Many of you have heard of "staging", a term that describe a process of cleaning, freshening and rearranging a home in such a way that it will appeal to home buyers.  As with so many things, you get out of it proportionately what you put into it.  Staging can be as simple as rearranging furniture, putting in plants and hanging art work, to bringing in furniture, painting and light remodeling. Although many home owners are great at housekeeping and maintaining, many lack the training or skill necessary to rearrange furniture, coordinate colors, or create curb appeal which helps a home stand out among other similar homes.  In a competitive sales market where homes are comparably priced, homeowners may have to go the extra mile in order to stand out.  Professional staging is one way to accomplish this, because it separates your home from the everyday drab, dull and mundane that is on the real estate market.  Builders have been staging their homes for years. Certain pre-owned markets in various regions of the country have also caught on to the advantages of staging.  Existing home owners and probably most realtors in Texas, have until recently, failed to recognize the need for and benefits of professional staging.  Professional staging is gaining acceptance for several reasons; (1) The market is getting more competitive due to a decrease in available home buyers caused by the lack of readily available funds in the sub prime loan market, (2) In the age of Home Garden Television (HGTV), people have become more sophisticated in their expectations of the business of buying and selling a home, (3) Realtors are now realizing the benefits of home staging and are beginning to counsel their sellers, (4) Staging has helped builders maintain a competitive edge against the pre-owned market for many years.  When competing with a builder for available buyers, remember that they have a new product and you unfortunately, have a used one (however special or well maintained)!  It is one thing to beat the builder’s price (they’re generally higher priced than similar pre-owned), it is quite another considering they stage as a matter of practice and have the combined advantage of a new product along with choice of carpet, paint colors, etc.  Although not all buyers are attracted to new homes, staging is significant because it establishes the "wow" factor that psychologically anchors a person to a particular house whether it’s new or pre-owned.  As realtors and homeowners come to realize the positive benefits of staging, this practice will become more common place in the pre-owned North Texas Home Market. If you are interested in listing your home for sale or would like to be referred to a professional stager, please contact us. We want to hear from you!  

Regards,

Bernie