Home Staging is the process of preparing a home for sale in order to appeal to the highest number of potential buyers so that the property will sell quickly, for the most money.

Edmonton Home Staging is highly advantageous to real estate agents and home sellers in both hot and cool markets!

- Hot Real Estate Market: a seller/real estate agent will make more money having the property staged because this leads to more offers and bidding wars, which drive up the sale price of the property.

- Cool Real Estate Market: Staged homes sell much faster and for more money than homes that are not staged.

Home Staging for Occupied Properties

Most buyers will view photos of properties on the internet (MLS) before deciding which homes to see in person.  A poorly presented home is an instant turn off to buyers.  Statistically, only 10% of buyers are able to see the ‘hidden potential’ in a home.  Therefore, counting on a buyer to see past your home’s  mess and dated decor is a  risk you may eventually wish you didn’t take.

Refresh will use your existing furniture and decor items to emphasize your property’s best features in such a way that buyers connect with your home as there own.  Rental furnishings and accessories may also be used to compliment and enhance the overall look and feel of the space.

Home Staging for Vacant Properties

Empty spaces typically appear smaller and less inviting than furnished homes.  A lack of furniture may lead to buyers focussing on a scratch on the floor instead of the space as a whole.  Therefore, by hiring a professional home stager you will ensure that the  buyer’s high expectations are realized upon viewing your property.

Refresh will define your space with rental furnishings and accessories to enhance your property’s best features, create a welcoming atmosphere and  give your property the edge it needs to sell fast.  Refresh offers a range of rental furniture, accessories and artwork to give buyers a clear and complete picture of your property.

 
 

Real Estate Agent Benefits

Professional Home Staging is essential to saving marketing dollars and having a competitive edge over other Agents.

Buyers are familiar with design trends and have high expectations when it comes to purchasing a new home.  A recent survey indicated that two-thirds of buyers would pay more for a home that is move-in ready.   Stand out from the competition by having your listing professionally staged.

Maximize commission by selling your listing faster and for top dollar.  Not only do staged homes usually sell 2-3 times faster than un-staged homes (especially in a slow market), but they also generally sell for as much as 10% more than homes that have not been staged. 

Professional Home Staging is key to quality marketing photos that get buyers attention.  90% of buyers will see these pictures on the MLS before deciding if they want to view your listing in person.  Allow me to transform your listing into a property that shines!  Attract more buyers to showings, beginning with their search on the MLS. This advantage will lead to more offers and the likelihood of selling the listing within the first round of marketing.

Home Staging saves you time.  Real Estate Agents are typically very busy people.  For less than the cost of a single price reduction, I can convince the homeowner of the importance of enhancing their home, assess the home’s needs, and stage the property.  This will allow you, the Real Estate agent, to focus on other aspects of selling the property resulting in the homeowner feeling valued and cared about.  

Eliminate the risk of losing a listing.  As a Real Estate Agent, convincing a homeowner to do the work and invest the money that is necessary in preparing their home for sale can be challenging.  As a professional home stager, I will address objections that the homeowner might have.  Delegating this job to a qualified Stager takes the pressure off you and eliminates the risk of losing the listing because of unwanted feedback.

     *   Two-thirds of buyers would pay more for a property that is move-in ready.
     *   Staged homes often sell for up to 10% more than homes that have not been staged.
     *   Staged homes usually sell 2-3 times faster than homes that have not been staged, particularly in a slow market.
     *   Staging your home is less expensive than a single price reduction – protect your equity.

 Allow me to transform your home into a show home by highlighting its best features.  I will create an inviting and attractive space that has universal appeal and will make buyers feel right at home and ready to buy.

Refresh Home Staging & Redesign is the premier company for Edmonton home staging.  Hire me today to make your listing stand out from the competition & reveal your home’s hidden appeal!  Please look at my portfolio of some of my past projects.

