prostagedhomes.com

 

Claremont View Home Sells in One Day! The listing agent for this beautiful Claremont CA view home had never used a home stager before. She had shown the property several time but there were no takers. After taking our advice to remove the existing furnishings and bring in up-to-date furniture and accessories, the home was re-presented.

The result? The house sold in one day! The buyers had viewed the property before it was staged and decided it wasn’t the right house for them. After being persuaded to come back for another look after staging, they bought it.

Check out a few of our before and afters;

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PROVEN SUCCESS IN PRICED RIGHT-STAGED HOMES SALES

Pro Staged Homes      Home Staging & Redesign      San Dimas, CA 91773     909-714-1149      www.prostagedhomes.com      judy.colburn@prostagedhomes.com

   

I ask myself all the time why one would take money off the table when there may not be a need to. I'm hearing that home prices are rising, rates are low, there are buyers but not enough homes for sale. So, if this is true, why aren't the properties that are on the market not selling?

I think that we all would agree that the right pricing is critical to the success of selling a home. Second to that success is probably location. And third, condition. Obviously pricing is under our control. If the property is priced correctly, you're one-third of the way there. Location though, not much one can do to change that. But still, you bought the house because you liked something enough to overlook the location so chances are there are buyers who will also. That leaves condition. The home's condition is going to be the thing that makes or breaks the sale. And we definitely have control over the condition.

The goal of every seller is to get the most money possible for the property and to get it sold as quickly as possible. The longer a house sits on the market, the more likely there will be a price reduction and less than full price offer. But there are things sellers can do to help avoid this from happening to them. And it costs a whole lot less than a price reduction. What is it? Home Staging. By this time, you have heard about it, you know what it is. If you're looking for a new place to buy, chances are you've seen properties that have been staged.

So what is is that is holding you back from taking advantage of one of the most advantageous, successful investment and marketing strategies available? HomeGains 2012 annual survey ranks home staging at #5 on their list of top improvements when it comes to selling a home, What should be noted is that the top 4 improvements are all part of home staging.

Pro Staged Homes staged 4 properties in the last few weeks. All of them are now in escrow. Since the time they were staged, there were no price drops. Each one sold within days of being staged and listed.  The average price to stage these 4 homes? $3700 for a 60-day contract. None of them will exceed their 2-month contract. A $3700 investment that gives you a nearly 200% return and you're going to reduce your price by $10,000? Pro Staged Homes averages less than 54 days from date staged to close of escrow - 6 days less than our minimum contract term. The Real Estate Staging Association (RESA), who tracks sales as date staged to accepted offer puts the national average at 42 days. Using RESA's method, Pro Staged Homes # of days staged-to-sold is less than 10.

For example:

 On the market nearly 50 days with no offers. Staged and offer accepted within 20 days.

 

 Staged with open house - opened 45 day escrow less than 10 days later.

 

 Purchased one day after the open house by a couple who viewed the house unstaged and didn't think it was the right house for them!

 

 This sophisticated stunner received an offer the week after the open house.

With results like these, isn't the investment in home staging a much wiser and faster route to selling your home than a price reduction?

Proven results in priced right-staged home sales.

Pro Staged Homes      Home Staging & Redesign      San Dimas, CA 91773     909-714-1149      www.prostagedhomes.com      judy.colburn@prostagedhomes.com

   

 

Entertainer's Dream within Riverside Orange Groves * On 1 Acre of land, Main Home features 3257 square feet of living space with 4 Bedrooms and 3 Bathrooms * Separate Guest Home features a Full Kitchen, 2 Bedrooms, and 1 Bathroom * Main Home has Granite Countertops, New Stainless Steel Appliances, Double Oven, and a Center Island in the Kitchen * Family Room features a dramatic Wood Beam Ceiling with Brick Fireplace * Master Suite features it's own Fireplace and French Doors leading to the Pool and Courtyard * New Granite Countertops, Dual Sinks, and New Tile Shower in Master Bath * New Interior and Exterior Paint throughout * Separate Wet Bar for Entertaining * New Carpet and Tile throughout * Backyard features a Pool and Spa in Courtyard * 3 Car Garage and plenty of additional Parking Space * RV Parking * Revitalized Landscaping.

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Listing Courtesy of Josh Painter with Pacific Lifestyles Realty, License number: 0173469.

Home staging. Can you justify the cost? Home staging gets a lot of buzz these days. Home stagers say vacant homes sell faster and for a better price. They say you have to have your property staged if you want it sold in this market.  They say that buyers can't imagine what an empty house would look like, that you have to show how each space can be used and what it might look like when there is furniture and belongings in there. Home stagers say you have to present an environment and atmosphere that will draw buyers in and create an emotional attachment with them.  But is what they say true? Is it really worth it? Should you stage, should you not stage.

Well, according to the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA), staged homes sell 85% faster than unstaged homes.  If you list your property before considering staging, it may linger for up to 6 months unsold. And keep in mind that the majority of interest comes when a property is first listed. If you wait to see if you get any offers and don't, you lose precious time, money and potential buyers in those first days and weeks.

Are potential buyers that tour your property really not able to visualize what the living room would look like with a sofa and a chair in it? Easy enough to determine, try this little exercise:

You can leave your eyes open or close them, whichever is more comfortable for you. Now, picture in your mind the image of a cloud. Picture it growing. Now see, and "feel" its heavy cold rain. See the rain hitting the ground, then flowing toward streams and rivers toward the ocean. Now "see" the hot sun hitting and evaporating the water and forming clouds.

Were you able to create this scene in your mind, clearly see it? Were there other clouds in the sky? What color was the sky? Black or blue? What about the water, did you see every detail? Could you see the rain pouring down? