Do-it-yourself Home Staging?

Homeowner staged master bedroom

Have you ever diagnosed your own ailments?  If you have, would you then represent yourself in court, prescribe yourself drugs, do a root canal, or massage therapy, etc. on yourself?  Of course you wouldn’t… you couldn’t.  You would go to the specialist in a particular field to make things better… right?

The same can be said for getting your home ready to sell.  You should be looking to a professional home stager who will show you the best way to ‘market’ your house (appeal to the majority of buyers) to sell quickly and for more money.  It could be as simple as a two hour consultation, or involve a partial (for an occupied house) or complete (for a vacant property) home staging .

You, as the homeowner, are too close to ‘your stuff’… whereas a home stager is not.  They will give you an honest third party opinion, and show you what does or doesn’t appeal to today’s buyers.  Don’t be afraid… a consultation is not an attack on you or your lifestyle but will open your eyes to the selling potential of the home.  The majority of today’s buyers are not interested in nor can they afford to make upgrades.  If a property looks tired, dated, or old it will not appeal to them.  They have to feel excited about it, want to see it again, and to purchase it.

Think of it this way… you are getting ready to go out on a date.  You shower, put on your best outfit (or go out and buy a new one), make sure that no hair is out of place, that you smell fresh and your teeth are clean.  You want to be asked to go on a second date, better yet… a commitment to the future.  See where this is going?

Now… you’re getting your house ready for the real estate market.  You’ll clean, paint, purge, declutter, depersonalize, and update the look.  You want your home to attract those buyers, to get them to purchase it and to offer much more money for it…right?  The bottom line is this, whatever negatives a buyer sees will be directly related to what kind of offer they will make.  If they believe the homeowner to be negligible, lazy, or out of touch, they will offer much less money.  Why?  Because they believe that they will have to spend a lot of money to get that desired look.  However, most first time buyers are cash poor.  They don’t have the extra funds to make those changes and will look elsewhere to find their perfect home.

Fact:  For every dollar that a homeowner invests in getting the house ready to sell will generate $3-5 in profit above asking price.

Example A:  House is listed for $800K, with $20K spent on improvements (including staging) and sells for $890K in two weeks time.  That’s a profit of $70K.

Example B:  Same house goes on the market with no upgrades or changes.  Furniture is old, carpeting is stained, paint colours are different in every room, kitchen is dated, etc.  It sits on the market with little or no interest.  Price is reduced by $20K but still no good offers.  Best offer is $70K below asking.  If the homeowner must sell, they take the offer.  If they don’t have to sell, they take it off the market and either make improvements and try it again or don’t bother.  If they take the low-ball offer, the homeowner will have lost $90K from the original list price.  That’s a difference of -$160K… ouch!

If you live in the Toronto area, Groovy Chick Redesign and Home Staging can help you. Please give us a call at 905-683-9136 or email us at catherine@groovychickdesign.com
Our homes are designed to sell, decorated to stay!

 

Groovy Chick staged master bedroom

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How a Home Stager can help you in a Divorce

The holiday season bills have come in causing financial stress. The lack of daylight hours, and the frigidly cold temperatures are getting to us. Depression may be setting in. Is it any wonder then that January is considered Divorce Month?

Here’s a scenario:
Your spouse has filed for divorce. You had no idea that there was a problem in your marriage. You feel shocked, hurt, angry, devastated, and afraid, as the lifetime partnership that you thought you had is now gone and you feel all alone. You go through the seven stages of grief: shock, numbness, disbelief, reality, alienation, reinvention, and finally… acceptance.

Once you’ve come to terms with what’s happening and are able to think a bit clearer, you may be speaking to a lawyer, a grief councillor, etc. but have you considered speaking with a home stager?

The reality is that divorcing couples will go their separate ways and that leaves the communal home in limbo. Most likely, one person will stay in the house but that may not work out as a single income could find it very difficult to carry the monthly expenses of a house and possibly, childcare costs.

Your house is the single largest financial investment that you’ll probably make in your lifetime. It’s where you put your heart and soul into decorating, entertaining, making memories… good and bad, happy and sad. A divorce is not the time to turn your back on this home and cast it out into the real estate market, while expecting to get top dollar for it. Buyers will realize soon enough that the homeowners are separated and will take advantage of it by offering lowball bids. Don’t let this happen to YOU!

Today’s homebuyers are looking for an emotional attachment to a home. They want to be WOW-ed. Divorcing couples generally have no interest in making the house feel warm and fuzzy for others. They just want out. Does this speak to you? Do you not want the highest possible return on your investment? You may realize that it will take some effort to showcase the home but your heart isn’t in it. Well, a home stager can do that for you. Your house will look warm and inviting. Homebuyers will get excited (as you once did) when they see your house and will offer you much more money for it than they would in its current condition. You and your spouse will leave with more money in your pockets to put towards new and brighter futures.

A home stager is a neutral third party who doesn’t know the homeowners and will not prejudge them or their home. What we have is the knowledge of the saleability of a house once seen and what improvements/extras are required to attract today’s buyers.
A home stager views a property through the buyer’s eyes. It begins with a consultation and, depending on the homeowners’ situation and mind-set, can evolve into a showcasing of the home. This is very important for web photos since over 95% of home buyers shop online.
Great photos = more buyer interest.
Poor photos = little or no interest, which will once again result in lower or no offers.

If you are considering a consultation with a compassionate home stager, please call:

Catherine of Groovy Chick Redesign and Home Staging at 905-683-9136 or visit our website: https://groovychickdesign.com

Please LIKE us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GroovyChickRedesignHomeStaging

We would love to hear from you and help you at this difficult time.