Consultations are the Key to Closing
If you could invest a few hundred dollars knowing your return on investment could be in the thousands, why wouldn't you?
A consultation by a home staging expert will provide you with everything you need to do to make your property look its best to potential buyers.
Owner occupied homes that were staged spent 89% less time on the market in 2008 than unstaged owner occupied homes.*
A Home Staging Consultation involves:
- Walking through the home with buyer's eyes
- An assessment of furniture, accessories, room focal points, balance, flow, smells, color, among others
- Completion onsite of a 10 to 20 page room-by-room Action Plan
- Proposal of staging and other services - the homeowner can do it all themselves or the home stager can help with some or all of it
See the Special Offer below. For the month of April, Designed to Appeal is offering a flat fee of $300 for a Consultation and Action Plan, no matter how long the consultation takes. Normally the rate is $300 for the first 2 hours and $100 thereafter.
* Real Estate Staging Asociation |
According to the Corcoran Group, in Manhattan:
- 91% of units sold so far this year were below asking price, compared to 62% last year
- The number of units on the market has increased over 47% since 2nd Q 2007, and is now at its hightest level since the early 1990s
- The median price per square foot has declined 17% to $867 from its peak of $1,043 during May 2008
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Did you know...
Pets Are a Possible Turn-Off for Prospects?
According to The Humane Society of the United States:
- 39% of U.S. households own at least one dog.
- Nearly 34% of U.S. households own at least one cat.
This means that between 61-66% of homeowners do not own a cat or dog. Whether the reasons include allergies, aversions or other personal preferences, it's clear that a large portion of prospects viewing the listing with a household pet could turn off a potential buyer.
When a home is on the market, and especially during showings, pet owners need to remove all evidence that the home is occupied by a pet:
- Remove all pet food bowls, cages,and other items
- Remove all pet odors - since an owner is probably used to the smell, an honest friend can provide an assessment
- Most importantly, remove the pet. Homeowners should take the pet with them during open houses. For scheduled showings while the owner is present, get a neighbor or friend to temporarily house the pet.
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 Tips and Tricks of the Trade
- Make ceilings appear higher by hanging window treatments close to the ceiling, rather than at the top of the window.
- Make windows appear wider than they really are by hanging the window treatments beyond the sides of the windows so that it appears there is more window under the drapes but in reality it's just the wall.
- Blue is the best color for bedrooms because it promotes feelings of calmness and tranquility
- Every room should have one focal point that commands the viewer's attention - a fireplace in a living room, a bed in a bedroom, the sink and vanity in a bathroom, an island in a kitchen. Use color, size or furniture arrangement to draw the viewer's eye toward the focal point. For example, a beautiful painting hung over the fireplace and/or furniture turned towards it will lead the viewer's eyes to the fireplace the minute they step into the room.
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According to the Corcoran Group, in the Hamptons:
- The average sale price and the median sale price decreased 7% and 3% respectively between 2007 and 2008
- The number of units sold decreased 42% over this same time period
- The dollar value of units sold decreased 47%
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Testimonial of the Month
