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Staging helps to sell homes more
quickly and profitably
Once you make the decision to
sell, you must no longer regard your house as your home, but as a product to
market.
 Special
to the Sun
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Set the stage to help prospective buyers dream of making your house their home,
and you will sell quicker and for the most money possible.
Savvy vendors enlist the objectivity and expertise of a trained staging
professional to maximize their potential equity, while saving both time and
unnecessary stress.
Thanks to the popularity of television shows such as The House Doctor and Sell
This House, we are more aware of the things potential buyers respond to.
The objective of home staging is to have them focus on the house and not what's
in the house.
"You want the potential buyer to be able to imagine themselves living there the
whole time they are in the house, and to linger in the rooms as they look at
your home," says Val Sharp, President of the Canadian Redesigners Association
and owner of Sharp ReDesigns.
"You want to draw people's eyes toward the selling features of the home - a
gorgeous fireplace, a beautiful window/view, lovely molding, coved ceilings, and
built-in bookcases," she says.
Sharp offers valuable advice to help maximize a home's potential.
Clean everything so it sparkles - especially anything reflective like glass &
metal. Make sure it's clean to the touch. Pay specific attention to door handles
and cupboard handles.
Get rid of clutter. As a general rule you can remove up to 50 per cent of what
you own. Pack it into boxes and put them neatly in the garage or preferably,
offsite storage. Weed out what you do not need and neatly organize the rest.
Pack away everything you're not using.
Eliminate personal items - personal photographs, personal items in the bedroom,
personal items in the bathroom. (Bedrooms and bathrooms should looklike a hotel
- like nobody lives there).
Let there be light. The home should be as bright and light as possible. Check
all light bulbs and increase wattage if safe to do so. Open blinds and curtains.
Even consider taking down heavy draperies if they block light for summer. (You
may want to add them for warmth for winter.) Increase the wattage in light bulbs
in the laundry room, kitchen and bathrooms. For showings, turn on lights in
every room.
Stimulate buyers' imaginations. Your goal is to set a scene that will encourage
buyers to imagine they live in the home. Use
the coziness and romance of the fireplace to advantage. Put a pair of wine
glasses and a vase of flowers on the coffee table in front of the fire. Put a
barbecue on the deck.
Be ruthless about odors. If there is a smell, the house won't sell. Use
cleansers of all kinds to make the home smell fresh, from carpet freshener to
potpourri. However, be careful when using room sprays as they can irritate
allergies. Deodorize cat litter and scoop litter daily. Put cedar chips inside
the closets.
Smells, light and color will influence a buyer, so put fresh flowers out, and
bake cookies or bread prior to an open house. You can also use the sense of
smell to your advantage by having fresh-baked cookies on the kitchen table,
creating a welcoming sensual environment for potential buyers.
Create a spacious feeling. Make sure that all doors, cabinets and drawers open
all the way without bumping into anything or sticking. Clean out the entry
closet and put only a few hangers in it, so that the buyer can visualize winter
coats. Move oversized and/or excess furniture to a storage facility. Make sure
entrances to all rooms have an open flow.
Make the most of views. Disguise unsightly views. Put a screen or a basket of
flowers in front of a fireplace if it isn't in use. Let breezes move the sheer
curtains at the window. Make sure the interior is visible from the street. All
windows must be crystal clean and clear.
Avoid eccentric decor. De-personalize the teenager's room, the game room or
other areas by removing wild posters or any decorative item that could be
construed as offensive. Remove decorations which might not appeal to the masses,
from hanging beads in doorways to jars where the children store their spider
collections. Even really gorgeous art can be a distraction if it's too gorgeous.
Keep it fairly middle of the road. You aren't selling the art, you're selling
the home.
© The Vancouver Sun 2007
To see the original article,
click here...
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What Others Are Saying About Us...
"My husband said
he did not want to sell the house after the staging.
It looks spacious and really attractive, with a tasteful design and
contemporary color... Neighbours and persons who came to the Open
House were really impressed. We got a decent offer in
the second day after the Open House.
Great thanks to Marilynn
and her staging team!"
Sophia
"Marilynn and her team
STAGED the outside and the inside of my home. It made a
huge difference.
I really like coming
home to a 'dressed' house. Will hire them for STAGING
for LIVING for my new home. My realtors were
impressed!
Thank you again..."
Paul
"This 7th floor Yale Town condo was
competing with others in the same building with views of mountains
and ocean. Pricing the condo competitively and STAGING it sold it
one weekend at the asking price! Thanks, Marilynn, Staging works! I will tell all my listings about the staging
success."
Adil Dinani
Royal Le Page Coronation West Realty – Coquitlam
"As an executor in an estate sale, she
showed me where to begin. She recommended replacement of flooring in
entry hall, laundry and a basement bedroom. Finishing touches and
placement of accessories in various upstairs locations. She
provided a very good service! It made a great difference.
Hard to improve on.
This home sold in one day."
Verniece Drewery
Port Coquitlam, BC
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