Target staging and lifestyle merchandising are fancy terms for staging your home. Either way, they can sell your home three times faster than NOT staging.
Homes that were previously on the market and then were staged sell in 60 days, as compared with selling in 180 days, according to the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA). And if those homes are staged before they hit the market, they sell in 35 days on average.
Staging is visually marketing and merchandising a home so that a perspective client can imagine living in that space. The difference between interior design and staging is that interior design is designing a space for one’s own use, whereas staging is creating a space to enhance the look and feel for a buyer.
Creating this visual image doesn’t have to be expensive. Stagers are well acquinted with working within a budget. Typically, an initial consultation runs between $150 and $400.
A specific to do list after meeting with a stager may include:
Finally, once a space is visually merchandized, professional photos of the “after” space to accompany online and print listings enhance the property. Potentional buyers and agents are likely to feel that these homes have been better maintained and are in move-in condition.
Lisa M. Bender
Good news! It’s the beginning of the Spring ’11 market and as we begin to thaw out after this long winter there will be plenty of buyers scouring the market looking for their dream home. Bad news! If your house isn’t priced well, you likely won’t have a deal anytime soon.
Here’s what you need to know if you want to sell your house: