Staging® Your Home for Sale: a Superior Real Estate Home Marketing Technique: Part 1

Every Realtor KNOWS that a home should be shown in its best light to help sell it faster and for more money! We also know that, properly done, it Is a lot more than putting fragrant pies, breads or cookies in the oven, opening the drapes and turning on all the lights; although even that helps greatly.

Setting the stage to obtain the highest value, fastest, for a home has recently evolved into a real estate specialty that can pay of grandly for the seller and help the buyer overcome the immense emotional strain of making a decision on which, of many similar properties, to purchase. For a few hundred or a few thousand dollars; a seller can increase the speed greatly and add several percentage points to the sales price, simultaneously!

For the buyer, purchasing a home is a daunting emotional progression. First the buyer determines price range, then probably a list of must haves, should haves, and hopefully included ? features, advantages, benefits and of course possible locations. However, when they preview a home that really knocks their socks off aesthetically, that list and the priorities can be instantly and dramatically reorganized in their minds! I call it the WOW factor! Few homes have it, those that do ? sell for greatly more money and much faster.

The greatest difficulty for any seller, me included, is that we tend to romanticize our own homes ? seeing the great parts of our own home and being oblivious to the mess, shortcomings, clutter, needed repairs and incongruities. We can call it eclectic but to a buyer it's often just a mess.

In any communication we must enhance, prioritize, observe, and promote more than anything else ? what and how the recipient perceives our communication! Our opinion of our communication must be subservient to the opinion of the person or people that we want to convince! We as Realtors and we as sellers must convince the buyer or the home is not sold. This is an often difficult but always required priority in all parts of the marketing, promotion, advertising and sale of a property.

Staging elevates marketing and promotion. A well staged home looks far better in the marketing and advertising pictures, which predisposes a potential buyer to at least take a look. Once the buyer is in the home, the staging of the entire home, every nook and cranny, becomes part of the emotional data base, often subliminally installed, for getting the buyers to purchase the well staged property instead of the others on the market!

Most of us look right on past our usual surroundings, in all parts of life. We notice changes and differences but seldom the sameness. We as Realtors always give advice to our sellers, in hopes of getting them to better prepare, pose and present the home for sale. However, our all-consuming job is not rearranging furniture and moving pictures or putting stuff in storage de-kludging and cleaning out the garage and our advice is not usually fully adhered to. Our hours are best spent marketing, promoting and responding to inquiries on the property. Quality Staging can take hours and days.

Clutter is Killer! There are now accredited Staging Pros who get specialized training to recognize the importances, significances and small changes that put your property in its best and most flattering light. I call it similar to a Lady dressing for a grand ball ? best dress, best hairdo, best makeup and best behavior and wonderful poise! All designed to hide any flaws and accentuate all the best!

Staging is an art, a science, a marketing philosophy and an applied promotional and sales tool of excellence and value beyond most other such tools and techniques of selling real estate and homes. There are accredited Staging Professionals that are trained and tested to recognize and handle the small changes and modifications that let your home glow its best in the eyes of potential buyers and the Realtors that may bring them.

Some things are difficult to overcome in today's market; most difficult to overcome are lower than 9 foot ceilings and limited windows. Another grouping of deal killers are dated colors, dark, cluttered and unfinished looks.

A well staged home in our area can easily bring another 15% above what it will bring without proper staging. Some people can even make money through purchasing an un-Staged home, and while it is under contract, having it professionally and extensively staged ? then selling their contract and making as much as 10% net profit? it could be more easily in some cases I've worked on.

The series of mental decisions that become a decision to purchase are comprised of a series of first impressions from outside the home to a series of impressions as the prospective purchaser tours the home.

Most importantly, sellers need to know that the first sale is to the Realtors who will bring your prospective buyers to your home and in your home is where the decision to purchase is made.

Copyright 2004; By Jody Hudson, Realtor. www.Kate-Jody.com

Entire Staging Article is:
http://www.kate-jody.com/Staging.html

Dozens of Other Articles by Jody:
http://www.kate-jody.com/essays/index.html

Jody Hudson; Cutting Edge Realtor, has been a Realtor for 35 years in Delaware and across the nation as a National-Realtor. He has taught real estate and marketing seminars in hundreds of cities across American over the decades and is active in innovative community enhancement. His business is web based.

---

A $100,000+ Discount On Miami Condos

By this point and time, many people have heard about... Read More

Should You Buy a House or a Condo?

A big debate these days is whether or not to... Read More

Avoid The Traps Of Finance

Most consumers are told where to get their mortgage because... Read More

Water, Water Everywhere on the Waterfront

Waterfront living is among the most desirable of locations in... Read More

Cant Rent a Work Zone

So you've picked up your first (or third, or tenth)... Read More

Create a Great Webpage to Sell Your Home

The majority of people in the UK who are looking... Read More

The Real Estate Bubble Fallacy

There has been a lot of talk lately about the... Read More

Why Real Estate Investment?

Why should you invest in real estate? Well, investing in... Read More

Secrets of Making Money from Real Estate - Part 4

Analyzing and finding the right property deals:Firstly read my other... Read More

10 Things You Shouldnt Do When Youre Buying a Home

Home Buying Don'tsYour home buying process is well underway. The... Read More

How to Build Your Dream Home

Building your dream home is a process that takes some... Read More

Property Auction & Why You Should Run A Mile From Them

That's A Funny Thing To Say About Property Auctions; They're... Read More

Popping The Real Estate Bubble Myth!

If you turn on the TV, listen to the radio,... Read More

I Already Have an MLS Listing, Why Do I Need an Internet Ad?

In today's real estate market, astute buyers are also looking... Read More

Finding the Right Buy to Let Mortgage for Your Investment Property

Finding the right buy to let mortgage is crucial to... Read More

Real Estate Investing Requires Education

I really believe in getting an education in real estate... Read More

The Value of Foreclosed Property

The discount on a foreclosed property is not as great... Read More

Hurricane Katrina And The Impact On Real Estate Prices

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina's wide path of destruction,... Read More

Should I Invest in Real Estate While Running an Internet Business?

Of course you should. I practice this for quite a... Read More

Mechanics Lien on Your House

In many places you can buy a house and a... Read More

Selling by Owner Tips

Do strangers scare or intimidate you? If you're planning to... Read More

Understanding Opportunity Cost When Investing In Property

While most investors have got involved in property investing because... Read More

European Second Home Prices Wilt in Drought

Spain and Portugal have suffered one of their worst droughts... Read More

Ten Myths Of Real Estate Investing

Is real estate investing only for the wealthy? Can you... Read More

Loan Officer Training: Learn How To Shape Realtors Perceptions

In medicine, a placebo is a pill that you think... Read More

How To Get The Best Rental Accommodation In The Area By Using Your Capital

My report is for you to use your power to... Read More

FSBO - How to Prepare Your House to Sell

Did you hear that? Prices of houses in Phoenix have... Read More

Investment Concerns for Selling Your Home

Besides the emotional upheaval of uprooting from your home, your... Read More

Much Ado About Mansionization?

Is there a perpetual shadow hovering over your house? Do... Read More

5 Things to Look for in a Property Appraiser

Homeowners who are seeking a property appraiser often ask "How... Read More

Real Estate Investing Deals That SkyRocket Your Net Worth 10-Fold

Consider these parameters for a real estate deal:Property Value: $250,000... Read More

Working With Your Real Estate Attorney

Purchasing or selling a home will probably be one of... Read More

The Letting Agents Role

Letting agents play an important role in the buy-to-let industry... Read More