What is Home Staging?
According to Wikepedia, Home staging is officially defined as the act of preparing a private residence prior to going up for sale in the real estate marketplace.
In simplistic terms, staging a home to sell is simply un-decorating, or depersonalizing a home so it will appeal to the masses. It sounds so simple yet many home owners don't do a very good job of putting their home on the market in ideal selling condition for many reasons.
To begin, people have a tough time detaching themselves from their home because of the great pride they have in it. Let's face it, most people love their homes and often put a lot of time and money into them. They love the way their home looks and automatically expect others to feel the same way. In fact, most sellers feel that "if a buyer doesn't like something about our home, they can just change it after they buy it". They don't see a need to make changes to appease a buyer, which is a critical mistake in today's buyers market.
Many home owners also have great sentimental value towards their homes. Perhaps someones child took their first steps in the home, or maybe a special birthday or anniversary occurred there. Most home owners can list dozens of events that took place in their home that will bring about a flood of happy memories. The process of putting a home on the market for sale can be a very emotional experience, and it is often difficult for a seller to let go.
Home sellers must understand that a home turns into a house when you put it on the market for sale. It merely becomes a commodity that will be compared to other homes on the market. Therefore, it is important to be able to detach yourself if you are truly ready to sell successfully. A professional home stager will help a seller with both the physical and emotional aspects of getting a home ready for the market.
What is an ASP?
Accredited Staging Professionals ( ASP's ) have taken extensive course work specifically in the field of home staging. This is a very prestigious designation that differentiates this type of home stager from one who casually stages but has no credentials and limited experience. An ASP is a very dedicated professional who takes the job of home staging very seriously and is usually a leader in the field of Home Staging.
Amy Schuman of The Schuman Team was one of the first ASP's in the area. Amy has years of experience preparing homes for sale. She also has a highly trained eye, interior staging skills, and the necessary resources to work with any sellers budget. In addition, being a real estate agent gives Amy additional insight when staging a home as she is in tune to what today's buyers are looking for.
What Exactly Does a Home Stager Do?
While staging is becoming more popular throughout the nation, a lot of people, especially here in a conservative city like Cleveland, are still not familiar with the specifics regarding home staging. A home stager goes through a home from top to bottom and makes suggestions that will help the home sell quicker and for more money.
The first step of staging a home is for a stager to personally go through a home and take detailed notes on every room and special features of a home. Then, pictures are taken so the stager can assess how certain rooms and features will appear when they get put into the MLS, the multiple listing service, and what improvements need to be done to each room. Then, after the stager is finished, they provide the seller with a detailed written report of everything that needs to be done.
Some home stagers offer a follow-up appointment to assist in moving furniture, picking out paint color, or even to bring in furniture or accessories. A final assessment is made prior to putting the home on the market to make sure everything is just right.
Why Hire a Home Stager?
Many sellers have watched shows on HGTV regarding home staging and feel they can do the job themselves. The main problem is that most sellers can't be unbiased about their home and need an outsider to point things out. Sometimes the truth hurts, but it will save you a lot of money in the long run. The blue carpeting in the family room that you love so much may have cost a lot of money, but it will turn off a lot of buyers and keep them from even wanting to see your home. Or what about that really neat wallpaper in the kitchen? At the time, it was probably in style, but few buyers in today's market are screaming for more wallpaper. A good home stager will make an honest assessment about your home and provide cost-effective ways to fix any trouble areas.
BEFORE AFTER
Can you see the huge difference that staging can make on the presentation of a home? While we certainly don't have a problem with the color blue, it has statistically been shown to be the most unattractive in the eyes of today's buyers. Remember, when your house is on the market, you are appealing to the buyer, not yourself.
The cost of staging this room was relatively inexpensive. Our seller replaced the carpeting and we brought in the rest. By the way, this home was on the market vacant and not staged with another agent for a long time. The seller, who had moved out of state, hired The Schuman Team, and we staged the entire home and received an offer within 2 weeks! It closed within 30 days of going on the market.
The cost of staging your home will be a lot less than the first price reduction you make when your home doesn't sell. If you doubt the power of staging, take a look at these statistics:
Check out these photos. Do you think buyers shopping on-line for a home would be attracted to one of these over another?
Do you know how much it cost to stage this room? How about less than $200! This home sold in less than 30 days.
This chart will show how valuable staging is. It does not cost a lot of money to stage a home, but not staging your home can cost your dearly. Don't think of staging as an expense, think of it as an INVESTMENT to your bottom line.
Home Staging is the very best proven way to get top dollar for your home as you prepare it for sale. Homes that are Staged with an ASP Professional Home Stager sell faster and for more money! One of the advantaging of using the Schuman Team to list and sell your home is that we offer our home staging services to our clients for FREE.
With so many homes on the market today, home staging can be the difference in whether or not a home sells. For a free consultation on how to position you home to sell quickly, contact Amy Schuman of The Schuman Team at 216-403-9189 or email us.
If you are looking to buy or sell a home in Beachwood, Moreland Hills, Orange, Pepper Pike, Solon or the surrounding Eastern suburbs, please contact us as we would be happy to show you why people love working with the Schuman Team.
Dan and Amy Schuman are Solon residents. We use our home staging expertise to sell listings quicker and for more money. The average home in the Cleveland area sold in over 100 days in 2008 and our listings sold in less than 60 days. The Schuman Team specializes in luxury homes and are members of the Luxury Home Consultants of Keller Williams Realty Greater Cleveland and of the prestigious Institute for Luxury Home Marketing, the premier independent authority in training and certification for real estate agents working in the luxury home market. We also work extensively with buyers and sellers who are relocating in or out of the area.
To see all homes currently on the market in the Cleveland area, click here. For a personal consultation or to speak directly to The Schuman Team, call 216-346-3235.
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