Speaking Up about Home Staging

Real Estate Professionals, have you ever considered this thought?  If you haven't, maybe you should!  Let's say for example that you had two homes in a neighborhood, priced similarly, with things being roughly equal.  How likely does it seem that with comperable homes the average potential buyer is likely to visit both properties?  Fairly likely, wouldn't you say?

When they arrive at each of these homes, this is what they see....

Now if you were the potential buyer, which home would you likely want to purchase?  Now what if home #1 was actually priced more than house #2?  What message would this send to the potential buyer?

This actually is the case between these two properties.  House #2 is actually larger and costs less.  If buyers walked through both of these homes it would be apparent that house #2 was a real bargain.  Is it any wonder that the staged home - the one that looked great and was priced well is the one that went under contract first?

Take a look at your current listings, or consider when you list your next property that if you aren't staging, someone else in your neighborhood might be.  If they are, then remember that your unstaged listing just might help sell their staged one!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

First Impressions Home Staging & Interior ReDesign is a nationally award winning company owned and operated in Summerville, SC a suburb of Charleston, SC.  We provide high quality staging for both occupied and vacant homes in the greater surrounding areas and beyond!  For more information please visit, www.WeStageSC.com.  If you are interested in learning about making Home Staging your profession, please visit, www.StagingAndRedesign.com for more information.

I'll admit it.  For the past few years I've been completely jealous of many of you stagers here in AR.  You with your flashy 2 days on market, 10 days on market, etc.  I sat here in Charleston thinking, we are making a difference, but I want numbers like that.  Once in a while we would get something fabulous - my best story ever was a home that had been for sale for 8 months with no bites, an hour after staging there was an offer, then a backup 3 days later!  That really was so seldom that is almost felt like telling tall tales though.  I don't like to set unrealistic expectations for my clients.  We've been quite comfortable telling them things like - normal days on market 90, ours is 45 in this neighborhood.... lately, we've been seeing things a bit differently though....

A couple of weeks ago I staged a charming Mt. Pleasant condo - it hadn't been listed yet.... 9 days after listing and it's suddenly in pending status.  I contacted the agent and he said, "You made the deal happen.  It was the first showing."

The odd thing about this is that it's been happening almost every week these days.  Nine of the properties we've staged since January have gone uner contract in the 1-12 day range!

I had to ask one of my clients if she had notices the market being more 'hot' than usual - were things picking up?  She admited that they aren't.  Things are about the same as they've been.  So, what's going on??? Certainly nothing that I'm going to complain about, but wow!!  Suddenly I don't feel the need to be as jealous as I used to be - we have our own stats and they are fantastic!! 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

First Impressions Home Staging & Interior ReDesign is a nationally award winning company owned and operated in Summerville, SC a suburb of Charleston, SC.  We provide high quality staging for both occupied and vacant homes in the greater surrounding areas and beyond!  For more information please visit, www.WeStageSC.com.  If you are interested in learning about making Home Staging your profession, please visit, www.StagingAndRedesign.com for more information.

Last night I sat down and blogged about stats that we've been having here lately in Charleston, SC with our staged homes.  Well, just a few minutes ago I received an email from a team member letting me know that a home she recently staged has gone under contract - in only 9 days!!!  Surely I had already pulled this stat last night when I did my blog I thought, but NO!  This oen is new....

MLS#2911681 listed at $495,000 on 4/28/09 went contingent just yesterday - 05/06/09!  that's only 9 days after being listed. 

The average DOM in this neighborhood is 86, there were 7 other homes for sale in this neighborhood at the time, this home was priced in the middle....

This savvy agent uses us for all of his listings and also has a listing on the quick sale list that I added yesterday!

Sellers & Agents, if you aren't using staging as part of your marketing plan, WHY NOT?  It is clear that it works!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

First Impressions Home Staging & Interior ReDesign is a nationally award winning company owned and operated in Summerville, SC a suburb of Charleston, SC.  We provide high quality staging for both occupied and vacant homes in the greater surrounding areas and beyond!  For more information please visit, www.WeStageSC.com.  If you are interested in learning about making Home Staging your profession, please visit, www.StagingAndRedesign.com for more information.

Seriously, we have been selling and staging houses like gang busters!  Many may notice I haven't had time to post lately what with my new position at CSP and still trying to run our company here in Charleston.  Thank goodness I have a great team because boy have we needed them!  Here are just some of our recent statistics...

MLS# 2904781  $262,500 staged 2/17/09, under contract 2/22/09  under contract in 5 days!

MLS# 2905414  $248,000 staged 2/23/09, under contract 3/17/09  under contract in 23 days!

MLS# 2906646  $334,900 staged 3/25/09, under contract 4/13/09  under contract in 19 days!

MLS# 2829097  $1,999,999 staged 3/27/09, under contract 4/23/09  under contract in 27 days!

MLS# 2910733  $635,000 staged 2/03/09, under contract 4/22/09  under contract in 78 days! (had been on the market since 04/02/08!)

MLS# 2823882  $450,000 staged 3/11/09, under contract 3/20/09  under contract in 9 days!

MLS# 2901714  $192,500 staged 4/03/09, under contract 5/2/09  under contract in 29 days!

Are you still just thinking about staging?? Isn't it time you did the right thing for your sellers and contact a stager today?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

First Impressions Home Staging & Interior ReDesign is a nationally award winning company owned and operated in Summerville, SC a suburb of Charleston, SC.  We provide high quality staging for both occupied and vacant homes in the greater surrounding areas and beyond!  For more information please visit, www.WeStageSC.com.  If you are interested in learning about making Home Staging your profession, please visit, www.StagingAndRedesign.com for more information.