We are a home staging company serving Flower Mound, Lewisville, Highland Village, Southlake, Coppell, Carrollton, Denton, Argyle, Keller, Roanoke, Grapevine and other surrounding North Texas cities.

Monday, May 31, 2010

Home Staging Helps Real Estate Investors and Builders Maximize Profit

Author: Debra Gould
When selling your investment property, are you tempted to leave a room or the entire house empty? Decorating your house to sell, also called Home Staging or Real Estate Staging, will help you sell your investment in record time and get top dollar for your home.
If you have gone through the expensive and time-consuming job of renovating, don't decide to save money when it comes to furnishings and accessories.
When you've gone through expensive renovations, suffered with delays or extended beyond your budget, it's difficult to stay motivated to the bitter end. It can be tempting to say, "It's good enough. The paint's dry; let's put it on the market as is!"
This is short sighted and can cost you a bundle!
It's relatively inexpensive to rent anything you need, and these finishing touches help ensure you make the profit you deserve for all those costly repairs.
Imagine it's the Academy Awards. A big star is wearing a fabulous designer gown so she decides she doesn't need to get her hair done. Does everyone talk about the fabulous gown? Of course not, all they can remember is the terrible hair!
Or imagine a fine painting stuck in a dollar store frame. Does the painting have the same appeal as it would if it had been framed by a professional? Conversely, have you ever taken one of your child's paintings and had it framed? What a difference it makes compared to how it looked when it was stuck on the fridge with a magnet.

5 REASONS IT'S A BAD IDEA TO LEAVE ROOMS EMPTY WHEN SHOWING YOUR HOUSE:
1. People don't buy houses, they buy homes.
2. It is difficult to understand how large a room is when there's nothing in it as a reference point.
3. People can't visualize how furniture will fit in an empty space, and if they're unsure, they don't buy.
4. When a room is empty prospective buyers focus on negative details instead of falling in love with the overall space.
Instead of looking at the flow of one room to another, prospective buyers get bogged down in questions like: Is the drywall smooth? Will those bumps in the carpet come out? Why doesn't the closet have a hanging bar? Why doesn't that molding fit perfectly? Why is the light switch in the middle of the wall?
5. When a house or even a few rooms are empty prospective buyers can get distracted from paying attention to the house and shift their focus to the home owners.
Instead of focusing on whether this is the home for them, they may be busy wondering: Is this a divorce? Have they left town? Are they selling because they have money problems? This train of thought can then prompt buyers to starting thinking, "maybe I can put in a low ball offer since the seller might be desperate." Definitely not the picture you are trying to paint.
Home staging is about packaging a home to show off its best features and downplay the flaws. You romance the buyer and entice them into making an emotional connection with your house. So, bring in some furnishings and accessories to add character and warmth to the home. Taking the time to do these final details will ultimately translate into a higher return on your investment.
Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_460193_80.html
Internationally recognized home staging expert Debra Gould is president of Six Elements and creator of The Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program with 1000+ Graduates worldwide. Debra is the author of two home staging guides and offers a Directory of Home Stagers to help homeowners and real estate agents locate home stagers who will decorate homes to sell quickly and for top dollar. To learn more visit http://www.stagingdiva.com

Friday, May 14, 2010

Truth or Dare

By Debra of Staging Matters

Being successful in the home staging business can come down to this. How easy is it for you to tell the truth in such a way that people are motivated to make some changes? A great home stager doesn't tell you what you want to hear, exactly. I tell people that they need to paint bright purple and stark     white walls different colors, that they need to remove country lacy curtains, that they need to put away all the sports memorabilia (even the Aggie stuff), that the litter box is stinky, that the weeds have to come out (even if they are blooming), and the real flowers have to go in. I tell people to clean their windows inside and out as many times as it takes to get sparkle happening.
When you are finished living in a home and you are ready to make some  serious money on this big investment, isn't maximizing the profits exciting? So hearing the truth doesn't hurt; it sells! I dare you to beg for the truth and follow through with all changes.   When you can really hear the truth, the Staging will Matter!  You can expect to sell faster and for a lot more money. 

Monday, May 3, 2010

Tipsheet: Staging Tips That Can Help Sell a Home

By Mary Beth Breckenridge

Staging a home for sale can set it apart from the competition and make it inviting to the greatest number of buyers. Kiplinger's Personal Finance has these suggestions for staging your home for less than $1,000:

"Focus on a few rooms. Hire a stager to redo just the entryway, main living area, kitchen and master bedroom. Stagers usually charge $75 to $125 an hour. Ignore secondary rooms, or do them yourself once you've seen how the pro works.

Add some pizzazz. Sometimes a few decorative extras can update or neutralize a home's decor. You may be able to negotiate with a staging company for decor items such as wall art, area rugs, lamps or other accessories. One company Kiplinger's checked charges roughly $250 per month, with a three-month minimum, plus one month's fee for setup and breakdown.

Pay for a plan, but provide the muscle. Many stagers will work as consultants, touring your house and offering suggestions on presenting it. Barb Schwarz, founder of the International Association of Home Staging Professionals, says the average fee for a consultation is $350.

Then it's up to you to do the cleaning, decluttering and rearranging. Kiplinger's suggests renting a portable storage unit if you have a lot of stuff to store. One company, PODS, will deliver the unit to your driveway, transport it to a secure facility and charge you a monthly storage fee."

By Mary Beth Breckenridge
Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal
Posted: 04/09/2010 12:00:00 AM PDT
Updated: 04/09/2010 02:59:59 PM PDT

Staging Matters would love to help you stage your house.  Staging increases the profitability and decreases the time on the market.  We'd love to visit with you today.  469-322-9113

Targeting Your Probable Buyers

RISMedia recently put out a great article about how home staging should target buyers by group.  The article talks about how different groups are looking for different things in a house and how to attract your target market.  You can read the article by clicking here  http://rismedia.com/2010-04-13/home-staging-tips-that-focus-on-largest-customer-segments/

Attracting First Time Home Buyers

Click this link for a great article about attracting first time home buyers.  Staging your home to sell to a first-time buyer