Valued member of the Home Staging Resource
Q. Why should I professionally stage my home?
A. Staged homes have a competitive edge – they sell faster and for more money. An investment in staging is always less than the first price reduction.
Q. When should a home be staged?
A. Before the For Sale sign goes up in the yard. Before your realtor sets the price. Before you put pictures online. Before the broker open house. Your listing sees the most activity during its first days on the market, so you will get the highest price and attract the most potential buyers if you stage your house before you list it.
Q. My house is already on the market. Is it too late to stage it?
A. Not at all. While it’s preferable to stage a property before it goes on the market, staging it afterwards will definitely improve its salability. In some circumstances, we might recommend that you take your property temporarily off the market while you make necessary improvements, and then re-market it, inviting previous interested buyers and agents back to view the property again!
Q. My house was professionally decorated and looks great. Why should I stage it?
A. Decorating reflects your personality. The purpose of staging is to appeal to the widest range of buyers possible and help them envision your house as their home… with their things.
Q. I’d rather sell it “As Is”…I don’t want to spend another dime on this house. What’s wrong with that?
A. An “as is” house gives potential buyers the impression that they have negotiating leverage. If adequate improvements are made, there is no need for negotiations. Also, an “allowance” for a perceived imperfection will always be more than the needed repair/replacement cost, and staging always costs less than a price reduction.
Q. I’ve moved out and my property is vacant. Should it be staged?
A. Yes. Research has shown that homes containing furniture and accessories sell more quickly than vacant homes because potential buyers realize what can be done with the space. Vacant homes are usually cold and void of character. Small rooms actually appear smaller and larger rooms appear hollow. By staging with accessories and a few small furniture items, rooms are warmed up and buyers can envision how their things might fit.
Q. My house isn’t worth the extra cost of “professional staging”.
A. Even investing a few hundred dollars in staging should net a seller thousands in return and will likely speed the sale based upon statistical data. Unless a house is valued under $50,000, staging will provide a good return on your investment.
Q. I don’t need a “professional home stager,” I’ll just do it myself.
A. In most instances, home sellers can’t successfully stage their own homes. Why? Because it is difficult for a home seller to view her home objectively. And if you can’t see it objectively, you can’t “package” it effectively. A professional home stager is trained to view your home objectively and stage it so that it appeals to the widest range of buyers.
Q. Why can’t buyers can just use their imagination and visualize their own things in my house?
A. Only 10% of home buyers can actually visualize the potential of a home. This is why it is so important that a vacant home be professionally staged. Buyers cannot visualize a home’s size or scale without furnishings and will not be able to visualize living in that home.
Q. Why should I choose Redesign Doctor for my real estate staging needs?
A. At Redesign Doctor we work with homeowners and realtors in Chicago’s northern suburbs to ensure a faster, more profitable sale. We have a proven eight-step process that enhances the positive aspects of your home while downplaying the less desirable features.
Q. When I call for a consultation, what can I expect?
A. We will come to your home for a 1-2 hour session, where we will discuss your home and your expectations. We’ll talk about the Three Phases of Successful Staging and how it will help transform your home for a faster, more profitable sale. We’ll do a general walk-through of you home, approaching each room as a buyer would. This will help identify furniture and accessories we have to work with and what we need to add. We will take detailed notes for our report. After the walk-through, we’ll give you a proposal based on your needs, your budget and your time constraints. When you choose a service, we’ll make a more thorough review of your home, take photos of each room and develop an action plan to make the most efficient use of our future staging days and your budget.
Q. How does a staging day work?
A. Using our eight-step FEEL HOME process, we’ll work from our action plan to transform as many areas of your home as time and budget allow. We’ll move furniture and artfully arrange accessories to highlight your home’s best features. We may bring along some of our own pieces to show you what purchases you can make as minor investments in the sale of your home. When the staging is finished, we’ll take gorgeous photos that you and your realtor can use to market your home.
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Staging Links
- Painting Your House to Sell
- 5 Things to Do Now to Sell Your House in 2009
- Staging Statistics
- Curb Appeal
Did you know…?
That over 80% of buyers today pre-shop online before visiting a house?
So make sure your home is staged and that you have great photos before you list your home.
Please Contact Us
Anne West
Call me at 847-687-5957
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