Realtors Guy and Tany Latrielle discuss home
staging at the home of Pam Houghton (right)
An old adage claims you only get one chance to make a first impression. In real estate, a prospective buyer’s initial intuition often spells the difference between a successful sale and a failed showing. “Staging” can tip the balance, according to a local professional.
“Staged homes do sell faster and for higher returns,” says Pam Houghton, owner of Port Perry’s Befaux & After Design Concepts. “Of course location, price, and marketing are important, but people are more likely to purchase if they can ‘see’ themselves living in the house. That’s my job.”
The concept of staging has long existed, but its profile has been boosted, thanks in part to a wealth of programming on Home & Garden Television (HGTV), where Pam has been a contributor. As well, modern consumers’ lifestyles have increased demand for the service, Pam says.
“Buyers are educated consumers looking for top quality. They’re also leading busy lives, and want a home that’s ‘move-in ready.’ A staged home reinforces that conclusion – prospective buyers can more easily envision their furnishings suiting that house.”
Guy Latreille, broker at Port Perry’s ReMax Scugog, echoes Pam’s opinions of the current real estate marketplace and the value of a staged property.
“We encourage our agents to recommend a stager,” Guy says. “No doubt, staged homes sell faster and for more money.”
The process requires the stager to think like a potential buyer. That, Pam explains, means “neutralizing” the seller’s home. Not only does a stager apply design skill and imagination to each situation, she also brings another key quality: objectivity.
“Most sellers believe that buyers will look beyond its current decorating and personal items. But that’s not always true. It takes a professional stager to neutralize those factors.”
One strategy, decluttering, raises awareness of a room’s potential.
“Minimizing clutter allows buyers to better imagine how their furnishings would suit a given space,” Pam explains. “And supposing the sellers have a collection on prominent display: it may not be everyone’s taste, and might detract from the overall appeal.”
Depersonalizing a home will assist its sale. Dealing with this issue, Pam says as a stager she consistently presents a positive approach.
“When you’re dealing with someone’s personal space, you have to be very sensitive. Suggesting that personal items are minimized, I make it clear I’m not criticizing people’s taste or decorating, I’m helping to make their home more saleable. I tell clients they may not like me now, but they will when they sell!”
The way rooms are utilized is also considered in staging.
“People may be using what was originally a dining room as a kids’ play area. Or perhaps they have things stored in a back room which are obscuring its available space. When you’re selling, you have to show off every possibility.”
The layout and tone of each room must be considered. Effective distribution of furnishings provides “balance.”
“It jumps out at me as soon as I come into a room. In my head, I divide the room into quadrants and distribute evenly. Balance is important for aesthetics.”
Colour lends mood to a room. As Pam puts it, “a room has to ‘invite you in.’” Lighter colours tend to expand the feeling of space in a room, where darker tones can make it cozier.
“The choices of colour and shade depend on the dimensions of the room and its purpose,” she says.
The exterior of a property – its so-called “curb appeal” – is an equally important aspect of the staging process. Optimizing the look may be as simple as moving stacked lawn furniture in summer, or adding accents in winter. In any season, the buyers’ evaluation begins when they pull up in front of a home.
Changing colours, adding accents – it sounds costly, proposing expenses at a time when sellers may feel reluctant to spend. But the “substantial cost” just a myth, Pam says.
“Small changes make a big difference, and some, like decluttering, can be done by homeowners with no cost.
Small investments, done strategically, can add a lot to the sale price. Often, clients just need a stager’s formal plan to see how to broaden their home’s appeal. It’s a ‘forest-and-trees’ situation.”
You might guess the current economic downturn would also discourage sellers from spending – on either a stager or her recommendations. However, the reality is just the opposite: a small investment now may avoid the need for a larger price decrease later.
“Many properties are moving more slowly in today’s market,” Pam says. “I’ve found sellers more willing to come to Befaux & After to increase their odds of making a quick, profitable sale.”
The stager tours the property, comments informally, ultimately provides written recommendations. An objective professional’s viewpoint can dramatically impact the allure of a living space, and in today’s real estate marketplace, that can prove a valuable advantage.
“Next to location and price, the condition of a home is the most important factor in selling. It’s like doing set design for a theatre production: staging adds to the ambience and contributes to the play’s ultimate success.”
By Scott Mercer
Focus on Scugog
Personalities
