What is Home Staging?

The popularity of Home Staging has grown tremendously in the Tampa Bay area in recent years due to the national media coverage and a sluggish Real Estate market.  You probably have a good idea of what the term "Home Staging" means.  However, allow us to indulge in explaining the concept from our perspective...
 
Staging your home for sale is similar to preparing for a party. Your most important guest will be each potential buyer that comes through the door. The more effort you put into getting your house ready to sell, the better it will show. Homes that have been decorated purely for the purpose of selling stand out against comparable properties and look great on websites and in pictures.
 

Photos Sell Homes!

We cannot stress enough that having beautiful photos of your home available to buyers is absolutely critical.  As a Seller, don't settle for one photo in your MLS listing.  Choose a Realtor who will properly market your house.  Be sure to have a minimum of six high-quality photos available via the Internet. Lighting and photography is an art form.  Be sure you have a professional photographing your house.  If the photos don't entice a buyer, they'll never ask for a showing.  We offer a great photography package to Sellers, Realtors and Builders.  We can also create an online brochure highlighting your home and all it has to offer.

 
If you feel you can't afford the cost of Home Staging, please contact us to work out a payment arrangement you can feel comfortable with.  Don't let money stand in the way of presenting your home in its best possible condition.  We are here to help you!
 
 
 
Presenting your home to sell, or Home Staging, is quite simply a term used to describe the process that can help to sell or rent your home in the fastest possible time, at the highest possible price by preparing the property prior to putting it onto the market.
 
We like to equate home buying to car buying.  Take a look at the two photos below.  Which one would you buy? Which one would you pay more money for?
   
Both photos are the same vehicle, but presented in very different ways.

 

 
You want to sell a lifestyle (not simply four walls and a roof);

  • Buyers should be able to imagine themselves relaxing in the house, entertaining friends and family

  • They should picture themselves reading the morning paper in the lanai or on the front porch

  • You want buyers to feel drawn to the Master retreat as if it were a five-star hotel calling to them to stay for a while

  • Lead them to believe their lives will be complete if they buy this house!

  • Avoid costly list price reductions and keep your equity… Hire a professional Home Stager to prepare your home for sale

  • Attract and welcome multiple buyers by making them feel at home…

Think about how manufacturers of cars, clothes or even food, work hard to present their product. They are attempting to ensure that your attention is held, that you perceive the qualities of the item and that you desire the product they are selling. Billions of dollars are spent annually studying buying habits of people. Most retailers invest large sums of money to fund studies that will enable them to effectively design their stores to ensure high sales and frequent repeat business.

Your property is just like any other product that may be for sale or rent. It has to fight for the customer's attention along side other similar properties that are also on the market at a similar price with similar qualities.

The key to Home Staging is to understand what you are trying to achieve "Appealing to the widest possible audience."

Did you know that Home Staging is Tax-Deductible? 
Contact your Accountant for details.

Home Staging is oriented toward the seller getting a return on their investment, so it is NOT money thrown down the drain. In fact, the average rate of return is approximately $2-3 for every dollar spent on staging. A seller’s investment in STAGING their home is far less than their first price reduction.

When a house is empty, furniture is leased, so the cost to stage is less expensive when compared to the cost of conventional interior decorating, which requires the purchase of furniture and accessories.
A few adjustments to this fireplace warms up the space.  Removing the ultra-contemporary artwork and replacing with greenery softens the white surround.
Below is an example of using what the home-owner already owns to enhance the existing dining room's appeal
This is how the dining room looked when we arrived
After our Stagers made some very effective changes, the look of the dining room was dramatically improved!

BEFORE/AFTER: We rearranged the furniture, removed the area rug and added some greenery.  We also put a nice centerpiece on the table.  The Hutch had a hodge-podge of items in it prior to the staging.  We moved it to the wall facing the entry to the home and then artfully arranged some of the homeowner's collectibles and added greenery on top.  The hutch has lights, so we left  them on during the Open House to increase the drama of the room.

Tampa Bay Home Stagers offers sellers the highest quality Staging services available in the Tampa Bay Area. Our proven methods will ensure that your property goes onto the market looking the very best it can, without spending a fortune.

Tampa Bay Home Stagers provides Staging services to The Tampa Bay Area and most of Hillsborough and Pasco county.

From cleaning and reorganizing "re-sales" to furnishing and accessorizing empty spec homes, we will stage your property so that it is "buyer friendly."

In fact, after we finish, you may want to market it as a home that is  "move- in ready," thereby immediately increasing its value.

We will rearrange any usable existing furniture and accessories, make arrangements to remove and store the rest, select and provide replacement/fill in furniture, and accessories such as lighting, rugs, artwork, and window treatments, choose paint colors and finishes as well as recommend and supervise labor to "de-clutter," clean, repair, and Stage the property as necessary.

Submit your request for a consultation today! Remember to send us photos of your property by email as well!

 Welcome Home:
When we walk in the door of your home, we ask ourselves, "Will this house say, 'Welcome home' to a buyer?" Looking through the eyes of a buyer, we will recommend changes that will enhance sales appeal.

We'll help you eliminate anything that gives the appearance of clutter. Countertops should be free and clear. Knickknacks, souvenirs, family photos, refrigerator artwork - it's gone. We need to "de-personalize" the house so buyers can imagine it as their home.

Closets and cupboards should appear large and roomy. It's time to make a donation to a local charity or store belongings at a friend's or family member's home.

Reviewing your home room-by-room, we will make recommendations that will impact the sale. We'll point out the pieces of furniture that should be removed, rooms that need new paint, carpet that needs to be changed, fixtures that need polishing, windows that need cleaning, and any other improvement that can easily be made to promote the sale.
For more examples of Home Staging projects, please visit our Portfolio Page.
Please read this article Why Use Staging?
We think it will be very helpful in deciding if Staging is Right for you....
SOLD!  Another success story for Tampa Bay Home Stagers & Morrison Homes! 
This inventory home sold  just 2 1/2 weeks after our consultants Staged it.

Click on the photos to see details on the Staging of this Morrison Homes inventory property...

We moved this Staging Package to a home in Wilderness Lake Sub-Division - Land O' Lakes, FL and in just 9 days it too sold.  We didn't even have time to get the pictures up!  Way to go Morrison Homes!!!

By the time their three-month contract was finished, we had helped them sell four houses with that one project! Morrison . More proof that Staging really does work!!!

 

Contact us today! ~ Serving the Greater Tampa Bay Area

Sign up for our Monthly Newsletter - full of free Staging tips, discounts, do-it-yourself projects, open house tips and lots more...

 

Learn how to replace your bathroom faucet to add instant equity in resale homes.  Courtesy of The Aubuchon Hardware Store. Click the image to the left for detailed instructions.
There is currently NO registered Trademark on the word "Staging" in reference to the preparation of homes for sale.
The Trademark was abandoned in 2003.
For details, please click on the following link to see the latest Patent Database search results. Trademark
Click to view our Privacy Statement
Keep House Ready For Showings | Yard Sale Help | Recover a Chair Cushion | Interior Decorating Tips | Interior Decorating Service | Model Home Staging
Free Realtor Staging Presentation  |  Replace an Old Faucet |  Custom Draperies & Softgoods |  Home Staging Training |  Contact Us  | Relocation Assistance