I was searching the internet for information for my June newsletter and I came across this article written by Elizabeth Weintraub, of About.com. for her online article: Your Guide to Home Buying / Selling. I thought this was a good article to back up the benefits of staging. You can read the full article here Top 10 Predictions for Home Buyers & Sellers in 2007
Top 10 Predictions for Home Buyers & Sellers in 2007
1. More Women Will Buy Homes Than Ever Before
2. Home Prices Will Remain Soft
3. Agents Will Negotiate Record Number of Counter Offers
4. Buyers Will Pass By Overpriced Homes
5. Buyers Will Demand Upscale Features
As more inventory comes on the market, buyers will have more to choose from before making an offer and will gravitate toward homes that require no updating or costly remodels. Buyers will expect homes to be turnkey and ready to occupy. Kitchen and bathroom remodels will fetch top dollar over homes without updates.
6. Sellers Will Hire Home Stagers
Some sellers will be lucky and find a real estate agent who can offer home staging services, but many sellers, to be competitive among other listings, will hire a professional stager before putting their home on the market. Furniture rental companies will set up accounts offering 30- to 90-day financing at zero interest and no payments to accommodate home sellers who want to pay staging fees at closing and not upfront.
7. Agents Will Take Overpriced Listings
8. Virtual Tours Will Gain Popularity
Online listings without virtual tours will be passed over. Virtual tours will gain popularity because buyers will demand them. Like the old MLS books without a photo, an online listing without a virtual tour will be a non-entity and ignored. In addition, buyers will want audio with the visual.
9. More Than 50% of Listings Will Feature a Price Reduction within 30 days
10. Buyers Will Be More Selective When Choosing an Agent.
I can see how home stagers and the benefits of home staging can help with almost all the predictions.
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