Reprinted from my Home Builder's Assocation's Newsletter - October 2007

Hit a Home Run with Staging - Your Guide to Dramatic Results for Increased Revenue

By Julea Joseph, Interior Stylist - Reinventing Space

"Build it and they will come," was not only the iconic tag-line from the movie Field of Dreams, but has been the quintessential saying for Builders. In the past, a Builder could simply hang a "For Sale" sign outside, and buyers would line-up.  Well fast forward to an era of media and consumer overload and today's buyer is bombarded with home product and interior design options by retail, media and the Internet.  The average home buyer has become a savvy, suave, educated bunch, with a real eye for design.  They swoop into a home, noting the granite color and name in five seconds flat, and wonder why that Builder didn't use a large ogee edge on the kitchen counter. 

With that consumer suaveness, comes the reality that Builders, in order to hit a home run with their homes, need to step up to plate and market and package their properties for today's consumers expectations. An empty home is not going to attract a buyer. Empty rooms, white paint, and an expanse of wood floors won't score emotional points with a buyer, nor properly package and showcase the Builder's attention to architectural details or high-end upgrades.  Beyond that, the vast surplus of new homes on the market creates a challenge for the Builder to have their home stand out in this down market.

Home Staging and Model Home Merchandising can help attract buyers, and market an empty home. By correctly staging an empty home, a buyer can visualize themselves, their belongings and their family living there.   

Home Staging - the current TV and media darling, has become more and more expected in the real estate market. The savvy buyer is expecting every home, at any price to WOW them from curb-side to back fence.  A home staging company can provide an economical and intelligent design solution for a Builder; filling an empty home with furnishings, accents and amenities in one day - with rental or purchased packages.

Model Home Merchandising takes staging to the next level, and provides expert design solutions for the Builder which can include everything from siding selection to perfectly placed accessories in closets. This new breed of designer styles the home with an educated and creative eye - knowing if the intended buyer will want Couture or Costco finds. From color palette selection to the latest fabric or furniture trends, Model Home Merchandising can attract the perfect buyer and compliment the Builder's attention to detail in a home at any price point.

In today's real estate market, if a Builder wants to properly market and package their homes they need to step up to the plate.  Home Staging can provide that home run with great packaging. Home Staging creates that draw for the savvy, educated consumer, makes the home warm, inviting and move-in ready, and most of all creates an emotional connection with the potential buyer.  If you stage it will sell - faster!

Based in Palos Park, Illinois, Julea Joseph has been staging and styling homes for almost a decade.  Julea has been a guest designer on HGTV's "Decorating Cents", where she has worked her rearranging magic for millions.  You can see her latest models at Beechen & Dill's Misty Ridge in Romeoville.