Neutral decor? Hardly. This property was recently staged by our team at Sold With Style.
I never quite understood why the goal of home staging is to have neutral decor. People say that you should try to appeal to everyone. The reality is that bland, banal decor appeals to no one. If you want to sell a home, you have to think like an advertiser. When they make a beer commercial, they entice young men with beautiful women. Car makers present a lifestyle of travel and luxury. Home sellers would be wise to do the same for their product.
If you wish to sell a home fast, figure out who the property’s target market is, meaning who is mostly likely to buy the home. Then focus like a laser beam on attracting them. And please, skip the neutral stuff!
About the Author: James Hart is owner and principal of Sold With Style, a property consulting company serving New York City and surrounding areas. Sold With Style provides home sellers, builders and developers, and their real estate agents advice on how to prepare their home for market. Services include home staging, consultations, project management, and strategies on improvements that provide return on investment. Jay offers commentary, advice, and tips on home staging, interior decorating and design topics.
Filed under home staging real estate marketing
5 Things to Ask Before Hiring a Stager
If you’ve watched HGTV you’re familiar with the home staging process. Many agree that hiring a stager is a wise financial decision – preparing a home for market is one of the best investments you can make. Studies show the return can be as much 300%, 500% - even 1000% for every dollar you spend. If you’re placing your home on the market, it’s in your best interest to interview a few of them to understand their process and how they work.
So what should you want to know before you hire a home stager?
- Do they have a background and/or formal training in interior design?
Having a keen understand of interiors is critically important to preparing a home for sale. Experience in light exposure, color theory, styles and trends all play a part in creating the proper environment.
- Do they own their own inventory or sub-let from other sources?
An in-house inventory and purchasing department gives a designer the vital tools they need to succeed, for you, the client. They’ll have more flexibility to deliver the right pieces without being beholden to the limitations of outside vendors. Added bonus: The furniture will be free of the stains and smells often associated with rental furniture.
- Is preparing homes a hobby or is it their sole source of income?
You want to know that the individual responsible for preparing one of your most valuable assets for market has the dedication, professionalism, ethics and experience to handle any situation.
- What insurance do they carry?
You should always make sure that any individual or company working in your home is professionally insured with both professional liability and worker’s compensation insurance.
- Are they an “Army of One” or will you have a full team dedicated to your project?
Simply put, two heads are better than one. And three or four is even more valuable. The final creation should be the product of a team effort of individuals whose varying skills combine to create a vision whose whole is far greater than the sum of its parts.
About the Author: James Hart is owner and principal of Sold With Style, a property consulting company serving New York City and surrounding areas. Sold With Style provides home sellers, builders and developers, and their real estate agents advice on how to prepare their home for market. Services include home staging, consultations, project management, and strategies on improvements that provide return on investment. Jay offers commentary, advice, and tips on home staging, interior decorating and design topics.
Filed under home staging real estate
Which orange circle is larger? They’re actually the same size. This is an example of Ponzo’s Illusion.
Marcus Ponzo (not to be confused with Ponzi!) was an Italian Psychologist who suggested that the human eye judges an objects’ size based on its background.
Why is this in a real estate home staging blog? Because the perceived size of a home is directly related to how attractive/valuable it is. If the rooms in your home appear small, either because they’re cramped, or because the layout is wrong, or because they’re vacant (yes, empty rooms appear small, too), then your property will have significantly less value in the eyes of the buyer.
About the Author: James Hart is owner and principal of Sold With Style, a property consulting company serving New York City and surrounding areas. Sold With Style provides home sellers, builders and developers, and their real estate agents advice on how to prepare their home for market. Services include home staging, consultations, project management, and strategies on improvements that provide return on investment. Jay offers commentary, advice, and tips on home staging, interior decorating and design topics.
(Source: Wikipedia)
Filed under real estate home staging
