Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Home Staging on a tight budget

I hear a lot these days that home staging is too expensive and my house doesn't warrant the expense!

Let me first dispel the first part of that myth: home staging costs too much. If you use the right stager, it can be done on a VERY tight budget. Maybe as little as $100 if you have some good stuff to work with. Of course you can always spend $5,000, but in many cases that isn't necessary. YOU set the ground rules and the budget, and a smart home stager can work within your budget, as well as prioritize for you the most important places to spend those dollars.

The second part of the myth: my house doesn't warrant the expense of home staging. If you look at the simple math of letting your home sit on the market for 2 or 3 extra months and make 1 or 2 more price reductions, you have probably already lost $10,000 with those 2 options alone. Most price reductions in most markets around the country today are going to be at least $5,000 and even 1 extra month of mortgage to pay will probably run at least $1,000. As compared to maybe $500 worth of home staging for a furnished home and about $1,000-1,500 for a vacant home. That is not even taking into consideration that if your home is looking its best, buyers will probably ask for less money off and fewer repairs than if you list the home in its current state.

Great home stagers have lots of tricks up their sleeve about how to make your home look great with a few easy trade secrets that can really help your home look its best! Plus home staging is now a tax write off, just like realtor fees, it is considered part of the expense of selling your home! I urge you to at least call a home stager and get a quote before you list your home, most stagers should give you a quote free of charge, no strings attached. So why not see if having a professional make your home look its best is a possibility for you?

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Staging around strange smells and pets!

The resounding comment that I continue to hear from Realtors is what to do with people's weird smells and how to hide their pets!!

Lets address the smells first:
  1. Ventilate, Ventilate, Ventilate! (Unless it is snowing outside)
  2. Have your carpets cleaned before listing the house and then keep pets and shoes off the carpet.
  3. Vacuum regularly.
  4. Don't spray with room scents, do something more subtle, like a reed diffuser or bake cookies before the showing (seriously)!
  5. Paint a few worn walls, this will help the smell in 2 ways- it will add the new smell of paint plus it will cover the musty smell of the old wall.

Pets:

  1. Not everyone is a pet lover, so tripping over a pet during a showing may make buyers not want to view the whole property.
  2. Even pet lovers, don't want to smell your pet in their potential new home.
  3. Arrange to have your pet stay with friends or family during every property showing, its a great time to take your pet for a walk.
  4. Clean your pet often while your home is listed to keep the smell of your pet to a minimum.