Published: July 25, 2008 3:00 PM
KAILEY WILLETS/The News Bulletin
Updated: July 25, 2008 3:12 PM
Creating the right atmosphere inside and out can help sell a house quicker, maximize selling price
You've probably heard the term home staging before.
It's all the rage in the Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver real estate industries. But you don't need to be selling a home in a busy metropolis to benefit from home staging - two Nanaimo women offer services that will help your home sell faster and for more money.
Pam Moreside, of Center Stage, and Ilona Beedie, of First Stage Transformations, have been working together to help homes sell in Nanaimo for almost two years.
"What home staging is, is the process of merchandising a house for a profitable real estate sale," said Moreside. "It's not personal. It's not designed for the homeowners' needs and wants."
As Nanaimo real estate swings from a sellers' market to a buyers' market and homeowners find themselves reducing asking prices, Beedie and Moreside said home staging is becoming increasingly important.
"People have to realize that right now it is of the essence to make your house stand out from the crowd and to do that, you have to stage," said Beedie. "We really want to bring it across that staging is way cheaper than your first house reduction."
Moreside said when it comes to selling a house, owners shouldn't just throw it on the market and see what happens.
"Their home is generally the biggest asset that most people have. When they go to sell it it's really essential that they get the highest possible price," she said. "Stage it, then put it on the market.
Home staging can be as simple as rearranging furniture and adding accessories, or as involved as bringing in rental furniture to completely makeover a room.
Costs can range from a couple hundred to a couple thousand dollars.
"It doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg," said Beedie.
Moreside and Beedie said their results are proof that staging works.
One house sold two days after staging for $7,000 more than the asking price. Another sold the evening after listing at $6,000 more than what was asked.
During a consultation, the stagers give homeowners a priority list of things they should change in order to sell their home. Then, homeowners have the option of preparing their home themselves.
"We've found that homeowners are very successful with that," said Moreside.
The stagers have a few basic tips for every home going on the market. Curb appeal is at the top of the list.
"You've got to make it so that people want to go inside your house," said Beedie.
They suggest painting your front door a vibrant colour to add some ‘wow' factor. It's also important to declutter, depersonalize and make sure everything is sparkling clean and smells fresh.
A less obvious tip is to clear out your closet space.
"One of the biggest things homeowners are looking for these days is storage," said Moreside.
One thing Moreside said she found alarming is hearing that some of her customers nearly went to Vancouver to find home staging companies, which would have resulted in large transportation fees. Nanaimo home wners are catching on to home staging, but might not realize they can find it here.
"We're here. We're established." said Moreside.
Beedie is a Certified International Staging and Redesign Professional and Moreside holds a degree in Interior Design from Malaspina.
For more information on home staging, please contact Ilona Beedie at 250-619-6082 or Pam Moreside at 250-729-1411 or visit their websites - www.nanaimohomestaging.com and www.centerstagedsn.ca.
editor@nanaimobulletin.com
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