staged for upsell

Category: Vacant home staging

Halifax’s Largest Home Staging Furniture Inventory

Did you know that Staged for Upsell has Halifax’s largest home staging furniture inventory.  We have close to 150 furniture pieces in our inventory, and are always expanding on this inventory.  Some house staging companies only offer accessories, but we believe it’s important to offer full home staging services and therefore we’re always investing in our furniture inventory in order to make your home look amazing!

Our goal is to always work with what you have and make it look fantastic, however, there are times when a piece or two needs to be swapped out with a piece that’s looking ‘long in the tooth’.

Have you already moved into your new home and your old home is vacant? Vacant homes can be very difficult to sell. Rooms without furniture, contrary to what one might think, look smaller, and buyers often have difficulty envisioning how they might arrange or fit their furniture in the space. Even as a home stager I sometimes walk into a vacant home and have to really think about how to place furniture in the home due to the home’s layout. Or I’ve had to ask what the room’s purpose is…”is this the dining room?” If I have a difficult time as a professional home stager, imagine the home buyer’s confusion.

It’s important to set up rooms in the way they were intended to be used while your home is for sale. If your children commandeered the family room as a play space?  It’s worth it to change it over to a family room or office space for the duration of the listing. The simple truth is that offices and family rooms sell – play rooms don’t. That is unless your home has all that space to offer and then also a play room.

We’re Halifax’s largest full service home staging company, servicing Halifax, Dartmouth, Bedford, Hammonds Plains, Timberlea, etc…it’s a long list, I think you get the point.  Contact us today to get a quote!

Staged homes spend less time on the market

Homes that are staged before listing spend considerably less time on the market before garnering a sale, no matter what the price range. Consider these statistics from the Real Estate Staging Association study conducted in the U.S.A. in 2013:

HOMES IN EXCESS OF $1 MILLION

  • Of a total of 82 homes in this category 62 were staged prior to entering the market and sold on average within 38 days.
  • The remaining 13 homes, not staged, sat on the market an average of 97 days.

HOMES PRICED BETWEEN $500,000 and $999,999

  • 139 staged homes in this group sold within 21 days on average.
  • 24 non-staged homes took an average of 140 days to sell.

HOMES PRICED BETWEEN $300,000 and $499,999

  • 170 staged homes took an average of 22 days to sell.
  • 25 homes not staged sold, on average, at 125 days.

HOMES PRICED BETWEEN $100,000 and $299,999

  • 137 staged homes sold within an average of 19 days.
  • 20 homes not staged took an average of 127 days to sell.

These are extraordinary statistics. Equally dramatic examples from my own staging experience include a home that sold in 5 days for $10,100 above the asking price, and a home that had an accepted offer in less than a day. I sold my own home through my realtor of trust of course, a modest split entry, during an all-time low in the Halifax, Nova Scotia housing market of 2013, in two days. At the time there were numerous others for sale nearby including a larger two storey with garage on the street behind me. It sat on the market for several months, finally going for just a couple of thousand dollars more than my own. I have no doubt that, if properly staged, it would have sold much quicker and at a price closer to its true value, which was certainly much more than mine.

Obviously there is much more to property sales than simply staging, nonetheless, home staging or the lack thereof, is a common denominator in all of them. They merely serve to highlight the power and importance of professional home staging. Home staging isn’t an expense, it’s an investment, especially when compared with the loss in profit as a result of a price reduction, excessive time on the market or the necessity of holding a second mortgage if you’ve already made the move to your new home before selling your previous one.

New study: Realtors say staging can increase the value of your home up to 6-10%

staged homes-01You’re thinking of selling, and like everyone, you want top dollar. Staging your home can be the ammunition you need to make your home stand out amongst the competition, and result in higher offers.

In a recent study by the National Association of Realtors® 2015 Profile of Home Staging, 49% of surveyed realtors who work with buyers believe that staging usually has an effect on the buyer’s view of the home. Realtors on the buyers side that took part in the study believe that staging makes an impact in several ways:

  • 81% said staging helps buyers visualize the property as a future home
  • 46% said it makes prospective buyers more willing to walk through a home they saw online
  • 45% said a home decorated to a buyer’s tastes positively impacts its value
  • 10% said a home decorated against a buyer’s taste could negatively impact the home’s value.

Top producing realtors understand the importance of a home looking great in order to market it more effectively and to bring in offers quickly. Many realtors that I work with provide a home staging consultation for every listing, as well as suggesting staging to their clients. In the study the majority of realtors that work with sellers were found to utilize staging as a marketing tool in at least some of the instances, with 34% utilizing staging on all homes.

In addition to attracting potential buyers more quickly, staging can increase the value of your home and bring in offers above asking price.  In the study two realtors groups within the study believe that buyers offer above asking price for staged homes as follows:

  • Offer a 1 – 5% increase on the value of a staged home
  • While another group believed it to be closer to a 6 to 10% increase on the value

Every location and market is different, however, no matter what the market, it’s clear that staging your home for sale can be a factor in selling your home more quickly, and possibly for more. To read more about the study click here.

