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home staging: 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 staging: 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 staging: 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 staging: 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 staging: Virtual tours versus still photos to market a property - 10/09/06 08:43 AM
Many agents wonder about the the value of virtual tours to market their listings. Obviously they add yet another cost and it's money right out of the agent's pocket.When I'm house hunting (which I do often, I bought 6 houses in about 9 years) I like virtual tours because it really gives me a better sense of the home and whether I want to go see it. In most cases, they help me rule out visiting the property, whereas excellent still shots might have drawn me in!
Clearly there's an expense to having a virtual tour made and you'd have to weigh … (13 comments)

home staging: 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 staging: Will home staging work in a conservative market? - 10/01/06 12:09 PM
Home Staging is an effective strategy and business to operate anywhere because what home stagers offer is not a frill. It's a service that homeowners will make huge profits from. And, with real estate slowing down in so many markets, of course homeowners and their agents will be looking for an edge.If you don't decorate the house to sell quickly and for top dollar, the only other alternative is to keep dropping the price until someone buys! That's not a scenario that sits well with homeowners because it's money right out of their pockets.Also, an increasing number of savvy real estate … (3 comments)

home staging: 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)

home staging: Home Staging Sets Condo Apart From Others - 09/09/06 11:35 AM
This fall will see a lot of condos sitting for too long in markets that were previously hot. Many agents cling to the belief that it's all about dollars per square foot. That might be true if buyers only shopped with logic. But we all know they actually buy on emotion.
It’s really tough to make a condo stand out from the many others for sale in the same building. That’s why home staging is so critical.This client had to put their condo on the market in the slow summer season and on top of that they were competing with dozens of … (5 comments)

home staging: Realtor's question about ROI from Home Staging - 09/03/06 01:28 PM
Realtor's Question
A realtor just wrote to ask me:
Can you direct me to a resource that will help me accurately advise my clients as to where to spend thier home improvement dollars for the highest return? I do of course advise to clean, de clutter, tidy the yard and garden, paint and so on but if it comes down to a choice between say a new living room carpet or a new kitchen counter, which one to choose? Should a seller upgrade lighting fixtures or replace the dated taps in the bathroom. Those are the kinds of questions I get. Sometimes the … (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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