Hiring a Home Stager?

When you’re trying to sell your home, your main goal is to appeal to buyers and help them make an emotional connection with your home. Staging your home is the process of setting the “stage” to show each room in its best light. A home stager will help you determine what parts of your home are assets and which areas need to be minimized. They can help you transform your home to appeal to the greatest number of home buyers which will help it sell quickly. Here are some things to consider when looking for a home stager that is right for you.

1.) A home stager is not a Realtor. They are hired to “market” your home visually and through home buyers’ senses. The Realtor is hired to help you through buying and selling and the legalities of the process. The Home Stager’s job is to be brutally honest and tell you exactly what you need to change to get your home sold quickly.

2.) Ask for referrals. Just like when you are looking for a doctor or a mechanic, seek the advice of neighbors or realtors that have used home stagers in the past. They can help explain what to expect as well as save you time and energy searching for a professional accredited stager.

3.) Questions? A consultation or first meeting will take place at your home for the home stager to walk through your home and give you feedback on their observations.

Questions to ask should include:

• Do they use your existing furniture/decor, or do they bring in furniture/decor? * If they will be bringing furniture in, do they have their own furniture inventory or will they be using rented furniture? You never know what you will get with rental furniture!
• What kind of training have they had? Choose an accredited stager!
• How do they determine their charges?
• Can they show examples of homes they have staged?

4.) Be part of the solution. Many home stagers will give you tips on how to keep your home in that “staged” condition after they finish. If you live in the home while selling it, there will be work for you to do. Discuss this thoroughly before agreeing to have your home staged. If you make the most of this investment, it will eventually lead to a home sale.

5.) What can you do? To enable your home stager to quote you the lowest price, declutter and purge items in your home before they visit. Once the home stager visits ask if you can paint, or clean spaces of the home yourself to bring down the cost of their services.

6.) Communication is key! Ask the home stager to walk you through the process to ensure good communication from the beginning. Ask them to outline steps through the project so you know how long the process will take. Unlike what we see on TV, one weekend may not be enough time to complete the project!

7.) Don’t forget about Curb appeal! A good home stager will also be concerned with the exterior appearance of your home. Make sure that they walk around your property and give you advice on how to improve your yard, walkways, entry and exterior of your house.

8.) Interview! If you just aren’t sure after the interview with a home stager, interview a few others to compare recommendations, price and strategies for your home. Makes sure you choose an accredited professional stager.

9.) Vacant properties require more work. If you have a vacant home to be sold, speak with the stager about costs for furniture. Consider only having key rooms staged if cost is an issue. The master bedroom, kitchen/dining and family areas are the most important areas to stage.

Selling your home is a process you want over as quickly as possible. By hiring a home stager, statistics show your home will sell quicker and often for more money than other homes in your area. Hire a professional stager and the offer on your home may come much sooner than you ever expected!