What to Expect During your Home Staging Consultation
In my prior blog, My Real Estate Agent Said I Need a Home Stager – Now What?, I provided information on how to find and make a selection for a home stager to assist you with your house for sale. At this point let’s assume that either you or your listing agent has scheduled your appointment. Let’s talk about what to expect during your home staging consultation.
A professional home stager will be certified, licensed and insured. Our business models vary so I’m going to describe the process that Foxy Interiors follows for an occupied house.
Our Procedure We Follow for an Occupied Home Staging Consultation
Our office will call to confirm our appointment. Upon arrival we’ll go through friendly introductions. We’ll sit down with the homeowners and explain the benefits of home staging. I explain that home staging is marketing a product to sell, probably the most expensive one you’ll ever own. We get started by having a signed release from the homeowner as we take “before” photos which may later be included in our portfolio.
Then we’ll begin a walk of both your home’s interior and exterior. As we walk and talk, we’ll discuss specific ways for making your house desirable and move-in ready for potential buyers. You’ll be given specific paint colors and finishes based on your current finishes and fixtures.
Top 10 Money Maker List and the Details
Once we have completed our walk through, we’ll verbally review our findings with the homeowner identifying the top 10 items that will be money makers when the house sells. We’ll also ask if they prefer to be DIYers (do it yourself) or if they need our list of recommended trades workers.
Details of our recommendations include items needing attention, specific paint colors, best furniture layout for each room, best items to be left out for “staging” the room to create focal points, along with suggestions for items to be purchased if they’re within your budget. This may include bedding or towels which will, of course, go to your new location once your house is sold.
To help you with your move and to get a better understanding of home staging, we’ll provide The Consumer’s Guide to Real Estate Staging which contains tips for living in a staged home while on the market as well as checklists for things to accomplish each week as you near your move date.
The 3 P’s of Occupied Home Staging
To achieve your highest offers from potential buyers, following the three P’s will set the stage to sell quickly and for the best price. The first “P” is Price. This is generally set with the realtor. The second “P” is Preparation. Using your Top 10 Money Maker List and addressing these items is the preparation phase of occupied home staging. The third “P” is presentation and this is accomplished through Professional Photography.
Did you know that 92% of buyers begin their home search on the internet? It is of utmost importance that your house present well through beautiful photographs. To ensure that your house goes on the buyer’s “must see” list, Foxy Interiors will return if requested for a Photo Prep Styling. Once completed, your home will be photographed and the images will be presented to you. Here’s the link to our Photography services.
With our business model, Foxy Interiors is perfectly paired in that we help your home get ready for market in two ways: home staging and real estate photography. A professional home stager will help you get your home sold quickly and for top dollar. The price is minimal and a home staging consultation costs less than your first price reduction. By reducing your number of days on market, your minimal investment is saving you hundreds in month-to-month carrying costs. Also, check with your realtor to find out if home staging is part of their marketing plan.
I hope this blog has helped you gain an understanding of what transpires during an occupied home staging consultation.
Click here for more details about our home staging services.
