When it Comes to Staging your Home Think . . . Money, Money, Money!

When it comes to Staging your home remember to think - MONEY! Today's buyer is picky, and looking for the PERFECT home. You know, the one that looks like a model. They no longer are willing to walk into a well-used home to visualize!

Because of the huge inventory of homes that builders are now sitting on - and paying interest on - realtors and homesellers are having to find new ways to compete more than ever before. Builders, as most know, have been merchandising their model homes for years because they know this is what it takes to get their homes sold fast, and for more MONEY. They simply figure in their cost of merchandising as a cost of doing business, knowing they will net a large return on their investment! Also, new home builders have begun lowering prices, offering HUGE incentives i.e. free upgrade packages, paying closing costs, and even putting a car, color of your choice, in the garage for you in order to boost sales and reduce their inventory. These are the builders you, as individual realtors and sellers, are now in competition with!

As a professional designer in Central Florida, I have worked with these builders for more than twenty years. I can tell you what is involved in Merchandising a Model Home versus Home Staging an existing home. You will find there are many more similarities than differences when the existing home is well staged.

In the following are highlights of some of these similarities and differences:

* Remove all clutter - In Home Staging this is a fundamental rule. Remove all clutter from every room . . . including closets and drawers. (Trust me, the buyer will be looking!) Don't forget corners and countertops, and remove unnecessay pieces of furniture that you have inherited from your Great Aunt Gertrude. Get rid of it. Decluttering makes rooms look and feel larger, (remember they are buying square footage) as well as sends the important message to the buyer that "this is a home that has been well loved and cared for!"

In Model Merchandising our job is much easier. Noone has yet 'lived' in the home so we don't have years of 'stuff'' to declutter. We do have to know when enough is enough though. Accessories and furniture are used to profile a lifestyle, create memory points, emotional connections and the WOW effect . . . all which will translate into a 'great first impression' when people enter the home. But good model merchandisers know when it's time to stop. Their main function is to showcase the model so the HOME takes center stage . . . NOT the furnishings. This translates into open, airy, light, balanced . . . and yes . . . UNCLUTTERED rooms.

* Check your walls - In Home Staging the premise is to depersonalize the home as much as possible. While you enjoy your walls that are galleried with family photographs and hand made works of art from your children - your potential buyer will not. And neutralize the color choices for your walls overall, to appeal to the broadest band of buyers. Note: I said go neutral on walls overall!As in model merchandising, I would still recommend you use bolder colors to accent key areas or architectural details to give the home wamth and personality.

In Model Merchandising, designers generally will have more flexibility to create their own story because noone is actually living in the home. We research the demographics of the area, and are able to specifically target that market. For example, we may show you a teenaged girls bedroom who happens to be a cheerleader for the local high school - or possibly a boys room, who obviously is on the football team for your State University. If the home is located in a golfing community we will make sure to include a set of clubs in the master bedroom closet. In both home staging and model merchandising, the goal is the same . . . to sell your buyer on the home . . . both as a product, and a lifestyle!

* Aroma - In Home Staging, smells always need to be objectively and gently addressed by the stager - as an outsider. Homes that have been lived in have inherrent odors, which are often not detected by those living there, as they have become desensitized to them over time. Check soft agents, (i.e.carpeting, drapery, fabrics on furniture, etc.), as these fibers will absorb odors. Do a PET CHECK to remove any stains or signs of Felix or Fido! If these odors cannot successfully be steam cleaned out of the fibers then REPLACE, REPLACE . . . REPLACE! Nothing can kill a sale faster, or cause a bigger price reduction than offensive odors that could, and should have been previously addressed!

InModel Merchandising, creating pleasant aromas matter. Again, though models are easier as there has been noone yet living there, we still pay very special attention when addressing this to detail. We often have to caution the sales people NOT to cook their lunches or burn bags of popcorn in the microwaves. People will buy not only what they see . . . but what they smell!

Natural, clean scents are preferrable for both homes that have been staged or merchandised. Fresh flowers, potpourri, herbs, and of course fresh air. Open up the home as much as possible before showing. Avoid unnatural scents such as plug ins, sprays and oils as a consideration for those with allergies. These methods are often even more offensive than the odors you're trying to eliminate!

* Setting the Mood - For Home Staging and Model Merchandising alike, this is a very important component to successful selling. Open blinds, turn ALL fans and lights on, have soft classical or smooth jazz softly playing in the background . . . SET THE STAGE!

Remember, home buying is an emotional purchase, and, for most of us, one of the largest investments we will make. Home Staging statistically has been proven to be one of the most effective and affordable ways to give realtors and home sellers a much needed competitive edge for this slower market . . . transforming homes into a showplace designed to appeal to the broadest range of potential buyers!