Happy New Year all. As we welcome in 2008, I wanted to share with you a few thoughts about preparing your home for sale with Home Staging. Now that the holidays are officially over, and yes they are over, it is time to pack away all those wonderful decorations. While they definitely made your home come to life, it is time to get back into the "sell" mode and transform your home into a house for potential buyers.
The weather will be getting warmer and its time to focus your attention to the outside of your home. Spruce up your front door, paint if needed and take a close look out for any repairs that may be necessary. Remember, you only get one chance at a first impression so take the time to impress with your front door and entry way.
I have already had several staging calls this year. The market is getting into gear after the holidays and so should you.
For more information and home staging tips contact Interior Concept Designs. We offer professional home staging services in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC.
Home Staging continues to increase in popularity in the Virginia area. While we still see those awful pictures on the MLS with laundry on the floor, kids toys everywhere and the family pet smack bang in the middle - a higher percentage of homes are presented more favorably for the potential buyer.
Don't let your MLS pictures cause a potential buyer to pass you by. With over 80% of folks heading to the Internet to search for homes, take the time to "stage" your home for sale. Interior Concept Designs offers Home Staging in Virginia, MD and DC.
We recently had the opportunity to work with an awesome real estate company, Exit Heritage Realty on a new development in Haymarket Virginia. The developer of this new site of condominiums wanted one model in phase I of their building, staged. Phase II will be coming in about 8-months. Here are a couple of before pictures:
I know that some of you Realtors are still on the fence about Staging and unsure if it really works or not. Many seem to believe there is some value in staging homes, but perhaps don't want to spend the money to get a listing professionally staged. I wanted to share some local results with you. We have staged and sold over 11 homes in the last few months here in the D.C Metro area. We have done this via word of mouth and repeat business; we do not advertise.
For those of you who are unsure about staging, now is the time to seek out a stager and develop a good working relationship. There are good stagers and not so good ones. Find one that works well for you. Ask other Realtors in your office for a referral. Sometimes it can be more about personality than anything else. Staging is here to stay....find yourself a reliable stager sooner, rather than later.
Your competition already has a good stager on their team....do you?
For those of you local to the Washington DC Metro area, you may be familiar with the Premier, Interior Design Magazine, Washington Spaces. If you are....look out for us in the next issue due out on stands on Monday.
We worked on two projects with Washinton Spaces magazine in February and March this year. Needless to say, I was honored to work with such a talented, and well respected group of people not once but TWICE.
Washington Spaces magazine chose us to stage their booth at a luxury home show in Maryland. They chose us over several other staging companies because they felt our style was a good match to represent their magazine.
I have to thank my husband for his help and support for pulling this off because I truly could not have done it without him. The booth was a hit at the show; we received compliment after compliment on the setup and design. The booth received twice as much traffic as last year and we were completely out of magazines before the show was over.
Before and After pics below:
For home staging contact Interior Concept Designs at 571-264-1747 . We offer home staging in Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC
For those of you local to the Washington DC Metro area, you may be familiar with the Premier, Interior Design Magazine, Washington Spaces. If you are....look out for us in the next issue due out on stands on Monday.
We worked on two projects with Washinton Spaces magazine in February and March this year. Needless to say, I was honored to work with such a talented, and well respected group of people not once but TWICE.
Washington Spaces magazine chose us to stage their booth at a luxury home show in Maryland. They chose us over several other staging companies because they felt our style was a good match to represent their magazine.
I have to thank my husband for his help and support for pulling this off because I truly could not have done it without him. The booth was a hit at the show; we received compliment after compliment on the setup and design. The booth received twice as much traffic as last year and we were completely out of magazines before the show was over.
Before and After pics below:
For home staging contact Interior Concept Designs at 571-264-1747 . We offer home staging in Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC
For those of you local to the Washington DC Metro area, you may be familiar with the Premier, Interior Design Magazine, Washington Spaces. If you are....look out for us in the next issue due out on stands on Monday.
We worked on two projects with Washinton Spaces magazine in February and March this year. Needless to say, I was honored to work with such a talented, and well respected group of people not once but TWICE.
Washington Spaces magazine chose us to stage their booth at a luxury home show in Maryland. They chose us over several other staging companies because they felt our style was a good match to represent their magazine.
I have to thank my husband for his help and support for pulling this off because I truly could not have done it without him. The booth was a hit at the show; we received compliment after compliment on the setup and design. The booth received twice as much traffic as last year and we were completely out of magazines before the show was over.
