A skilled home stager boosts buyers’ desire, but what’s it like working with a home stager to help sell your home? Find out here!
Selling a home is a process. Once you make the decision to sell, you need to choose a realtor, see how your house stacks up to the competition, and get it ready to sell. Bringing in a home stager, (like us!), before you begin can be a game-changer!
How does staging advice help with home prep?
- As staging professionals we can help homeowners save time and money by making sure they pack up just enough and no more—and that they don’t unknowingly whisk away the WRONG pieces!
- Plus, because our focus is on understanding what makes buyers be able to love a property and imagine themselves living in it, we can also best advise you on how to create that winning impact.
- Sometimes that means bringing in staging furniture and décor; other times the owner’s existing belongings can create that “model home” look and feel that buyers crave. It’s all about the ROI. (Often the difference in price is far less than you’d imagine).
But if working with a home stager is new to you, you may wonder what to expect. So here’s an overview of what it’s like to work with us..
What It’s Like to Work With a Home Stager
When a homeowner is thinking about staging a home they plan to occupy during the sales process, the first step is a consultation call.
The Home Staging Consultation
This is an in-depth review of the property. While it is not free, clients always tell us how valuable the time and input is—regardless of whether they end up bringing our team in to assist with any level of staging, or not.
That’s because, during this (usually) in-person meeting, we’ll provide expert input on how to optimize the entire property—inside and out—with the ultimate return on investment in mind!
We’ll advise the homeowner of all the changes we recommend, including
- updates they should make—or skip;
- what to pack away, and what to leave out;
- proper paint colors to make the most of each room’s natural and/or artificial light;
- furniture and accessory placement to enhance the flow and/or impact on buyers;
- and any other detail that will help them gain the highest return on their investment.
The most important thing clients can bring to this meeting: a pad of paper and pen! Most clients take several pages of notes at this stage.
By the end of this meeting, which can take several hours depending on the size of the house, the homeowner will also have a better sense of whether using our inventory of furniture and/or décor will help support their goals.
The level of support (if any), will depend on:
- their goals and budget,
- their timeline (especially if they’re moving out before listing)
- how the home “presents” next to comparable properties, a
- the owners’ own collection of furniture and décor.
Those who decide “yes,” have a few main options: Photo Prep service, Staging Enhancement service, or Full Home Staging.
Photo Prep and Staging Enhancement Services
It’s important that sellers understand that buyers’ first impressions are virtually always being formed as they browse online listing photos. Their attraction begins way before they see your home in person!
Photos must bring the best features of your property to life—and ensure your home has the broad appeal and high impact that helps it stand out from the competition. (Did you know that roughly 90% of decision-making is influenced by this stage of the buyer’s journey? WOW!)
- In the Photo Prep service, our team helps ready the property for photos and showings using the homeowners’ own décor.
- With the Staging Enhancement service, we use some of the homeowner’s items, and also incorporate pieces from our inventory that create that all-important first impression.
Either way, our mission is to help clients stage the property with décor, pillows, furniture, in as much detail as a theatre stage set, all telling the story of how amazing life in THIS home will be.
Full Home Staging
Full home staging is the choice when someone has or is moving out before listing, or when creating the ideal buyer story requires different inventory than the homeowner owns.
- We’ll begin a job of this size 3-5 days before staging day, creating a design plan that highlights the most important rooms (e.g., living room, kitchen and/or primary bedroom), as well as home features (e.g., fireplaces, window walls and/or unique architectural details).
- After carefully loading these items onto one of our First Impression Home Staging trucks, we’ll head over to the property for a full day of installation (or 2 for larger homes)—from first rug to final plumped pillow. Usually we’ll recommend listing photos be taken the following day.
[A side note:]
Are you wondering “My home is beautiful. Why stage?”
You may be wondering why, if you get so many compliments on your beautiful home, we might recommend staging enhancement—or even a full home staging.
That’s a fair question!
Part of what makes a house a home is the family’s personality and lifestyle; often the décor (from artwork to knickknacks), is full of fond memories. And there’s usually a lot to look at! Visitors enjoy getting to know the family better through their private world.
The trouble is, that’s not what buyers want. And stepping into that setting makes them feel like an intruder. It also makes it harder for buyers to imagine themselves living there!
Make your selling process simpler
Our clients tell us that our staging is one of the easiest parts of their selling experience—it simplifies the process of getting the home ready, both by clarifying what stays and goes, and by leaving the actual interior decorating in the hands of storytelling experts. All our clients need to do is sit back and enjoy the results of our labors: a faster, more profitable sale!
No matter who you’ll be working with, it’s always best to speak directly with the team that will be perfecting your home’s first impression. And if you’re in the Triangle area of North Carolina and have questions about what it’s like working with a home stager, please just give us a call!
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