Dramatic Spaces Home Staging and Design

I was visiting some open houses today and I wanted to share my experience.  As a home stager I have the distinct advantage of looking past the dated furniture and wrong placement of it, clutter, ugly wallpaper, poor workmanship of home improvements, cold floors and personal belongings.  As a potential buyer my instinct is NEXT!!

When looking for a home the majority of home buyers are looking for near perfection.  One of the thoughts I had from most of the homes was this place would need work. Now there were a few that could be move in ready, but for me as a potential buyer there were things I would need to do for it to stand up to my expectations.

In a 2 hour time span I was able to visit 5 open houses.   All homes were in the price range I was looking for, with the exception of one which I spotted on my journey and decided to drop in.

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I want to clear up the myth that home staging is only about cleaning your home so that it is presentable and de-cluttering the most common areas. Although this can go a long way in selling your home and I encourage it as a starting point IT IS NOT WHAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE IN A HOME SELLING EXTREMELY FAST AND FOR WAY MORE MONEY!

When a homeowner cleans and de-clutters their space to help sell their home they are definitely in a better position than someone who doesn’t put the effort in to sell it (the “as is” sale).

Home staging is pushing it to the limit of the WOW factor, the most desirable home on the block, the “transformed” home. This is where you will really make more money in selling your home and selling fast.
Home staging is striving for PERFECTION. If you look at model homes, they are perfect. They often have high end features and everything is just right. It is not often that a buyer goes into a model home and says “I don’t need hardwood floors, I would much prefer the basic carpet and underlay”. Builders count on you “falling in love” with all the upgrades and that is why they plump these homes up and make them irresistible. And as for the price, are you able to negotiate to get “below” asking price? No, but you can do without the upgrades to lower the price and go for the “basic” model.

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Nowadays, when you hear the word home staging the words cleaning and de-cluttering follow closely behind. This is really your starting point. From the buyers perspective they want to see your house, the structure and not the items that fill the space. And once you have cleared out or edited your belongings it is important that the space be clean as this is the scrutiny that your house will be under.
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