New Home Stagers Can Learn Lessons from Staging Programs on TV
Debra Gould
August 30, 2011
"There are many invaluable lessons that real estate professionals, including new home stagers, can pick up from staging shows," Gould writes on her blog, the Home Staging Business Report. "As a home stager, my favorite part is seeing the décor of the homes and imagining what I would do to make the spaces more appealing to the potential buyers who are viewing them."
Founder of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program, Gould explains that watching home staging programs on TV can give stagers a good sense of what buyers are looking for and what scares them off. For instance, in vacant or partially-furnished homes, buyers often have a hard time figuring out how they´d use a certain space, and as a result, they perceive the home as having an awkward layout. Cosmetic issues are also a big turn-off, especially if the buyers assume a bathroom or kitchen needs to be renovated because the space doesn´t show well.
"If the properties in these types of scenarios had been staged, several mental barriers would have been removed for these buyers, and that is the entire point of home staging," Gould explains. "You´ll notice that on home staging shows, almost everyone ends up floundering around a vacant home wondering where their furniture would go or how they would make good use of the space. That´s because when a room is vacant, it´s almost impossible for a potential buyer to get a good sense of scale. Believe it or not, this can prevent someone from making an offer, especially in a buyer´s market. If someone has made up their mind that their furniture won´t fit, they might just decide to move on to the next property."
Gould also encourages stagers to watch home staging programs to get an idea of what people expect when they´re looking at homes in different price points. For example, as buyers look at higher-end homes, you hear them talk about changing out the builder´s light fixtures, but that is a total non-issue in a less expensive property.
Gould believes that watching home staging shows is great preparation for home stagers. "You´ll hear right from home buyers´ mouths what small things turn them off and might prevent them from making an offer on a home that´s perfect for them otherwise. In well-furnished homes, you can see how buyers are immediately attracted and often guess the value at much higher than the actual list price. It´s so obvious how buyers can be romanced by a well-staged home."
Gould discusses the importance of home staging at length in her free special report called "Ask Staging Diva: Should I start a home staging business in this economy?" which can be downloaded from the Staging Diva website.
About Staging Diva
The creator of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program, Debra Gould has staged millions of dollars worth of real estate, including seven of her own homes. She is the president of home staging firm SixElements.com and has trained over 4000 home stagers to start and grow their own businesses.
Debra has gained international recognition through features in major media in the US and Canada including: This Old House, HGTV, CNN Money, CBC National News, CBS Radio, Global TV, City TV, The Wall Street Journal, Women´s Day, Reader´s Digest and more.
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