DAN'S PAPERS, March 27, 2009 Page 36 www.danshamptons.com
Staging
(continued from page 34)
been said that only one in 10 people have the ability to visualize themselves living in a home that is not merchandised to be “buyer friendly”. This is one reason why vacant homes are so much more challenging to sell. Try and view vacant home listings online. Without a frame of reference, they are impossible to decipher. Unless the home is replete with rich and varied architectural features and defining paint colors it’s often difficult to discern what you are looking at. Without furniture and artwork as visual clues people are often perplexed and cannot imagine how they would live in the home. One of the first things that potential buyers do when they walk into a home is wonder, “How
would I live here? Where would the sofa go? Where do I watch TV? Can I entertain my friends and family here?” Thus, a dining room table with 12 or more chairs indicates large gatherings, and when you place an armoire or entertainment center in a room … voila! That’s where the TV goes. These are practical connections that need to be made in a home as well as emotional ones. A typical home shopper may look at 10 or more homes on any given day, a select few may stand out in his or her memory. A properly staged home will exude a universal appeal and capture the hearts and imaginations of many buyers. The objective is to render enough attraction in the home to pique the
WE WI LL NOT B UNDER E SOLD!
Above, below: Before and after photos of a room staged to be more buyer friendly.
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buyer’s interest. At the end of the day, a well staged home will resonate in a buyer’s memory. A professional stager will create a canvas that will enable a prospective buyer to mentally make a few brush strokes and see their own masterpiece before them. In today’s competitive market “memory” and how your home is distinguished has become even more important. Professional home stagers are experts who can guide you through and streamline the process of preparing your home for sale, making it stress free and ultimately you can expect greater returns. Most home stagers offer an affordable two to three hour consultation for owner occupied homes that will generate a “to do” list that can be completed by the stager or the seller. Conversely, a stager can transform a vacant home into warmly furnished space. When hiring a home stager, make sure they are professionals. Ask to see their portfolio, testimonials and credentials and find out what qualifies them to call themselves a home stager. Get references. Before you reduce the price of your property for sale, you can invest a fraction of that cost in making your home more marketable with home staging.
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