Everyone wants to know. I get that question in all my training sessions and I understand why. The state of the economy being what it is, real estate is in crisis...How bad is it really?
Here are the most recent stats and predictions from the Montreal Real Estate Board:
In January 2009, there were 37% LESS transactions recorded than 12 months ago, but the median price of a typical single family home is keeping steady. Good news and bad news!
The realtors still list properties but they are taking longer to sell. There seems to be less buyers out there and the ones who are buying are more cautious and more selective. They expect MORE for their money.
I think that the sellers who are serious about selling their properties will soon understand that they have no choice but to give MORE to the buyer. Therefore, making the house look its best and offering a move-in solution will become even more important in 2009. Home Staging services will, in my opinion, become a NEEDED asset to the realtors and the sellers (I certainly hope so! LOL).
Next week, I am giving a presentation to a group of realtors from the biggest real estate agency in Quebec and I am anxious to see their reaction and willingness to work with me and my teammates. Are they finally ready for Home Staging? Maybe they won't have a choice!
What is your opinion on that matter? let me know.
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Sveta, I'm a fan of staging - always have been; however, I'm not a fan of over-staging.
The home still needs to look like people live in it; like it's comfortable and inviting.
What I am against, is staging to a point, where it becomes obvious to the buyer that this home is not lived in and that the 'make up' was added specifically and only to make the home sell, but that it's really covering up something else. Some homes out there have been so overdone, that buyers are afraid of what may be hiding under all that. Some stagers don't want to work with the Realtors to stage; they want to sell themselves more than they want to help sell the house ... and this is not acceptable. In the case where the stager wants to work with me, to help sell the home and do what's right for the client, then I'm 100% for it.
I know it's assumed out there that most Realtors do not want to work with stagers, but that's not the case with me ... as long as we all keep in mind who we are trying to help and who we are working for - and that's the client. We also have to keep in mind that buyers and sellers are very smart. Clients KNOW - are well aware - that they are buying THE HOUSE, not the staging, and the more overdone it is, the faker it looks; and that's not good for anyone. Wrong kind of advertising.
If we all work together in the best interest of the client, I'm sure everyone will benefit.
Good luck with your presentation.