- If I can’t afford to hire a stager, what are the most important things I can do on my own?
Hire a stager just to evaluate and give you a few quick tips. If you have a btg more money, spend it on a staging report and then implement the recommendations on your own (and by bribing friends and family to help). See if your agent offers staging. Many of them will offer basic tips but some will include full staging in their contract to sell your home.
Read books, articles & blog entries, and watch some of the top shows on stations like HGTV or DIY Network. Visit the websites or blogs of popular stagers, such as Sabrina Soto.
Finally, the part of staging that costs the least and is most effective is cleaning and de-cluttering. All it takes is time and effort and very little money –- maybe just the cost of cleaning supplies.
Cleaning and de-cluttering is one thing you can do on a limited budget. It is extremely important.
Copyright 2010 by Go Greezer Oz
- How do I choose colors?
Most people are concerned because stagers and agents tell clients to use neutral colors. But neutral doesn’t mean boring or just whites and beige. It does include actual color. I think this confuses a lot of people.
Neutral staging colors are those that are not too strong or bold, and are those that most people like. For example, pinks and purples are two examples of colors that are either loved or hated, so use these with caution.
There are certain shades that might work as accents. Most other colors are acceptable if you use the lighter or mid-tones of these hues.Think about a paint chip card. The lighter the shade, the more you can use it. As you get to the darkest color on the card, keep that for accents and accessories. The middle shades are even fine to use in moderate amounts. Think about whether you think the majority of people would like the color? There are many gorgeous shades of orange, such as terra cotta as a medium shade or peach as a lighter shade, but bright Halloween or caution cone orange is a bit too much.
If you want to mix shades, think about sticking to the same spots on each of the color chip strips. For example, if you use the 2nd and 3rd shades down on one card, do the same on the other. Monochromatic and analogous schemes always work well. For excitement, think about complementary schemes. When using a complementary scheme, remember not to use the colors in equal amounts. This is true with any palette involving more than one color. Make sure one is dominant.
A common guideline (and you don’t have to use this, but it helps if you are stuck) is the 60/30/10 rule. It’s exactly like it appears: use 60% of one color, 30% of the second, and 10% of the third.
There are so many colors to choose from when staging. Just follow the guidelines above.
Copyright 2009 by Team Dalag
- Why would I spend money on a house I’m leaving? How much does it cost?
Staging typically costs about 1-2% of the home’s value. It has been shown in studies that sellers not only get that money back, but they get 2, 3 or even 10x that amount back when they sell. It also enables buyers to list the home for it’s true value.
- Have you ever personally used staging to sell a home?
Yes, I have. I bought a townhouse before I was married. It was right before the market took off. I found that renting and buying would result in similar payments. I bought a townhome that needed lots of work. After doing all the work, my fiancé and I decided we should buy a home before we got priced out of the market completely.I staged my townhouse myself but also made sure to get outside input from family and friends. Sometimes it’s hard to stage your own home because you are so close to it.
This is a perfect example of accentuating the positives and downplaying the negatives. My townhouse was one of the few that had a set of stairs from the parking lot to the front door. Before anyone could object to that, I acknowledged it in my flyers and information sheets and portrayed it as a positive feature. By not having a parking lot outside your front door, the home was much quieter. You didn’t have headlights glaring into your home at all hours of the night. Since my home was away from the parking lot, it seemed more private.
In addition, being higher up on the hill, I had great views of the mountains from not only the upper level, but the lower level as well. Did you see how I not only downplayed something many buyers would consider a negative, but I also turned it into something positive. I advertised all the new features that had been completed, and even had a buyer's packet that included before and after pictures (which buyers loved) and I think the idea of all these improvements drew more people to the open house, but also the packet (which was extensive and stayed at the sign-in desk) make the home memorable -- very important in a townhouse community where every unit looks the same. "Oh, that was the one that had that helpful packet and all those before and after photos."
These mountain views were a positive of having to walk up stairs to get to my townhouse. This is how I turned a potential negative into a positive.Copyright 2012 by Kristen DiNobile
And yes, the home sold not only for more than I spent on the staging, it also sold for much more that I spent on renovating it top to bottom. I actually sold it for almost 4x the amount I put into staging and renovating. I pay 20 times more than I just spent on staging alone (without the renovations)
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