 

RECENT ARTICLES ABOUT EDMONTON HOME STAGING  By: Josie Bamber

 

July 15, 2010 – Edmonton Home Staging is Gaining Popularity

Home staging in Edmonton is a relatively new trend but it is rapidly gaining popularity in the turbulent market that Edmonton has been experiencing the past few years. Understanding the real estate market in Edmonton will help you better understand why home staging is becoming a necessity to sell your home for top dollar in the shortest time frame.In 2006 Edmonton experienced an unprecedented housing boom that drove the average price of a single family dwelling up by 52%. As the market heated up panic started setting in amongst buyers and houses were selling the same day they were listed for upwards of 20% over the list price. During this time any property that was listed at a reasonable price was being snatched up within days. The market was hot, everyone was optimistic and it seemed like the good times would never end.

The hot real estate market continued through 2007 and into the spring of 2008 but by summer 2008 people were singing a much different tune. The impact of the U.S. sub-prime mortgage crisis was sending ripples through the global economy and Western Canada was finally starting to feel the waves. Oil was down in price, unemployment was on the rise and the housing market was colder than an Edmonton Winter. MLS listings were at an all time high, the average days on market had risen to over six weeks and prices were on a steep decline.

With the change in the climate of the housing market being evident, it started becoming apparent to home sellers and real estate agents that it was no longer acceptable to just throw a listing on the MLS and wait for the multiple over-list offers to roll in. No, now if you wanted your listing to sell you had to make it stand out from the thousands of other listings that were getting perspective buyer’s attention.

The solution for these agents and their clients was home staging. Edmonton has typically been viewed as a “blue-collar” city so the concept of selling a lifestyle has been a little difficult for some people to grasp. Never the less, home staging in Edmonton is becoming more and more popular and the number of home staging companies is on the rise. The reason for this is that despite Edmonton’s reputation as an industrial “oil town” consumers are still familiar with decorating and design trends and they want a home that they feel proud of.

The impact that professional home staging has on a property is seen primarily by the number of showings that a property has within the first week of being listed. The reason for a much higher number of showings is because of the quality of the marketing photo’s on the MLS. Real estate agents who are working with buyers make a commission when their client buys a home. They know that taking their client to a home that looks appealing is much more likely to result in their clients purchasing and ultimately to them receiving a commission. A house that presents poorly in the marketing photos will most likely be filtered out by the buyer’s agent before a perspective buyer ever sets foot in the home.

Buying and selling a home are two of the biggest decisions that a family will ever make. When it comes time to sell everyone wants their home to sell quickly and for top dollar. To make this happen the services of a professional home stager are crucial. Better marketing photo’s lead to more viewings which translates into a quicker sale. Home sellers that have hired professional home stagers have been experiencing this for many years in other parts of Canada and in the United States. The market conditions have finally set the stage for Edmonton home staging to really take off. If you are looking to sell a home in Edmonton please contact Refresh Home Staging and Redesign for all your Edmonton home staging needs and let us reveal your home’s hidden appeal.

June 13, 2010 – Staged vs. Empty: Why Edmonton Home Staging is Necessary to Sell a Vacant Property

Selling a property, whether it’s your own home or a rental property, can be a stressful and time-consuming venture. Oftentimes, sellers are unsure about the steps that must be taken to get their property ready to be put on the market so they look to a Real Estate Agent for guidance. This is a good first step but what many people don’t realize is that the best real estate agents are not the ones that try to be an expert at every aspect of selling a home. The best real estate agents are those that surround themselves with a team of experts, each of whom specializes in a different area of the sales process.

One member of a “sales team” that is crucial to making sure your home is looking its best is a professional Home Stager. Home Staging focusses on preparing properties for sale before they are actually listed. A Home Stager will showcase your property so that it appeals to as many buyers as possible, thereby selling faster and for more money.

Frequently, sellers, and even Real Estate Agents will make the mistake of listing an empty property. Many Agents see no problem listing a vacant property because they believe that buyers will be able to picture their own furnishings in the space easier by not having the distraction of the seller’s items. In addition, Agents and sellers tend to think that an empty property appears larger. Both of these ideas are untrue.

