Attention All Home Sellers - Home Staging Has a 586% Return on Your Investment!

If you are planning on selling your home or already have a home on the real estate market, you really need to reconsider all the positive benefits a professional home staging can offer.  If your Realtor does not offer a home staging consultation as part of their marketing plan (a lot of Realtors are starting to offer this service to all their clients), you can contact expert house stagers directly for a full home consultation and itemized Action Report.

According to Home Gain's latest survey of 1,000 Realtors (November 2009), home staging has a 586% return on investment.  Home staging was listed as the second home improvement item that Realtors recommend for home sellers.In other words, if a home sellers spends $300 - $400 on professional home staging, their home will sell for $1,500 - $2,000 more.  Cleaning and de-cluttering was at the top of the Home Gain survey, to take a look at the survey please click here: http://blog.homegain.com/home-improvement/homegain-2009-top-12-home-improvements-survey-results/

The Home Gain survey results are fantastic.  In 2007, the Home Gain home staging return on investment results were 343%, so it appears home staging's value has almost doubled in the past two years.

 Would you remember this master bedroom?

In this economy there are three things that sell a home:

1.   Price - This is set by your Realtor

2.   Location - unfortunately there is little you can do about your location.

3.   Presentation - This is where your professional home stager comes in.

Why take the risk with your most valuable possession?  For a quicker sale and to make more money, call in a professional home stager today.  A home that has been professionally staged will sell for up to 10% more money, and all you really need to invest is a few hundred dollar for a professional home staging consultation and a few hours of "hands-on" staging.  An expert home stager has been specifically trained on what home improvements will attract the largest potential buyer audience.  Home staging is much more than home decorating and interior design, it is a calculated marketing plan to sell your home quickly by focusing buyer's attention to your home's architectural details.

Home staging is still a relatively new concept in many areas of the East Coast.  Most homes that I am called into lately are very beige and usually de-cluttered to the point of being unremarkable ~ which is also a huge problem if you are trying to sell. A large part of my time is spent educating Realtors and home sellers on the benefits of home staging.

A professional home stager is trained in using proven design techniques such as visual flow.  Visual flow is created by using consistency in your design, repeating shapes, colors, textures, and patterns within a space and throughout a home to keep a potential buyer's eyes moving from one room to another. The use of accessories is also very important in home staging and proportion and scale come into play here.  Accessories that are smaller may be placed together on a staging tray but a larger object may be able to stand on its own.

Color is also an important element in home staging.  It is always better to use a more neutral color scheme on your walls ~ such as beiges, sage greens, warm whites ~ when you are trying to sell your home and use texture, layering, and lighting to enhance the room.  Art and accessories are a great way to bring color trends into your home and it will help to create that WOW factor.  A color scheme should be consistent throughout the home, this also includes the accessories and art.  The addition of greenery is a must for almost every room, you can never go wrong with bringing the outside in.

  By adding some simple jolts of color, this dining room and kitchen now POP!

With over 94% of all potential home buyers starting their search for a new home on the Internet, it is important that your online MLS pictures stand out against the competition.  To ensure this occurs, your home needs to be staged prior to your online Internet pictures being taken.  You only have one shot to make a first impression and for a few hundred dollars, a home staging consultation and "hands-on" staging day will make all the difference.  My last home staging client was in Wayne, New Jersey and received an offer within 24 hours after their first Open House.  The proof of home staging is in the amount of time a home spends on the market and a staged home will spend less time on the market.

Kate, your local New York and New Jersey Export Home Stager, please visit www.kateshomestaging.com or call 845-538-3623 for more information.  A staged home can sell for up to 10% more money!