Judging by the number of people claiming to be “Home Stagers” today, one would think that it is the largest growing industry in the world. However, just because people call themselves Home Stagers doesn’t necessarily mean they’re qualified. In fact, many aspiring Home Stagers have had no real training at all. They simply assume the designation and then hang their tile.
Regardless of what aspiring Home Stagers say, staging a home for sale is an art, designed for the sole purpose of giving that home a competitive edge in the marketplace. The intention is to help a property have an immediate positive impact on potential buyers.
Home staging differs from interior design, which aims to make life in a home more pleasant for those who inhabit the space, depending on their lifestyle and personal tastes. On the other hand, the staging of the house is meant to make the house more attractive to the widest possible range of potential buyers. In other words, interior design is geared toward homeowners, while home staging is geared toward homebuyers.
Over the years, statistics have shown that it is actually more profitable for homeowners to increase the level of presentation of their homes through the use of home staging than to lower the price of their homes in an effort to sell them more quickly. . In most cases, the homes that generate the highest bids are those that are well presented and beautiful, including furnishings.
Home Staging is both an art and a science, and a professional Home Stager must possess both an understanding of homebuyer psychology and an innate sense of design and décor. So when you begin your search for a Home Stager, make sure you can demonstrate a strong understanding of both. As for the references, and to arrange visits to the houses that have been staged and that are currently on the market.
In those homes, talk to the sellers to see if they think the help of the Home Stager has been a positive experience. Has it generated more favorable responses from potential buyers? How long has the property been on the market? What kind of comments would you give him, now that you are looking for a Home Stager in the market?
Also talk to clients who have successfully sold their homes after hiring the Home Stager you are interested in hiring. They will be the most likely to offer genuine feedback about whether they would do it differently if they had to do it over again.
Once you’ve interviewed the Home Stager, as well as current and past clients, you can make an informed decision about whether hiring that person will be advantageous in your own situation.
Copyright © 2006 Jeanette J. Fisher