Consider the business of a New Home Builder. Many of these larger companies will build model homes, or show homes, in order to pre-sell homes to buyers. How often do you see a show home without furnishings? Typically, never. Home builders have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars doing market research an analysis to determine what the most effective way to sell a home is. They have universally concluded that a professionally furnished home sells better than an empty house. This is because people buy homes based on feeling. When a home is presented in a stylish and functional way, buyers visit the property and feel at home. They are able to picture themselves living in the space because it ‘feels’ like a comfortable place to be. On the other hand, a vacant home can often feel cold and lonely.

The same is true for any other property that is being marketed. It must appeal to the buyers’ senses. Vacant properties are much more challenging to sell than properties that are Staged. Contrary to popular belief, most buyers cannot picture their own furnishings in an empty space and the tendency when standing in an empty space is that perspective buyers will imagine their furniture larger than it actually is making them question if their furniture will fit. Buyers are more likely to accurately envision their belongings in a space that incorporates furniture that is presented in a functional arrangement. This provides them with a point of reference to compare the furniture occupying the property for sale to their own furniture.

An empty property will typically appear smaller than a furnished property. Furniture defines a space. Working with a professional Home Stager who is able to rent and set up items in a way that makes the most of a space, will not only maximize the size of the space but it will also maximize the appeal to buyers. Remember: buyers aren’t just purchasing a new property, they’re purchasing a home and ultimately a desirable lifestyle. What would you prefer to buy, an empty box or a warm, inviting home?

June 5, 2010 – Home Staging In Edmonton is More Than De-cluttering

Home Staging has grown in popularity and even more in familiarity over the last few years. The media has captured this concept through different home make over programs which have given the general public a glimpse into the importance and impact that home staging makes. Some of the more dramatic examples show the effectiveness of home staging in transforming undesirable properties into welcoming spaces that sell quickly. However, many people are still not aware of the full range of services that most home stagers offer and the impact that professional home staging can have by simply fine-tuning a home that looks ‘alright’ into a home that’s incredible. Once seen as a luxury when selling a property, professional home staging is quickly becoming a necessity in presenting a home for sale.

When asked what they believe home staging to be, most people, including licensed real estate agents, often view home staging as just de-cluttering a home and painting the walls beige. While de-cluttering and painting the walls a neutral colour are both important, these are just two suggestions that a home stager might make but in reality, home staging is much, much more! Eliminating clutter and neutralizing the decor are both fundamental in creating a space that appeals to a wide range of prospective buyers, but there are a number of other factors that need to be considered.

One of the largest factors that many people never consider when attempting to sell a property is the generational gap that is often present between sellers and perspective home purchasers. Recent surveys have shown that the average age of a first time buyer is 32, while the average seller’s age is 57. This age difference commonly produces a ’style gap’ that, when left undealt with, can lead to properties sitting on the market and sellers losing money. A home stager can effectively solve this problem by assessing what furniture and accessories can be ‘reworked,’ what should be placed in storage and what rental items can be brought in to showcase the space so that the decor highlights the attributes of the property rather than distracts from them. Agents and sellers who have stepped out and utilized a professional home stager are well aware of the significant returns that a professionally presented property can provide. In selling a property, what you put into it is what you get out of it.

There are few decisions in life that will evoke the same level of emotional response as buying or selling a house. It is important to understand that for the large majority of perspective buyers their decision of which home to purchase is based mostly on emotion. Buyers will be willing to pay a lot more for a home they fall in love with.

Prospective buyers are drawn to properties that they feel at home in, not properties where they feel like a visitor. A Professional Home Stager will assess your property from top to bottom, inside and out. He/she will look at your property with an objective ‘buyer’s eye’ and provide you with recommendations related to cleaning, repairs, decor and de-cluttering which, when implemented effectively, will make your property come to life and will make buyers feel right at home and ready to buy! For most people their home is the single largest purchase they will ever make. When the time comes to sell hiring a professional home stager is an investment that can reap significant returns. De-cluttering is a good starting point but it is important to remember that de-cluttering is JUST the starting point. Staging is much more about what is added to a property, not what is taken away. De-cluttering is simply creating a blank canvas upon which a masterpiece can be created.

June 1, 2010  – Why Should I Use Home Staging in Edmonton?

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