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Home Staging Means Buyers Shouldn’t Have to Stretch Their Imaginations
Author: Debra Gould
Homebuyers have less imagination than you might think. That’s why home staging can make such a difference in the selling price of a home and how long it takes to sell. Most people aren’t able to look past ugly, crowded and disorganized rooms, or figure out in the 5 minutes they might spend in a house that the missing dining room is actually masquerading as a family room. Your job as a home stager is to lead a buyer down the garden path of how a property can look and show them exactly how they can live in it.
When you’re hired to stage a property, you need to be careful not to assume that the rooms are already furnished for the right purpose. In a house with few bedrooms, most buyers won't look past a desk and imagine a bed, what you do with a “spare” bedroom can have a huge impact on how the house does in today's real estate market.
Add a bedroom
Debra Gould, founder of the Staging Diva® Home Staging Business Training Program, has encountered this scenario countless times since she started her home staging business, Six Elements Inc. in 2002. “I once staged a house that had only two bedrooms, and one of them had dark paneling, no closet and was set up as a home office,” says Gould. “Consistent criticism after showings told the homeowners that it was being perceived as a one bedroom house. For staging, I took out the desk, put in a bed and turned it into a guest room. The house sold within days.”
Add a child’s room
According to Gould, it is particularly important for home stagers to pay attention to whether or not a home might be a popular choice for young families. This is where knowledge of the local real estate market comes into play.
“If a home is in a family-oriented neighborhood and the existing owners do not have children, you will need to transform at least one existing bedroom into a child’s room,” remarks Gould who is also known as The Staging Diva®, “When a couple with a young family walks through a childless home, it's hard for them to imagine how their own family will live there. Are the bedrooms appropriate for their kids? Where will they play? A home stager should always keep the target market of a house in mind when staging This helps paint a picture for the potential buyer by staging the house the way it would be lived in by them. With minimal furnishing and a few props it's easy to show a child's bedroom!”
Disguising a small bedroom
“If you’re staging a 4 bedroom home with an exceptionally small room that doesn’t have a closet, consider styling that room as a craft room or home office. Homebuyers would only see how tiny it is and that could put them off,” warns Gould. “If possible include a loveseat with end tables and lamps so buyers will envision it as a fold out bed. This will help them visualize how the room can double as a guestroom.”
The important thing to remember is that homebuyers are in a house very briefly and they won't work hard to imagine how they can change everything around themselves. When they go to a showing, they want to picture themselves living in that home. With good staging, they don’t have to imagine their lives there; they should already feel like they’re home.
That’s what sells homes faster and for more money.
About the Author:Entrepreneur and Home Staging expert Debra Gould, The Staging Diva®, knows how to make money as a home stager and taught over 900 others to do the same. Discover her secrets to business success in the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Home Staging Means Buyers Shouldn’t Have to Stretch Their Imaginations