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Realogy Company. Each Century 21 Office Is Independently Owned And Operated. All rights reserved. Information appearing on this site has been produced by or obtained primarily from Century 21 Real Estate LLC and its representatives and from Century 21 franchisees. Century 21 Real Estate LLC is
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Realogy Company. Each Century 21 Office Is Independently Owned And Operated. All rights reserved. Information appearing on this site has been produced by or obtained primarily from Century 21 Real Estate LLC and its representatives and from Century 21 franchisees. Century 21 Real Estate LLC is
not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the broker information, sales associate information, listing information or other information provided by our franchises appearing on or through this site. Such information has been provided by independent third parties who are solely responsible for such
content. Certain conditions and restrictions apply to System promotions
A home that's vacant or in a high price range, might drive you and your REALTOR to seek professional help...
from a professional stager that is.
"It is difficult to show a vacant home well," says Mareya Burton with World Stage Design, a California company.
"People walk in and they are looking for a place to hang hats. If the home is empty, and it echoes, it gives a
negative vibe. Showing a room to its best potential is done with well placed and appointed furnishings."
Burton works with builders and salespeople to move property more quickly. "We go into homes for resale or
spec homes and do anything from helping the homeowner with clutter to completely refurnishing the home."
Staging can be helpful in minimizing faults and maximizing desirable elements. "For a vacant home, sometimes
you walk in and think it is smaller than it is," explains Burton. "A resale home can appear dark or cluttered.
Highlighting focal points can make a room feel more welcoming."
Professionals stagers such as Burton maintain a large inventory of furnishings and accessories, carry their own
insurance, and have access to special resources such as art gallery or antique rentals. Although they employ
some elements of interior design, stagers aren't typically licensed interior designers. "An interior design is
customized to the needs of the person living in the home. A stager goes in and furnishes as neutrally as
possible to appeal to the widest audience," clarifies Burton. "We give ideas for placement and we pick focal
points."
A staging job on a $1 million home can run in the thousands of dollars and typically involves a two-month
contract, and month-to-month after that, says Burton.
Is staging worth the time and expense? According to Real Estate professionals, it is.
To test the theory that staging does result in higher sales prices for homes, a REALTOR conducted an analysis
of 2,772 properties that sold between March 1, 1999 and September 30, 1999 in eight cities, including Palo Alto,
Sunnyvale, and Los Altos to determine what effect, if any, staging had upon the net price, percentage of sales
price over list price and the length of time on the market.
She found that the average days on market was 30.89, and the average difference of sales price over list price
was 1.6 percent in all samples, including staged and unstaged homes.
Staged homes (120 properties) stayed on the market for only 13.9 days and sold at 6.32 percent over list price.
Although the survey was conducted at the height of the California sellers' market, this REALTOR felt that the
conclusions are significant for salespeople, interior designers, prospective sellers, and buyers.
Although some may sneer that staging exploits the buyer, it presents the buyer with real value. Knowing what
size and types of furniture complement a room can be helpful in visualizing living in the home.
These professionals believe that If the staging works, "you are presenting the home the way the buyers could
have it. Buyers often don't have the vision of what a home could look like and they may pay more for the property
when they see what they like. Some people even buy the home the way it is staged. In the very high end
properties, I've heard of buyers taking the house and the furniture."
At CENTURY 21 Adams & Barnes, our agents train on home marketing optimization including staging.
Therefore, they are confident when they advice you on how to manage your present furniture and/or when to hire
a professional stages. "They think about their own personal feelings about walking into a vacant house, or a
house with faded, dated furniture, discolored lampshades, with artwork that is too high on the walls. By contrast,
walking into a place that is beautifully balanced delights the eye."
(c) Copyright 2002 Realty Times. Reprinted with permission. Copyright National Association of REALTORS®, Reprinted from REALTOR.org with permission.
from a professional stager that is.
"It is difficult to show a vacant home well," says Mareya Burton with World Stage Design, a California company.
"People walk in and they are looking for a place to hang hats. If the home is empty, and it echoes, it gives a
negative vibe. Showing a room to its best potential is done with well placed and appointed furnishings."
Burton works with builders and salespeople to move property more quickly. "We go into homes for resale or
spec homes and do anything from helping the homeowner with clutter to completely refurnishing the home."
