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home stager: How far do you go bending the truth in real estate listings? - 04/05/07 12:46 PM
We all know what "quaint", "cosy", "gem", "first time on the market in 25 years" mean in real estate ads.
But how far do you go to try and make your latest listing sound attractive to potential buyers?
I'm writing this not as a home stager or home staging trainer. I'm writing as someone who personally bought 6 homes in 8 years. I lived in and staged all of them which is how I got into staging. I'm always on the look out for my next house so I'm an active reader of real estate ads, visitor to real estate agents' websites … (3 comments)

home stager: Home Staging isn't quite what you see on TV! - 02/07/07 02:01 PM
I love that home staging TV shows are boosting the average person's awareness of the importance of presenting their home in the best possible way when it's time to sell. It's also increasing awareness that "home staging" is actually a service.
But, it's a service that comes with a cost.
My concern with shows like "Buy Me," "Sell This House", etc. is that they present a completely unrealistic view of what can be accomplished over a weekend and for how much. They have huge teams that descend on a place and work night and day for free. Of course a house can … (6 comments)

home stager: Sometimes home staging won't work - 01/08/07 08:53 AM
If a home is staged well it will sell faster and for more money than one that isn't staged. This assumes:
the stager did a good jobthe home is priced and marketed properlyThis won't happen unless:the homeowner follows through on the recommendations of both the agent and stagerI've seen some very badly staged homes and I've seen beautifully staged homes priced $100,000 above where they should be. This may be the fault of the stager, the agent, the homeowner or any combination thereof. 
As with any profession, there are people at the top of their game and others who aren't. That's why … (2 comments)

home stager: Should Real Estate Agents Be Home Stagers? - 01/07/07 07:48 PM
Here's a typical inquiry I get from realtors:
"I am a 20+ year veteran of Real Estate in the Tampa area. I have been staging homes for years! The problem is that I did it to help sell the listings...and now people expect it from me.... and of course I am not getting paid to "Stage".  Do you think trying to now charge $$$ tostage is going to be a conflict with my real estate career? I just want to know if you feel these two careers can co-exist....... real estate is very very slow in Florida, and I felt with all the … (3 comments)

home stager: Should real estate agents pay for home staging? - 11/03/06 01:08 PM
Some agents will pay for a home staging consultation as part of the service they offer homeowners when they get a new listing. Clearly there are several points in favor of this:
helps differentiate the agent from others who don't offer this serviceprovides a value added service that may build customer loyaltythe agent may end up with a listing that shows better than if they hadn't provided thisthe agent gets an independent third party to say things they may not want to tell their client themselvesthe agents gets an independent third party to be in the middle of a disagreeing husband and … (32 comments)

home stager: Why Home Staging Ups the Selling Price of a Home - 10/08/06 04:09 PM
People imagine they can look past ugly decor or empty rooms and see 'potential', but usually they can't! That's why successful builders use Model Homes and Model Suites to sell their projects.
Savvy home sellers realize that the same principals apply in the resale market and turn to Professional Home Stagers or House Fluffers to ensure they sell quickly and for top dollar.People start house hunting with a logical list of criteria, but the home they actually buy is chosen largely for emotional reasons.The principal aim in a house fluffing or home staging project is to allow potential buyers to walk into … (3 comments)

home stager: Is Home Staging Just a Fad? - 09/30/06 12:10 PM
As long as there are homeowners with any of these characteristics or in these situations, there will be a need for home stagers:
too much cluttertoo much furnitureblank wallsfurniture that doesn't suit the price point of their homefurniture that doesn't suit the lifestyle of the likely buyer for their home not enough time on their hands to make their home look showing readypoor taste or an outdated idea of what current homes look likehusbands and wives that can't agree on what to doempty homes that need to sell fastempty rooms because they couldn't afford furniture or a partner moved out and took … (4 comments)

 

Debra Gould

Toronto, ON

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Six Elements Inc.

Office Phone: (416) 691-6615

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Get a different real estate perspective from a non-agent. Articles of interest to real estate agents written by compulsive home buyer and home staging expert Debra Gould (The Staging Diva).


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