Because the real-estate market has slowed, real-estate agents and the sellers they represent are using every tool at their disposal to sell houses quickly and for top dollar. One of the tried-and-true tools used for selling is "staging," the process of removing or rearranging your belongings to get the best effect when showing your home.
"Home staging helps your home sell faster and for more money whether it is a slow or hot real estate market," says Cheryl Ward, President of Ivy Home Staging in California. "When a home is staged to appeal to a broader range of buyers, then you have a hot property which could incite a bidding war-imagine."
Who doesn't want that? Having the right furniture in a house can create a buzz for the listing and make for a faster sale. A cohesive look helps potential buyers imagine the possibilities of any given space.
Often sellers try to stage the house themselves, thinking it will save them money. The Wall Street Journal reports that "in a recent HomeGain survey of 500 real-estate agents, cleaning and de-cluttering, lightening and brightening rooms, and staging were among the top five low-cost, do-it-yourself home improvements suggested for people getting their homes ready to sell." Home sellers might clean out clutter and paint the walls a nice cream color, but often the attention of an expert in the field can bring the whole look together and help close the deal.
It's hard for a seller to turn an objective eye on his or her own living space. An experienced stager or realtor will know which furniture pieces need to be moved out and which wall decorations should come down. The space should offer buyers the chance to picture their own belongings in the house or apartment. Instead of focusing a negative eye on an ancient watercolor painting, it is better if a buyer sees a wall and thinks, I know just what I'll hang there.
Find the Best Pieces and Keep Them
Real-estate agents and professional home stagers provide furniture and artwork that is clean, attractive, and neutral so it appeals to many people. Their experience helps them match certain styles with any number of spaces.
To keep the costs of staging in check, real-estate agents and professional stagers need to have clean and attractive furniture at the ready. But where can a busy professional keep enough furniture to stage three, four, or five houses? That's a lot of furniture! Some professional stagers rent furniture and pass the costs along to the seller. The risk in this practice is that rental furniture isn't always in the best condition. More savvy professionals make an investment in reliable, appealing furniture, and keep it on hand in a local storage unit for staging opportunities.
The professionals at all-about-home-staging.com note that "no one can afford to waste money in this type of economy." When renting furniture for staging, they "have found furnishings that are in 'okay' shape to 'excellent' condition." However, there's no way to know in advance if the pieces you need are available or in the condition you want for home staging. Knowing what pieces you have to work with-and what conditions those pieces are in-will save time and money.
Keeping a reserve of furniture makes sense if you are professional who needs to stage houses and apartments every month. Debra Gould of Six Elements Inc., a home-staging company, says, "We are not real-estate agents, and we are not interior designers. As home stagers, we do not believe in buying things for the sake of having what's 'in' this year."
If you can justify the expense, storing a timeless leather sofa and an appealing chest of drawers in a storage facility will keep the pieces clean and in good condition. And they will always be readily available so that agents will have more control over when and how often they can use the furniture.
"Finding the right staging supplies and furnishings is not easy and can be very time consuming," advises all-about-home-staging.com. "Select good furniture pieces that are at home in many different rooms, and you won't have wasted one dime." When home stagers are considering spending time and money to find good pieces, they should make sure they can use them again and again. The right chest of drawers has the potential to look custom-made for any bedroom, foyer, hallway, or den, depending on the space. The same goes for the right table, chair, or sofa; there is no reason these pieces shouldn't be repurposed for another project. When the pieces are not being used, a storage unit offers the ideal solution. Storage allows for security, flexibility, and long-term affordability.
Offering staging services to your clients can result in a better overall sale price and repeat, long term, business relationships. It may also give you an edge in securing new business when clients realize they can get a faster sale or higher price when taking advantage of your home staging service option.
Compliments of Uncle Bob's Self Storage.
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