city!? Nowadays buyers want turn key homes with little to no work to do, if you can make your home feel more updated and modern, you bet that you will get a faster sale and a better dollar for it!

I know, I know, numbers are awful but in my experience, I have had nothing short of success when staging homes so these numbers are completely relevant. According to the National Association of Realtors, 28% of buyers are willing to overlook faults in a home when staged and 81% of buyers find it easier to visualize the property as their future home. NAR also tells us that a home that is properly staged sells faster than a home un-staged and will sell for 11%-20% more! How nice would that be?!

So … how much is this going to cost me? Staging, plain and simple, is not cheap. It can cost you a minimum of $700 to over $2,000 for a full staging in Guelph and this fee, in most cases, is passed along to the Seller. These numbers are crazy to me! Staging is completely necessary to achieving a successful sale and this is why I always include staging in my services. I have watched it work on numerous occasions throughout my experience as a Realtor. Almost always, when sitting down with my clients and discussing staging and strategies their first question is “how much extra will this cost me?” What an awesome feeling it is when I tell my clients that not only am I going to help optimize the price of their home but I am including those extra services for completely free!

Adding furniture and accessories is only half the battle, if you want your home to sell for top dollar you have to make the home feel and look like a model home. Here are a few tips to help get your Guelph home market ready!

1. Declutter! Unfortunately, all the beautiful family photos and personal nic nacs have to get packed away. You want buyers to come in and be wowed by the home and not distracted by photographs or personal items. I’m not saying put every single personal belonging away but you want buyers to envision what their life could be in your home and we can achieve that by adding the right staging pieces! For example, if you have a beautiful family home, we will emphasize on the kids rooms and the functionality of living spaces for new potential families.
2. Clean! Get down on your hands and knees and scrub all those hard to reach places! You want your buyers to see how well you maintain your home and in return they will pay more for a home that has been well maintained! Cleaning also leaves a fresh smell throughout the home. Pay special attention to kitchens, bathrooms and windows!
3. Finish any incomplete home improvement projects! You never want a buyer to see your home with unfinished projects. Buyers will then look closely at all other finishings and will criticize the “workmanship” of a home. 
4. Organize! Go through all your closets and pack away anything you’re not using, you’re moving soon anyways! Buyer’s will look into all your closet spaces, they want to see how much storage a home has to offer and if your closets are bursting at the seams they will think there isn’t enough room for their items.
5. Curb Appeal! The outside of your home is the first thing that potential buyers see when they pull up. Make sure the grass is cut, the weeds are pulled and the gutters are cleaned! Gleaming windows wouldn’t hurt either! 

In the end, I refuse to charge for staging because I love design and have a passion for staging.  With my personal supply of staging furniture and accessories, I help to bring out the fullest potential of your home. I’ve had the most unsaleable homes listed and have sold them in a matter of days after staging it, it’s no gimmick! The better a home shows, the more interest it creates, the more interest it creates, the faster it sells, the faster it sells, the more money you get! That is one happy client and truly that’s all that matters!