Before and After pics below:
For home staging contact Interior Concept Designs at 571-264-1747 . We offer home staging in Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC
Home Staging CAN make a difference when done the right way. Interior Concept Designs offers Professional Home Staging in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC. We were contacted by the listing Realtor on this Reston town home a week before it was going to be listed. She was panicked because she needed a Staging Consultation, there was no furniture in the dining room, she needed furniture for the sunroom and she needed this all done in less than one week! "NO PROBLEM" we said. We specialize in meeting tight deadlines. We keep an inventory of furniture, artwork and accessories on hand; this allows us to provide a quick turnaround time for our customers. (See why NOT to sell a vacant listing here)
We scheduled an appointment to do the initial consultation, and then followed up with a detailed, written report for the home owner. This report is essentially a "to-do" list for the homeowner to get their home ready for potential home buyers. In this case, the "to do" list was the precursor for our arrival and mainly included packing and moving several larger items to storage.
We arrived twodays before the open house and immediately got to work. We re-arranged the furniture in the basement to establish two functional areas and a focal point. We brought in accessories to accentuate the home-owner's existing furnishings. On the main level, we re-arranged the furniture in the living room, hung artwork, and brought in furniture for the dining room and sun room.
We were finish a few hours later and the house looked amazing. The house went under contract the same day it was listed to the first buyer that walked in the door. The sellers didn't even hold their open house.
Is Home Staging worth the money? After reading the story above and seeing the pictures below....you decide. Similar units in the same neighborhood are sitting on the market for 45+ days at a lower price. Two-days after this house went under contract, we got a call from another home-owner in the same neighborhood who wanted her home Staged. Her home had been on the market for 60-days and was priced $20,000 below the unit we just Staged.
To be successful requires the right combination of several elements, including the right Realtor.
For more information contact Interior Concept Designs 571-264-1747
Home Staging CAN make a difference when done the right way. Interior Concept Designs offers Professional Home Staging in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC. We were contacted by the listing Realtor on this Reston town home a week before it was going to be listed. She was panicked because she needed a Staging Consultation, there was no furniture in the dining room, she needed furniture for the sunroom and she needed this all done in less than one week! "NO PROBLEM" we said. We specialize in meeting tight deadlines. We keep an inventory of furniture, artwork and accessories on hand; this allows us to provide a quick turnaround time for our customers. (See why NOT to sell a vacant listing here)
We scheduled an appointment to do the initial consultation, and then followed up with a detailed, written report for the home owner. This report is essentially a "to-do" list for the homeowner to get their home ready for potential home buyers. In this case, the "to do" list was the precursor for our arrival and mainly included packing and moving several larger items to storage.
We arrived twodays before the open house and immediately got to work. We re-arranged the furniture in the basement to establish two functional areas and a focal point. We brought in accessories to accentuate the home-owner's existing furnishings. On the main level, we re-arranged the furniture in the living room, hung artwork, and brought in furniture for the dining room and sun room.
(The main level was repainted a lighter color since we couldn't match the existing color and the home-owner opted for this lighter color)
We were finish a few hours later and the house looked amazing. The house went under contract the same day it was listed to the first buyer that walked in the door. The sellers didn't even hold their open house.
Is Home Staging worth the money? After reading the story above and seeing the pictures below....you decide. Similar units in the same neighborhood are sitting on the market for 45+ days at a lower price. Two-days after this house went under contract, we got a call from another home-owner in the same neighborhood who wanted her home Staged. Her home had been on the market for 60-days and was priced $20,000 below the unit we just Staged.
To be successful requires the right combination of several elements, including the right Realtor.
For more information contact Interior Concept Designs 571-264-1747
Here is the scenario: you have to move next month to a new home in another State. You hope to sell your existing home quickly but in the interim it will sit on the market desolate. What to do? You pack up all your things and leave your sale in the hands of your competent Realtor, right? WRONG!!!
Instead, you need to leave your current home in a state that is appealing to the average home buyer. An empty house will NOT evoke warm emotions from a potential buyer. Go "shopping" in your own home and look for items that you can live without for a couple of months. Grab a chair, a bookshelf, and maybe a faux plant. Check with friends and family for items that you can borrow on a short-term basis. Choose things to create ambiance and impose a sense of "home" for your potential buyer.
80% of home buyers begin their home search on the Internet. Many will not view a home if the online pictures and/or virtual tour offer a poor representation of the property. If you were shopping for a home, which picture below would make you want to view the property?
Before Vacant Staging
After Vacant Staging
Prior to staging this condo sat on the market for over 6-months. After staging, the owners received an offer in 7-days, and it later sold.
FACT: 99% of the homes staged by Interior Concept Designs are under contract in less than 30-days.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
I have already had several staging calls this year. The market is getting into gear after the holidays and so should you. 
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