The Staging Chick

If you’ve ever bought a home before you know the agonizing process.  This process may have been different depending on the time you purchased your home.  If you bought your home 20 years ago then I have to tell you…things have changed.  You probably worked closely with a realtor that learned your needs and wants.  He would find the listings that matched your must have list and off you went to visit the properties.  Maybe you saw a picture or two but my guess is you didn’t take a virtual tour before hand (unless you’re George Jetson) and I digress.

I recently purchased my first home with my husband.  We would spend hours looking through the internet.  And if I may be completely honest we were basically screening our potential home.  If a property did not have photos of the interior, despite having everything we wanted, it was out.  If a property had photos with poor lighting, most likely, out.  Clutter, out of date bulky furniture, closed draperies…OUT.  Vacant, empty, uncharming…OUT.  You see where I’m going here.  But before you lable us as picky and unrealistic be ready for the 97% of other potential buyers pointing their fingers right back at you.

That’s right, 97% of buyers search for homes online before they will even consider setting foot in your door.  You can take this one of two ways.  You can be alarmed, worried, take your listing off and curse the day you ever dreamed of moving.  OR you can use that information to your advantage.

Take a look at your MLS photos.  Do they show off the best features of your home?  Do they make your home look modern, up-to-date, charming?  Are your photos showing off your home or your family photos, collections and bulky furniture?  Are they painting a picture for the buyer or are they photos of an empty, vacant room?

Staging your home can fix all of this.  Take a weekend and start packing.  Pack up your junk, photos, collections, clutter.  You’re going to move soon anyways, right?  Bring in a home stager to help with furniture arrangement.  Open the drapes, set the table and show off your home!

Dealing with a vacant property?  Call a full service home stager that can bring in everything you need to make your property picture perfect.  Getting buyers in the door is 3/4 of the battle!

Good luck and if you’re looking for a home stager in Philadelphia email amanda@sunflowercreationsonline.com.  I’m here to help!

XOXO,

The Staging Chick
Sunflower Creations
www.sunflowercreationsonline.com
‘Creating A Sunny First Impression’
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The Staging Chick Blog

• Staged properties show the buyer how to maximize the space. Vacant properties can seem overwhelming to buyers.  While you may think a vacant newly constructed property shows off the abundant space, a buyer is feeling like they don’t have enough furniture to fill that huge space.  Or even worse, too much furniture to fill a vacant space that feels small.
• Staged properties convey emotion. It’s all psychological.  Buying a new home is nothing short of life changing.  The property you are selling should convey emotions to the buyer.  This home is going to signify what their new life could be like.  I don’t think they are going to be over the moon about a property that feels…vacant and empty :/
• Staged properties show the buyer where their furniture will go. You may have rehabbed the home, built it from the ground up or lived there since you were twelve so you know exactly where to put what.  Sofa here, tv there etc.  A buyer will spend maybe 20 mins in your home.  Trust me, they are not going to figure it out that quickly.  Hold their hand, show them how it’s done.
• Staged properties leave a lasting impression. You have approximately 6 seconds to catch and hold the buyers attention.  I’m not sure if that includes buyers with ADD, so it may be less   The point is you need to give your potential buyer what we in the staging business call the ‘WOW factor’.  Simply put you want them to walk in and go WOW…thank you ladies and gentleman now you have their attention.
• Marketing, MLS Listing and Pictures.  RE isn’t like it used to be.  Buyers are screening homes online before they present a list to their agent.  97% of buyers are looking through the Internet before they even consider your home.  Staging takes your property and preps it for its close up.  Staging makes it picture perfect so you can stay on the buyer’s must see list.
• Staging shows off your property’s best features. An experienced stager will know how to highlight the best features of your home without covering them up.  A good stager should be able to prepare your home in a way that has a buyer walking through saying wow, look at that fireplace, oh there’s a soaking tub…etc.  With the right attention to detail and accessory placement this should be an easy task.
• Staging sells homes. A recent study by RESA showed that staged properties spend 85% (unstaged properties 190 DOM, staged 28 DOM) less time on the market!  Time is money.  The investment in staging far outweighs the risk of leaving your home on the market unstaged and having to drop the price tens of thousands of dollars.

If you are in the Philadelphia area and you are interested in learning more about staging your property visit us here: Philadelphia Home Staging.  The process of staging is affordable, fun and easy (because we do all the work for you!).  Feel free to email amanda@sunflowercreationsonline.com with any staging questions.

XOXO

The Staging Chick

Sunflower Creations
267.402.7782
www.sunflowercreationsonline.com
‘Creating A Sunny First Impression’
Join our mailing list

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The Staging Chick Blog

Hey guys!  I thought it would be fun to post some old and new before/after shots of our home staging projects.  It’s fun to look back at everything we’ve done so far this year.  Here are a few that I really liked.  Enjoy!

View this active listing here.  View the original post here.

View this active listing here.  View the original blog post here.

Listing SOLD!  View the original blog post here.

Listing SOLD!  View the original blog post here.

View this active listing here.  View the original blog post here.

Listing SOLD!  View the original blog post here.

Listing SOLD!  View the original blog post here.

XOXO

The Staging Chick

*What I’m listening to: Michael Jackson ‘ABC’….I’m still learning.

So last week I had the opportunity to stage this awesome property in Lafayette Hill.

This staging marked a HUGE milestone for my growing business.  It was the first time I did not have to move a single piece of furniture because I have a moving team!  Yes very exciting but I’ll have to start going back to the gym :/

At any rate this lifted a huge weight off of my shoulders (pun intended) and gave me the ability to stage a property in about 4 hours.

This is by far one of the nicer properties I have staged.  It has three bedrooms, 2.5 baths, beautiful moldings, boxed ceilings and I fireplace in the kitchen.  J’adore.  We staged the first floor as well as the master bedroom.

As with most things where there is good there is bad.  In this case the great room posed a challenge to me because it is so big.  Yeah, not really a problem, maybe obstacle is a better word choice.

After setting the room up something felt a miss.  Finally after a little furniture play, adding a chair and some more eye catching colors I was able to make a large room feel cozy.  I think the biggest challenge was showing the many ways to utilize such a large space.

I was able to over come that by creating a small study/desk area, a place to relax, a place to watch tv and a small area to read.  It’s so important to show buyers what the space can be used for.  The hardest part is making sure it still looks big enough to fit any type of furniture while still feeling warm and inviting (not vacant).

I like a challenge especially when it turns out like this.  How do you guys over come space challenges?

Love you guys!

XOXO

The Staging Chick