THE HOUSE WHISPERER
SETTING THE STAGE…WHAT IS STAGING?
When I walked into the Project Home it immediately became
clear to me that it needed a little attention if it was to get sold. The house
was built in the seventies and still carried some of the flavor of that time
period…including the furniture! It is a common problem and one that can be
remedied fairly quickly it turns out.
I contacted KC Décor here in Chico to see if they would be interested in
furnishing the home for our Open House. KC Décor is not a staging company, they
are a furnishing and accessory company and so, with their great variety of
styles to choose from and the keen eye of Leslie Ziemkowski of Lifeprint
Interiors we were able to bring the staged area into this decade and into a
whole new look.
Staging a home for sale actually started in the 1970’s and
really only came to the public awareness in the 1990’s when things got slow in
the real estate market. Essentially, a staging company will reshuffle what you
have or bring in items from their own supply to create a warm and inviting
atmosphere to show the home off to its greater potential. Done correctly, the
stager will display each room in its best light and remove the homeowner’s
personal stamp so that potential buyers can envision themselves in the home.
Remember… you never get a second chance to give a great
first impression! With a company like KC Décor, the home owner can do the
staging themselves to cut costs. They can rent the needed items (and get a few
pointers on their project) from KC Décor and create the look that will sell.
Staging does not mean the entire home needs to be done.
Typically the main rooms of the home will need some attention and the rest will
need cleaning, thinning out and re-arranging. This is the time to bring in an
expert eye so that all your time and effort can be channeled without waste…you
have a house to sell!
Some staging companies can be hired to help a home owner to
simply re-arrange (i.e. re-designing) their furniture to give their home a new
look with what they have. It is a great way to save dollars and get the look
you want! Leslie utilized both rented and available items to create an up-to-the minute showcase for all the hard work of our participant companies.
OK. That’s nice. It all sounds good – but is it worth it?
Haven’t homes sold in the past without staging them? Yes they have. However, in
the current market, it takes quite a bit of convincing to get the price you
need out of your home. Homes are being sold undervalue and it is a time where
any advantage is worth employing. Statistics have shown that staged homes sell
consistently for higher prices than those that are not. So, a small investment
can bring about a large pay-off when the home sells. Buyers tend to not chip
away at the price if it has been ‘dressed’ to sell.
Here’s a TIP… the small
cost of staging is often recovered over 300% in the sale of a home and…staged homes
sell for 17% higher than un-staged ones. What a great investment!
It is critical that you stage your home in the first two
weeks when realtors and buyers come to check out the new listing. You may not
get them back for a second look!
We have set up the Project Home so that you can compare the
staged area with the original home – it will clearly demonstrate the huge impact
that staging your home will have. Come by and see for yourself this weekend, March 6th from 11am to 3pm at 1147 El Monte in Chico.
Here’s my analogy… I may want to buy the little black dress
even without seeing it on and without the shoes and the jewelry…but I could
just as easily leave it. Now, let me put the dress on and get the hair done and
the bag too…and get out of my way - that dress is mine!
So, if you are a homeowner, realtor, a designer or a stager…
Contact KC Décor (A Rental Resource for Staging and
Redesign) at
www.kcdecorchico.com
(530) 345 1084
info@kcdecorchico.com
Contact Leslie Ziemkowski
A Real Estate Staging and Home Re-design Company.
www.lifeprintinteriors.com
