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Staging

The term Staging refers to getting a home or condo ready for the real estate market. Cynthia was a pioneer in the field of Staging homes and has done over 500 homes, along with her Traditional Interior Design business. She finds this the most fun because it is quick and the results can be dramatic.

Staging can fix the problems of a home that is unappealing to buyers. These problems (which a professional can spot right off the bat) can cause the home to sit on the market longer, making it undergo a price reduction before it is sold, and can cause unnecessary stress for the owner who is often anxious to sell to avoid making dual house payments.

Buyers often spend as little as ten minutes touring a home, and they are heavily influenced by first impressions. They are looking for reasons to justify offering a lower price. Staging can make every second count by guiding the eye away from the homes flaws and to its strengths, which ensures a positive first impression. Staging uses furnishings and accessories to support the home's value and earn the seller thousands of extra dollars than if the home is not Staged.

In the right hands, Staging is an effective tool for creating warmth and impacts as many buyers as possible. Home Staging by a professional has nothing to do with a seller's personal taste or style, and everything to do with marketing, as many viewers know from watching Roger Hazard's design team on TLC's “Sell This House,” or HGTV's “Designed to Sell.”

Homes that are staged sell faster in slower markets and at higher prices in stronger markets.

The goal of interior design is to create an environment that perfectly reflects the style and taste of the home's owner, while the focus of Staging is to make the house more marketable by creating the most appealing home to the greatest number of prospective buyers. Far from reflecting a unique style, a Staged home should be just impersonal enough to not infringe on a buyer's own sense of style.
Cynthia compares the process of Staging to the design of a model home; furnishing and accessorizing it in order to call attention to the home’s best features—the features that will most attract the interest of a potential buyer.

http://www.smartmoney.com/home/selling/index.cfm?story=sellfast1111

For an article on Staging in The Wall Street Journal, go to http://homes.wsj.com/buysell/agentsandbrokers/20030417-doherty.htm