SELL THIS HOUSE! HOME STAGING SOLUTIONS WITH PROVEN RESULTS! IF YOUR HOME IS NOT SELLING, PRICE MAY NOT BE THE REASON! YOU MAY NEED HOME STAGING TO ATTRACT BUYERS! Call Barbara Klare 239-292-1358 Accredited ASP™ Realtor® I can work for you in Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Lehigh Acres

• Sell faster in a slow market
• Sell for more money in a hot market
• Look better than competing homes for sale
• Appraise higher in many cases
• Look better in print and Internet advertising
  

Home Staging Tips for Home Sellers

Home staging isn't costly, but cost effective. Home staging can be as simple as landscaping or choosing the right color scheme. As an Accredited ASP Realtor, I'll work with what you have. I'll consider your bottom line first and foremost.

When agents try to differentiate their listings from others or make the homes they represent really pop, home staging has gone from "nice-to-have" to a "must-have" strategy in the selling process.

Remember, "The way you live in your home, and the way you market and sell your house are two different things."

Accredited ASP Real Estate Agents are true Professionals trained under strict guidelines using proven Staging techniques developed for over 30 years. When you bring your home on the market and prepare your house for sale always hire an ASP Realtor because they are the true leaders in the Real Estate Industries.

What if my home is listed with a Realtor?

I will work along with your Realtor. You Realtor is invited to any meeting we have and I will keep them updated as to what's going on. You will hire me as your Home Stager. I am also looking foward to working for my fellow Realtors, making their listing really stand out.

What goes into staging a home?

There are several steps to staging a home.  I have an easy way to remember them by calling them the 7 C's of Staging:

• Clean -- Q-tip clean!  You cannot have your house too clean!
• Clutter-Free -- You are not selling your things -- you are selling your house!
• Color -- Make sure you use colors that sell the space. 
• Compromise -- Invest your money as a home seller where it will produce its greatest return.
• Creativity -- Creativity in staging is all about using -- and in some cases -- rearranging the materials that are already in or around the home to create a totally new and welcoming “feel” within the house. 
• Commitment -- The home owner really has to be committed to staging the home completely and also staying on top of the staging as they live their daily lives. 
• Communicate -- Potential buyers experience the staged home as spacious, open, warm, clean, fresh, pleasant and inviting.  That’s the message that staging conveys.  Buyers not only see the house as a place they could live in, they see it as a place they want to live in.

What does it usually cost?

In comparison to the potential return on investment, ASP Home Staging is incredibly inexpensive. The investment in staging your home will always be less than the first price reduction on your home.”

The cost for a consultation or staging plan for the do-it-yourselfer normally ranges from $350 to $550, depending on how much work is involved in putting the plan together.  This price includes 6 to 10 photos taken with professional photography equipment and delivered to you or your Realtor on a CD. The photos will be a set of print quality and web optimized.

When the home owner decides to have the stager provide the service, the fees start from $1,000.

What are the biggest misperceptions about home staging?

• Staging is lighting some candles and putting a pie in the oven
• I’ve watched some home fix-up TV shows and I can do this myself
• Staging is expensive
• Staging is about renting a lot of high-end furniture and filling the house with accessories
• Staging requires remodeling
• Staging is about covering up the weaknesses of a property for sale
• Staging is “fooling” the buyer into paying more money for the property than they should

Here's the reality:

• First of all, never light candles during a showing; it’s a risk and a hazard to have open flames with a lot of people on the property that you or your agent can’t watch all at once.  Secondly, you never know who is going to be viewing your property and many potential home buyers come from different ethnic backgrounds and have different tastes in food or aromas so putting a scent in the air is a risk of offending or turning off a potential buyer.
• ASP’s have training and are accredited.  Secondly, they have experience as they will have staged more homes than an average consumer and they will know what works to sell homes and what doesn’t in a market.  And lastly, they have a neutral perspective; it is very difficult for most people to treat their home as a product and to remove the emotional ties they have to the personal things in their own home.
• Staging is not expensive; in fact it’s probably that smartest investment a home owner can make to maximize the value of their property at the time of sale.  Staging is not about spending money but about using what you have to make the most of your space. 
• Staging does not require lots of expensive furniture; in fact good stagers will limit the amount of furniture to keep the space open. 
  Staging is NOT remodeling!  Staging is using your things and your space in the most creative way possible without spending a lot of money.
• Staging does NOT cover up weaknesses in a property, in fact if anything it shows what is there.  The de-cluttering and removal of any visual obstructions will help potential buyers and home inspectors more accurately assess the property.
• Staging is about creating the most interest in the home by presenting it in its best possible light.  This creates more offers on the home which can raise the sale price and may reduce the time on market.  No one is “fooled” into anything since the home is clear, clean, open and easy to access.