More and more agents and brokers are beginning to recognize the importance and benefits that comes with house staging before putting the homes they represent on the market. But what they fail to realize can waste valuable time, create undue pressures and stress, and sink valuable resources into a black hole. There actually is a science to home staging.
Here are a few of the issues that cause many agents to stumble when trying to stage to sell according to Barbara Jennings, director of the Academy of Staging and Redesign.
1) Inability to advise sellers of the benefits of redesign – No seller looks forward to spending more cash to prepare their home to sell. Yet it is a rare home that requires little to no work. But if the proper tasks are done right, it is amazing how costs for redesign are reduced while making a dramatic improvement in the look and feeling of the home.
2) Inability to keep from offending the sellers – No one likes to be told that their home is a mess, that their decorating efforts are dreary or dreadful, that their home is in disrepair, or that it smells awful. So getting the truth across to a seller without totally offending them is an art that few agents have mastered. This is one reason why it helps dramatically to bring in a qualified stager to give the bad news, keeping the seller/agent relationship in tact.
3) Ignorance of interior design concepts – One cannot hope to properly conduct a proper home staging service if one does not know basic interior redesign concepts. How much furniture is kept in each room and where it is placed are crucial elements to successful presentation of the property.
4) Failure to go far enough in the design concepts – Knowing how much to do is as important as knowing what to do when it comes to home staging. Far too often untrained beginners are afraid. Fear immobilizes. You really only get one opportunity to launch a home for sale for the greatest impact. So if it is not handled properly the opportunity is lost, or at the very least, it is diminished.
5) Failure to hire professionals to manage the staging – Reducing costs is always a concern and no one like the idea of spending money to make money. But when it comes to home staging, spending money is often required. There are many tasks that will not involve costs, such as rearranging furniture and accessories however. Professional stagers are the most reliable people to lean on when it comes to good redesign techniques.
Barbara Jennings has over 20 years experience in the interior redesign and home staging industry. Barbara’s Academy of Staging and Redesign is the world’s largest and most affordable home study interior redesign and home staging training center.
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