Staging a Home to Sell

Staging a home for sale is beneficial for both sellers and buyers. According to Realtor.org: 37 percent of Realtors® representing sellers and 32 percent of Realtors® representing buyers believe that buyers most often offer a 1 to 5 percent increase on the value of a staged home. Additionally, 22 percent of Realtors® representing sellers and 16 percent of Realtors® representing buyers said the increase is closer to 6 to 10 percent.

Staging for a great first impression.

Meanwhile Realtors® on the buyer side believe that staging makes an impact in several ways; 81 percent said staging helps buyers visualize the property as a future home, while 46 percent said it makes prospective buyers more willing to walk through a home they saw online.

RESA (The Real Estate Staging Association) provides on-going statistics relating to home staging.  The most recent statistics show that staged properties sell 73% faster than properties that are not staged.

We asked our favorite local St. Louis area stager, Liz Connolly, of INhance IT! Home Staging some questions to help clarify the home staging process for sellers. 

What Homes Benefit From Staging

The Boehmer Team: How do you determine if a home can benefit from staging? 

Liz Connolly: Just about any home will benefit from staging.  The lower the price of the property the more it will benefit from staging.  Staging creates a vision of a lifestyle.  It draws the eye to the big picture minimizing flaws and accentuating the positive aspects of the property.  There are times, however, when the owner is not willing or able to make necessary repairs or there are just too many repairs to be made.  We encourage these sellers to list the home “as is”.  There is no point in staging a home if it is not in great condition.  In fact, we will not stage a vacant property that has not had the necessary repairs.  Staging can do a lot for a property, but can’t hide bad paint colors, dirty carpet, bad smells, etc.

Staging to update a space.

The Home Staging Process

The Boehmer Team: How long is the process of staging a home?

Liz Connolly: Once a client agrees to the staging we get them on the schedule and arrange to preview the home.  We are typically at least 2 weeks out as far as booking the install.  The home preview takes about 15 minutes – we walk through the home taking notes and photos and then go back to the office and create the “design plan”.  The actual staging process takes anywhere from 2-4 hours max.  We bring in a team of 5 professionals to stage the key living areas of the home:  living, dining, kitchen/breakfast, family/hearth, master bedroom & bathrooms.  We provide furnishings, area rugs, artwork, lamps, plants and accessories.  When we are finished the home shows like a display home and is ready for professional photography.

Staging an Occupied Home

The Boehmer Team: How does staging work when the home is occupied?

Restyle by staging for an inviting feel.

Liz Connolly: On an occupied property one of our stylists meets with the homeowner to assess everything that needs to be done prior to marketing the property.  This consultation takes about 2 hours and the seller is provided with a booklet outlining everything (curb through basement) that should be addressed prior to photos.  The stylist can come back and assist the seller with these projects, provide contractor contacts for completing necessary projects, and return to the property to prep the home for photos.

What Stagers Recommend to Home Sellers

The Boehmer Team: If you could recommend anything to a home seller when selling their home, what would you recommend? 

Liz Connolly: The 3 C’s:  Clean – hire a professional to give your home a top to bottom deep cleaning.  Clutter – edit your collections and belongings and pack away any personal collections and items that might distract the buyer.  Color – paint the key living areas (at least) a neutral color.  Something in the beige or gray family. 

Home Staging Style

The Boehmer Team: Does INhance IT! Staging decorate with a specific style?

Liz Connolly: Our staging style is transitional.  This is a style that translates well to almost any property and appeals to the widest range of buyers.  It is clean lined, neutral and elegant.

Staging shows what is possible so buyers don't have to imagine.

The Boehmer Team: How often do you turn your staging inventory to keep it current and in style?

Liz Connolly: We continually purchase new furnishings to the tune of around $400K per year.  As items become worn, dated or damaged they are donated to charity.  We partner with area realtors and organizations to furnish homes for those in need. 

Sell Your Home for the Most Money

When you sell a home with The Boehmer Team, not only do you get a team of real estate professionals, you receive the best help in the area for staging, handyman services or any other home-related services from our tried-and-true list of professionals.  We know the best professionals in the area to help you sell your home for the most money.

We would like to thank Liz Connolly from INhance IT! Staging for her home staging expertise. INhance IT! Staging is a full service staging company offering merchandising services for builder displays, spec homes, condominiums and re-sale properties.  They have staged homes priced from $42K to over $4million throughout the St. Louis & St. Charles County metropolitan areas. INhance IT!’s statistics this year are averaging 9 days from home staging to contract. Learn more about INhance IT! at INhanceITstaging.com.

Thinking of selling your home? Contact The Boehmer Team today.

How To Get The Best Price For Your Home

Determining how to correctly price a home for sale is one of the most important factors in selling a home. Statistics show that setting the correct market-determined price the first time will ultimately achieve the best sale price. To find the best price for a market an impartial evaluation of recent market an experienced REALTOR should perform activity.

Why shouldn’t I price my home high at the start then go lower if no bids come in?

Putting a home on the market at a price that is over market value in hopes that a buyer will fall in love with your home and be willing to pay anything is a strategy that rarely works. This type of buyer is extremely rare. Buyers generally want the most home they can get for as little money possible.

Pricing a home correctly the first time captures the momentum a new listing has in the marketplace.

New listings are exciting to homebuyers who have been looking and know what is on the market. If they see your property and find that it is overpriced for the market, they may mark it off their list and move on. Incorrectly priced properties will lose this new-listing excitement among buyers as time goes on.  Marketing time for your home will become prolonged as the initial marketing momentum is lost.

Pricing a home correctly will bring in more potential buyers.

If a home is overpriced compared to the market, fewer buyers will be attracted and fewer offers received. The property will attracts “lookers” and will help competing houses look better by comparison. If a property does sell above true market value, it may not appraise, and the buyers may not be able to secure a loan. Or, the property may eventually sell below market value due to market stagnation and price reductions. 

So how do you correctly price a home for sale?

An impartial evaluation of market activity is the most effective way to estimate a property’s potential selling price. Experienced REALTORs use a Comparative Market Analysis that takes the following into consideration:

·      Properties that have sold in the recent past show what buyers in the market have actually paid for properties similar to yours.

·      Properties currently on the market that will be competing with yours for the attention of available buyers.

·      Properties that failed to sell should be studied to understand why they did not sell as to avoid similar disappointment.

Pick a real estate agent based on reviews and experience, not how much they will initially price your home.

When trying to win your listing some agents may be tempted to offer an unrealistic initial sales price to get your business. These agents know full well they will have to reduce, reduce, reduce – the wrong strategy.   Speak with The Boehmer Team before listing your home. They are highly reviewed, awarded and experienced agents that know the market well. Even if they need to recommend repairs or staging services, the Boehmer Team knows how to get the most for your home sale.