What exactly is staging? Well, it’s more than just decluttering, and cleaning. Staging includes ensuring that each room in your home is being used in a way that is ideal for selling conditions, that furniture layout is optimal for great flow throughout your home, as well as prepping or lightly decorating your home to show well and create a must have.

If your home is vacant it’s even more important to stage your home. Vacant homes can be very difficult to sell. When you’re home is vacant, its void of character, rooms look smaller, the home feels “cold”, and I don’t mean temperature wise. There’s also nothing to focus on, so buyers focus on all the imperfections. Even if you’re still living in your home your goal should be to have buyers focusing on the beautiful décor – not the flaws.

To view a portfolio of my staging click here.

Call me at 902-830-3170, or email me at joanna@stagedforupsell.com today for a consultation to stage your home for sale. I’d love to help you sell quickly and for top dollar!

Why less is more when selling your home

less is more when selling your home
Less is more is a phrase I use often when doing a home staging consultation. When a home is completely vacant besides buyers having a hard time visualizing the true size of the space, or how they would fit their furniture, they also see every flaw. There’s nothing else for them to look at or to distract their eye so they hone in on all the little flaws! On the other hand, if there’s too much clutter or a home is over decorated they don’t know where to look and can’t see past the clutter. If there is too much furniture the space will actually appear smaller.

Decorating to live is much different than staging to sell. When your home is on the market it’s important that potential buyers can see themselves living in the house – not you and your family living in the house. That means removing personal items, family photos, collectibles, trophies, etc.

Home owners tend to not notice their own homes any more. They’ve looked at everything so long they don’t see what other people see. A home stager can look at your home with a fresh pair of eyes and they’re trained to notice everything.

Storage areas and closets are important to buyers so make sure you purge these areas as well. Buyers are going to look everywhere in your house so don’t kid yourself that you don’t need to clean and de-clutter your closets. You also need to clean and de-clutter garages and sheds. Every inch of space is valuable when selling your home!

If you’re not listing your home for a few months use the time to start de-cluttering and sorting through those closets now rather than waiting until the last minute. You’ll be really glad you did! It will also give you time to sell any unwanted items, that’s always a great bonus.

On average a home owner should pack away approximately 30% of their belongings. Using a storage container such as PODS is a great solution for removing excess furniture, personal items and storage from your property. If you do use one make sure you have PODS store it for you off your property while your home is for sale. You don’t want to advertise to potential buyers that you don’t have sufficient storage or space in your home! The other benefit of using a POD container is that you’ve already got some of your packing done for when you move to your new home. You can have PODS deliver the POD container to your new home.

All this said, there is a fine line when it comes to staging a home for sale – you want to remove all the clutter, but you also need to add or keep a little bit of decor. For example, I hate when I see a kitchen table without something on it. Add floral or a beautiful decor piece that will accentuate the space, and add decor to a coffee table. Décor also adds softness to a room, a stark room is uninviting and cold. Adding the right décor and artwork to a fireplace mantle and arranging furniture the right way can create a beautiful focal point in the room. It’s knowing what to take away and what to add or leave that makes a space amazing and keeping in mind that less is more.

Military Relocation? Home staging consultations are covered!

Are you a member of the Canadian military and selling your home due to a military relocation?  If so, you probably don’t have the luxury of time on your side.  You need to sell quickly and you want top dollar for your home!

Selling a home can be a stressful situation for many people. Having a relocation date looming over your head can make it even more stressful!  Having to leave your home behind that is still not sold can be heart breaking and take stressful to another level completely!

Did you know that the National Defense and the Canadian Forces (www.forces.gc.ca) covers home staging consultation fees?  Home staging consultations are a reimbursable expense under section 8.2 “Sale of Principle Residence”, subsection 8.2.11 “Home Staging”.  As well home staging services can be covered as part of your relocation benefits.

What’s involved in a home staging consultation?

Home staging consultations are really beneficial to any home owner that is thinking of selling their home. As a home staging expert I have a trained set of eyes. You live in your home and you don’t even notice things anymore. As a home stager I can give you advice on de-personalizing your home, de-cluttering it, create focal points in your room, identify minor repairs that should be fixed, suggest ways that furniture can be repositioned to flow better or make better use of rooms.

I’ve worked with clients that are very hands on during the consultation and we’re moving furniture and de-cluttering during the consultation.  It’s remarkable the change that can take place in the home before I even walk out of a home two hours later.  They may still have some things to do after I leave, but the change can still be remarkable even at the end of a consultation.

