True Experience of Real Estate Preparing a Home for Sale is Emotional Process for Seller, Buyer and Stager

Preparing to sell a property is stressful. It is also a very emotional time. From working with a REALTOR® to getting the property in tip-top shape with the help of a home stager, the process requires effort and can be a huge invasion of privacy. It comes as no surprise that emotions may run extremely high.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) August 21, 2006 -- Preparing to sell a property is stressful. It is also a very emotional time. From working with a REALTOR® to getting the property in tip-top shape with the help of a home stager, the process requires effort and can be a huge invasion of privacy. It comes as no surprise that emotions may run extremely high.

Think about it. Homeowners – men, women and families – get emotionally attached to their houses over time. When it comes right down to the wire on actually listing and staging a property, people realize they are going to be moving and a certain level of denial sets in.

Because of this, it is important that homeowners carefully select not only their REALTOR®, but the home stager as well. A homeowner needs a stager they are comfortable working with throughout the process of preparing to sell the property. A truly professional stager will always give honest feedback, will offer to take the client to see their work at a home they have already staged, and has the homeowner’s best interests at heart, regardless of budget constraints. Stagers must also listen to the needs of their client and provide a detailed line-item proposal about what furnishings will be used and exactly what additional items will be brought in, as well as a clear outline of scheduling and deadlines.

Since most people consider their home as their castle, they are very touchy and emotional about personal items and space. Letting go can be difficult, but when staging a home for quick sale at top dollar, homeowners who allow the stager to prepare the property for mass-market appeal win. The way you live in a home is not the way to show a home for sale, and this is where the expertise of a stager can make a significant impact.

Removing personal items and photos is one of the first and most basic actions most stagers will recommend, because a potential buyer must be able to walk into a room and envision living there. Getting rid of clutter, painting and cleaning front yard for immediate curb appeal are also basic home staging techniques. Again, the focus is on appealing to a wide variety of people, not decorating the home to the owner’s or REALTOR’S® taste preferences or style. The objective of staging is to help sell the home, rather than create an environment or interior design that the owner was unable to accomplish while living in the property over the years.

For the most part, real estate agents understand that each staging project is different and is limited by the client budget, living situation and state of mind. The owner will either fully accept what the stager is recommending to be done, or will fail to emotionally let go and limit what the stager is allowed to accomplish. Either way, the result of a professionally staged property is amazing and is a requirement for selling at top dollar in today’s marketplace.

More and more, at my company we try to get people to say goodbye to the house and move out before it actually goes on the market. Over the years we have found that at first people resist this idea, but then realize it is the best plan of action for everyone involved. Those who insist on staying have to deal with people constantly in and out of their house, maintaining showroom condition – which is very difficult with kids and pets – and having the stager turn their house upside down while their trying to live there.

Consider an extended stay hotel or short-term rental to get out of the house while on the market. Remember, a vacant house sells faster and easier than it would if occupied. Most buyers prefer to view a vacant well-staged property; they tend to bond more with the home knowing no one lives there. Vacant houses are also more effective to stage than lived in properties.

For the professional home stager it can be challenging in this very diverse city and marketplace to know exactly who the buyer will be, and ultimately how to stage for greatest impact. At the end of the day, our job and passion is to prepare a home to have appeal to a broad range of people, and to sell the property fast and at the highest price possible.

It is agreed that moving is an emotional experience. As a home stager, I am also trying to create an emotional response, but this time from the buyers who walk through the door of what could possibly be their next home.

To learn more about HOME Stagers or to contact Breining, call 415.285.9911 or visit www.homestagersinc.com.

HOME Stagers, Inc.

Since 1996, HOME Stagers, Inc. is the premier source for customized, professional one-stop-shopping staging and cosmetic services for real estate practitioners and residential property owners in San Francisco. HOME Stagers specializes in distinctive styles and designs, helping homeowners differentiate their property in the competitive local real estate market. Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, HOME Stagers maintains two furniture warehouses, a fleet of trucks and a creative team of 14 employees. HOME Stagers is bonded and privately held. Visit www.homestagersinc.com or call 415.285.9911 for more info.

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