This post is presented by New View Designs by Laurie Cole Inc.

Staging is one of three divisions within our NVD Company. As someone who has been in the staging business for several years, it still baffles me that more people aren’t recommending or hiring professional staging services when deciding to sell their home.  There has been several occasions that we have been called in to stage, only after the home has been sitting on the market for several months.  We hear from clients time and time again: they were told they didn’t need to stage their home because it was great the way it was.  We understand that it can be hard for the realtors to tell their clients the tough stuff and for obvious reasons.   Some don’t want to risk offending the client and losing the listing and some just plain don’t believe in it.  Whatever the reason, staging is a valuable marketing tool.  By properly preparing your home for sale, you will get top equity out of your most important investment.

There are some things you can do as a homeowner, however, getting the best advice FIRST is imperative.  A professional stager can give you a plan and help you determine the best updates or changes to make without breaking the bank.  We know what sells and we know what buyers are looking for.  We are not afraid to tell you that your home needs more work in order to sell. If you want to compete with other homes on the market, make sure your home is at least in the running.

If you do decide to engage in staging services, consider the following to ensure you or your realtor hire a trained and experienced one.

• Beware: if they give away free consultations or charge minimal fees. You get what you pay for and a proper consultation is the most important first step in the staging process.  They should provide a comprehensive room by room assessment that is thorough and complete with prioritized recommendations. Free or bargain priced consultations are often superficial and fail to capitalize on the opportunity to address all the important staging issues of the property.
• They provide decorating advice vs: marketing strategy. Trained professionals know the difference between the two. A room can be beautifully decorated but fails in staging perspective. If the rooms and spaces don’t have a strategy, someone wasn’t thorough enough.
• They perform check-list style assessments but don’t analyze and prioritize recommendations. This really demonstrates your consultants level of expertise. By identifying key strengths of the property, analyzing and prioritizing market trends, knowing a buyers wish list and budget issues are incredibly important.
• They don’t know how to handle sensitive issues, so they avoid them. Mastering the art of difficult conversations with home sellers is a key skill for us.  We have to address sensitive issues to avoid what could be costly mistakes.
• They fail to motivate the client with an action plan. The true test of professional consultants is to be able to motivate the seller to follow through with the needed recommendations. They will inspire confidence and provide guidance to the seller.

In our years of experience, we have seen it all.  New homes, old homes, updated homes and really, really outdated ones. When we evaluate your home we look at several factors: location, style of your home and the target market.  We have developed some great relationships working with realtors because they realize how important it is to focus on the actual selling of your home and leave the staging to us. As an objective 3^rd party, we are there to look at it without the listing attachment. Our goal is to remove or minimize potential objections so that when you receive an offer, the negotiating will be easier for you and your realtor. Buyers can use unsightly objections in order to help them lower the price, ultimately affecting the amount of equity you will get out of the home. Another factor is that no matter how nice your home looks, if it is overpriced it will not sell.  We are realistic. Let’s get your house sold for a fair and decent price.

At New View Designs we believe that showcasing/staging a property is by far one of the most important aspects of staging. That is why we have a 2000 sq ft. warehouse full of furniture, art and accessories to suit any style or home.  We constantly update our inventory to ensure that it fits  with the trends and styles to influence the buyers.  It’s the difference between a house looking ordinary and a house looking awesome!  We understand key factors for buyers when viewing a home: the location, the style, how updated or move in ready it is and most importantly, how it makes them feel.  If you want the potential buyer to fall in love with your home, you need to flaunt it to appeal to them and the perceived lifestyle they want. They need to want to live there.

Many home owners and realtors are afraid of the cost and don’t see the value. What they don’t realize, is that staging your home is going to cost you less than your first price reduction and ultimately could save you thousands of dollars in mortgage payments. They also don’t really know how the staging process works or the costs associated with it.  Staging a home is hard work and it typically takes a full day to properly stage a home. Even before this happens, there is the prep work, which involves: planning, pulling the inventory, packing and loading, delivery and finally staging the home.  All this is required to give your home a flawless showcased look. I compare it to movers coming in and setting up your home in one day complete with hanging the art, curtain rods, drapes, making the beds and setting out every accessory with precise detail.  Don’t be fooled by the TV shows, it takes a team of qualified people to make this very involved process work. Often when I provide a staging quote people are shocked at the cost, but when you take into consideration the amount of work and people it takes to do this, its very affordable. Along with the staging fee; You will have to pay a monthly inventory fee, but when you break it down it often amounts to $15- $20 /day for an entire house filled with furniture and accessories.  Since the majority of buyers base their decisions on emotions, it’s imperative that your home stand out. If your property is vacant, its vital that you consider staging it. With so much empty space, buyers cannot envision where the sofa should go or what size table will work.  Finally lifestyle merchandising is an important part of staging and working with a stager who has access to the right furniture and accessories is a no brainer.  Rearranging a sofa or adding a few art pieces and new cushions is usually not be enough to make a place go from drab to fab and if your stager has not invested in a substantial inventory with which to work with; you are not reaping the benefits of what staging should be.

Laurie Cole

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New View Designs by Laurie Cole Inc. | Phone: 506.472.8163 | Email: info@newviewdesigns.ca | Follow us on Facebook!

Clean, simple spaces. Unique, subtle patterns and textures. Bold splashes of colour. To define Laurie Cole’s designs is to realize that the space between objects is just as important as the objects themselves.

Whether designing a home from the ground up, renovating an existing room or house, staging and decorating a home to enhance saleability and price, or creating stunning model suites for condominiums, New View Designs brings a modern eye, and a unique flair to every project.

Most importantly, New View will listen to you, and discuss myriad options to suit your taste and budget. Contact us today for a consultation, and we will show you why we are simply the best in the business.