When you put your home up for sale, it becomes a product.  There are many other products similar to yours that also are for sale.  You want your home to stand out from the competition.  You only have about 30 seconds to make a lasting impression when that buyer walks through your front door.

What will that buyer see?  Toys?  Pets?  Furniture ready to be hauled for donation?  Collections galore?  Or cold, empty, echoing rooms?

What will the buyer smell?  The diaper pail?  Kitty's box?  Cigarette smoke?  The fish you fried for lunch?  A stuffy, empty house?

All these things - and more - turn buyers off.

Granted, having your home on the market is a huge inconvenience.  But wouldn't you rather make a fast sale and get the whole production over with instead of dragging it out?

That's exactly what selling a home is - a production.  Your house is a product.  It is on stage for the audience to examine.  A seller has control over two factors - the list price, and how their home looks.  If your home is priced right and looks right, it will sell.  Ok, so how do you get it looking "right?"

You must hire a professional - and I don't mean the friend of the lady down the street who she claims has a flair for decorating and is now calling herself a "home stager." 

I have achieved the highest level of training and education in the home staging industry.  My designation - Accredited Staging Professional Master® (ASPM®) - is recognized by the National Association of REALTORS®.   There are many knock-offs and copycats in this unregulated home staging industry. 

Lesson #1 - Don't be fooled! 

Lesson #2 - Ask for references, check them, and make sure your Accredited Staging Professional is established with a proven track record and portfolio in your home's price range.

Lesson #3 - Make sure you know what items are going into your home if it is vacant.  Quality exudes quality.   You might have to put some things in storage and let your Accredited Staging Professional bring in proper furniture.

Following these simple steps will put you on the right track to a fast sale.  Home staging - when done properly by a professional - works!

Joan Inglis, ASP, ASPM, Charlotte IAHSP Regional Chapter

www.lakewyliehomestaging.com