There is still time to get in on the special pricing for the April 11th Seminar on Staging. Read about it in the March Newsletter. Agents, bring someone and get two for the price of one. Call or e-mail for details. All previous students have special pricing.
904-945-0093
Just thought you’d like to get a preview of some of Sunday’s…4/08/07… Home section article. This is the material I’ve give to the writer. She will probably not use all of this info but I wanted you to know about it. The pictures are in the March Newsletter.The story is about “Empty Home Staging”….
“We know that furnished homes appeal to potential buyers. Builders pay anywhere from $30,000. to $90,000. to furnish a model because they know it will help them sell a lot of new homes.
“The easiest and most cost-effective way to execute a vacant-home (or empty-house) staging is to plan ahead. Before the homeowner moves everything out, leaving a personality-starved empty shell, a good stager can help them select the furniture and accessories to be left in the house. This is sometimes called ‘partial-staging’. The essential things can be moved out but the make-or-break rooms should remain furnished. A guest room can be moved to the all-important master suite. Spare bedrooms do not need furniture. The formal dining room set is not used that often, so it’s not an inconvenience to leave it behind. The first rooms that you see when the front door is opened must be gorgeous. ‘Nice’ just doesn’t cut it anymore.
“In the photos shown, the living room sofa was moved into the family room (not shown) because the family room furniture went to the new house. The chairs were sufficient to enhance the living room.
“People seem to think that the cost of a second move makes the “partial-staging” option impractical. That is not the case. The average cost of a local move is about $100. a room plus $100. for the truck…pick-up and delivery…according to Harvey Anthony with Mayflower. That means an average house of 8 rooms would cost about $900. To move that house in two separate trips at different times is only $100. extra. For an out-of-town move, which is calculated differently, the second trip would add no more than $500. That is still much less than the first mark-down of the home’s selling price.
“Last fall, the Transformations class redesigned a bad partial-staging done by the homeowner on their high-end house. They chose the wrong things to leave behind. At this point, the home had been on the market 8 months and even though it had been reduced by $100,000., there were no reasonable offers. The team repositioned art and accessories, rearranged furniture and…voila…a sale in three weeks. If the staging had been professionally planned from the start, the $100,000. markdown might not have been necessary. The staging cost averages $150. to $500. It’s a ‘no brainer’.
Becky Harmon, of Transformations School of Staging and Redesign
904-945-0093
Have a fabulous Spring. See you at the Seminar. (*.*)