As a home stager, I try to work with what you already have in your home. Sometimes we need to take a bit away – I tell many of my clients less-is-more.  Sometimes we need to add a bit of décor or furniture pieces in to really make the home look amazing.  Rather than you having to buy stuff you may not be able to use in your next home, I can offer furniture and décor rental from my warehouse inventory for rent on a monthly basis.  But the main goal is to use what you currently have!  When needed I suggest minor updates or repairs that are inexpensive but make a big impact, keeping in mind the price point of the home, who your target buyer is and return on investment!

Staging for Vacant Properties

If you’ve already moved due to a relocation and your home is vacant it is crucial that you stage it with furniture and décor.  Rooms without furniture look smaller, and most buyers have trouble envisioning how they would arrange or fit their furniture in the space.  A vacant home also lacks character and charm, and comes off feeling cold and lifeless.  I can stage your home with furniture and décor that will make it inviting and warm, and a must have for buyers.

Call or email today to book your military home staging consultation and ask about my military discount for home staging consultations:

902.830.3170
joanna@stagedforupsell.com

 

Staging of vacant condo brings in accepted offer in one day!

The property:

Our client, a realtor had a vacant condo unit in a Dartmouth neighbourhood that she needed to list right away.  There was another condo unit in the building that is essentially the same. The other unit was also vacant and had at this point been on the market for over 80 days.  The condo unit was a fairly plain unit, carpeted, neutral colours with heavy drapes, and a very outdated chandelier in the dining room. It felt drab, outdated and lifeless.  Knowing that staged homes sell for more, and quicker than vacant and unstaged homes Mary knew it needed to be staged so we met to see what we could do to show the property at its best.

The staging solution:

We needed to bring the space to life, but also keeps costs at a minimal.  There was one thing that we knew would be worth the money to update –  it was the chandelier! We knew changing it out for more modern lighting would make a significant difference in the look and feel of the space.   Lighting is such an affordable upgrade that you should always consider when preparing your home for sale.  I found this great light at Kent Building Supplies, they have an amazing selection of lights very reasonably priced.

64 Cumberland Dr -2

As you can see the lighting makes a significant difference in the space!

condo staging - lighting update

We also removed the heavy draping from the windows, and left only the sheers to soften the space and make it brighter.  We pulled up old pink carpeting that had been laid over linoleum on the bathroom floor.  Over and above that, we made no changes other than staging the unit with furniture and décor in the livingroom, dining/kitchen and bathrooms.  These condo units attracted an older generation so we went with a contemporary style.

condo staging - rooms

The Results:

The sellers only had the condo unit for a short period of time after purchasing it earlier in the year when they decided to put it back on the market.  The listing went up and the very first viewing brought in an accepted offer in less than one day of the unit being listed. Mary was able to make a profit for the sellers who had decided to sell after only owning it for three and a half months by selling it for $11,000 more than what they paid for it earlier in the year! Mary moved it quickly and got a great deal for the sellers!

After photos by David McLaughlin, David McLaughlin Photographic Services

 

Sold in 5 days and for $10,100 over asking!

The Home:
This is a project where the real estate agent chose to cover the cost for the home staging because they understood the difficulty of selling a home that is vacant.  They also felt it would make a significant impact on the impression of the home and help it sell quickly. The home was a 40-year-old split entry style home located on the outskirts of Halifax.  I received a call to do a consultation for vacant home staging.

The Challenge:
 The home had some recent updates in the past year.  Interior doors and trim had been replaced on the main floor and most of the flooring had been updated with laminate.  However, even with these updates the main living room and kitchen were still in need of updating. Some of the lighting had never been updated over the years, so it was the original 1960s lighting, particularly in the kitchen. The home even had an indoor barbecue in the kitchen – I can’t say I’ve ever seen one of those before!  It was vacant of furniture other than an old love seat which needed to be removed, and an old pine table in the kitchen. Because it was vacant, it lacked warmth and character.  Without it being staged buyers would concentrate on the negatives rather than the positives of the house.  Buyers would also struggle to make an emotional connection with the home.

The Home Staging Solution:
Having my own furniture inventory I am able to stage a home in the true fashion of the home.  The home had a real mid-century feel to it, so bringing contemporary furniture into the space would just accentuate the fact that the home was outdated. I wanted to go with the feeling of the home and do mid-century modern home staging. Both the realtor and the home owners embraced the idea! vacant home staging mid-century-livingroom final vacant home staging mid-century kitchen

The Results:
Staging the home for sale made a significant difference with this house, it went from outdated, to having a really neat vibe.  Even as I brought pieces into the home during the home staging process I felt a difference in my own admiration of the home.  The end result – there was more than one offer, and the home sold in 5 days for $10,100 over listing price! It’s a buyer’s market in Halifax right now so needless to say the realtor and the home owners were extremely happy!

If you need help staging your house to sell call me today at 902.830.3170.

 

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51 Raddall Avenue, Unit 5A
Dartmouth, NS B3B 1T6
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