Staging can be helpful in minimizing faults and maximizing desirable elements. "For a vacant home, sometimes
you walk in and think it is smaller than it is," explains Burton. "A resale home can appear dark or cluttered.
Highlighting focal points can make a room feel more welcoming."
Professionals stagers such as Burton maintain a large inventory of furnishings and accessories, carry their own
insurance, and have access to special resources such as art gallery or antique rentals. Although they employ
some elements of interior design, stagers aren't typically licensed interior designers. "An interior design is
customized to the needs of the person living in the home. A stager goes in and furnishes as neutrally as
possible to appeal to the widest audience," clarifies Burton. "We give ideas for placement and we pick focal
points."
A staging job on a $1 million home can run in the thousands of dollars and typically involves a two-month
contract, and month-to-month after that, says Burton.
Is staging worth the time and expense? According to Real Estate professionals, it is.
To test the theory that staging does result in higher sales prices for homes, a REALTOR conducted an analysis
of 2,772 properties that sold between March 1, 1999 and September 30, 1999 in eight cities, including Palo Alto,
Sunnyvale, and Los Altos to determine what effect, if any, staging had upon the net price, percentage of sales
price over list price and the length of time on the market.
She found that the average days on market was 30.89, and the average difference of sales price over list price
was 1.6 percent in all samples, including staged and unstaged homes.
Staged homes (120 properties) stayed on the market for only 13.9 days and sold at 6.32 percent over list price.
Although the survey was conducted at the height of the California sellers' market, this REALTOR felt that the
conclusions are significant for salespeople, interior designers, prospective sellers, and buyers.
Although some may sneer that staging exploits the buyer, it presents the buyer with real value. Knowing what
size and types of furniture complement a room can be helpful in visualizing living in the home.
These professionals believe that If the staging works, "you are presenting the home the way the buyers could
have it. Buyers often don't have the vision of what a home could look like and they may pay more for the property
when they see what they like. Some people even buy the home the way it is staged. In the very high end
properties, I've heard of buyers taking the house and the furniture."
At CENTURY 21 Adams & Barnes, our agents train on home marketing optimization including staging.
Therefore, they are confident when they advice you on how to manage your present furniture and/or when to hire
a professional stages. "They think about their own personal feelings about walking into a vacant house, or a
house with faded, dated furniture, discolored lampshades, with artwork that is too high on the walls. By contrast,
walking into a place that is beautifully balanced delights the eye."
(c) Copyright 2002 Realty Times. Reprinted with permission. Copyright National Association of REALTORS®, Reprinted from REALTOR.org with permission.
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| Most Popular Home-Staging Suggestions |
In a slow market, it's particularly important to get a house ready to sell quickly. How do you get a their home in prime shape for showings?
Beverly Tracy of Beverly Tracy Home Design in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., walks through a client’s home and sticks Post-It notes on things she believes they need
to do to get their home looking its best. Here are some of her most frequently made suggestions:
Reprinted with permission. Copyright National Association of REALTORS®, Reprinted from REALTOR.org with permission .Source: Albany Times Union, Stephanie Earls (04/05/07)
Beverly Tracy of Beverly Tracy Home Design in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., walks through a client’s home and sticks Post-It notes on things she believes they need
to do to get their home looking its best. Here are some of her most frequently made suggestions:
- Fix any visible problems that might be a red flag for potential buyers, including repainting stained walls.
- Cover damaged kitchen or bathroom floors with inexpensive peel-and-stick vinyl floor tiles — if a more expensive change seems out of the question.
- Repaint public rooms that will garner a lot of a buyer's attention, including the kitchen, dining room, and living room.
- Clean up the exterior of the house, added potted plants, repair damaged walkways, and put a fresh coat of paint on the front door.
- Rent a storage unit and get rid of about half the furniture and most of the personal items.
- When showing the property, turn on every light in the house and tune radios on each floor to the same classical music station.
- Suggest that the owners refrain from doing much cooking (baking sweets is a good idea, however) and put good-smelling soaps in all the bathrooms.
Reprinted with permission. Copyright National Association of REALTORS®, Reprinted from REALTOR.org with permission .Source: Albany Times Union, Stephanie Earls (04/05/07)
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