Should You Hire a Professional Stager or Should You Do It Yourself?

August 23, 2016

The Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) has released the Consumer’s Guide to Real Estate Staging and it is packed with helpful tips and information for stagers and home sellers alike. I chopped it up in a series of blogs to highlight every article and have added some more information to help you better. I will share with you all these helpful tips in these blog series for the next coming weeks. Here’s the first–

When it’s time to sell your home, should you hire a professional stager or should you do it yourself?  Here’s the real scoop. 

  • Homeowners do not do this professionally and may not understand market conditions and other important information that dictate how the home should be presented.
  • Professional Stagers are trained professionals who understand exactly what is needed to get your property prepared for sale. They understand current market conditions and know how to get the job done.

Toronto Home Staging

  • Professional Stagers have a wide inventory of furniture pieces and accessories suited to fit and enhance the style of every property, every room layout. Stagers have access to key furniture pieces that can add to the perceived value of a property.
  • Homeowners may have to settle for what they have around the house which may not necessarily showcase the house to its best possible light or purchase pieces that don’t work at all.
  • Professional stagers have the time to look for even the smallest detail (this is what we do) to make sure nothing is missed when showcasing and merchandising a property. Most stagers partners with reliable tradesmen (cleaners, painters, handyman services, movers, photographers and other industry partners) which can save you time and headache if you have to look for them yourself.
  • Homeowners often rush, skip, or miss important steps in preparing the house because of their busy schedule. Taking an additional task  of merchandising a home on top of an already busy and stressful work and family life can be too much for most.

Toronto Home Staging

  • Homeowners may have to pay retail or rely on friends or family to refer a service provider. Do-it-yourselfers won’t have the luxury of a previous working relationship to ensure a job well done.
  • Professional stagers develop relationships with industry partners like painters, carpet installers, carpet cleaners, roof repair, etc. These relationships can benefit you because stagers can pass on savings. Also, you will gain peace of mind knowing you are more likely to get quality service from people they work with on a regular basis.
  • Professional stagers can “see what the buyer sees”. Buying decisions are made very quickly. Professional stagers know how those decisions are made and create an environment that allows for a favorable decision to be made when buyers look at a property.
  • Homeowners do not have the ability to “see what the buyer sees” because they are not trained in this capacity and it is difficult to be objective about their own home. Staging is an art and science. Without training and experience, the outcome is less sure.

Toronto Home Staging

 

  • Professional stagers are up to date with current design trends. They understand colours, furniture placement, accessorizing and how to play with it to make your house look cohesive and put together in photos and in person.
  • Most homeowners do not have the vision or the imagination on how to set up a room that will impress a potential buyer right from the front door or add colour to a room that will look good in photos.
  • 84% of buyers (some estimates are higher) look on the Internet to preview homes before they go to see a home in person. Properties with beautiful photographs will be looked at first. Photographs of properties that have been staged look better and the MLS than photos of non-staged properties.
  • Professional stagers work with professional photographers and the REALTOR to ensure the best possible photographs are taken. This will provide perceived value, additional showings and, commonly, more potential buyers.

Toronto Home Staging

  • Many stagers provide additional website presence through blogging, various social media platforms, or on-line flyers. Additional web presence means more prospective buyers may see your home.
  • If you don’t work with a professional stager, you will lose these benefits. Stagers can give your property more attention by bringing in more buyers.

 

RED BARRINUEVO

REDESIGN4MORE Inc.  Home Staging & Interior Decorating

Red Barrinuevo is a Toronto-based, award-winning Interior Stylist and Principal Designer of Redesing4More Inc., servicing Toronto & the GTA. The firm’s known for enhancing and creating stylish yet functional spaces through their creative home staging, interior styling, and design services.

Click here to learn more about Red and REDESIGN4MORE.

Share and Enjoy !

0Shares
0 0 0

Comments are closed here.