This week Steve Tetzner and I had Suzie Symonds, from  Susan Symonds Interior Design to give us her unique perspective on home staging.   Many people are under the misconception that staging a house  is expensive, but it is more about creativity than money. People don’t realize that when they sell their house “as is”  it can actually cost them money. Like a hundred little red flags, numerous small maintenance details and repair concerns will influence a buyer’s perception of condition. Often a coat of paint and a little elbow grease is all that is needed  to alleviate many of these concerns.

Suzie had so many good ideas, here are some of the highlights:

• Depersonalizing the space: remove family photos, take everything off the refrigerator, and strip the kids’ rooms of posters and trophies.
• Clear high-traffic areas of excess furnishings to maximize feelings of space and comfort.
• Highlight the key features in every room–such as fireplaces or French doors–by making sure they’re not obscured by plants or furnishings.
• If you can smell it, the Realtor can’t sell it-refrain from doing much cooking (baking sweets is a good idea, however) and put good-smelling soaps in all the bathrooms.
• Turn on all the lights, replace bulbs with the highest watttage possible, buyers like bright and cheeful.

This Week’s Real Estate Insight: Sellers shouldn’t look at staging in terms of how much it will cost but how much it could make.  Staging differentiates a house and creates the emotional response that translates into more money and a faster sale.

Listen to the Podcast:

Listen to the entire show with Sally, Steve and Suzie Symonds

 

 Real Estate Insight: 6/22/2008: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download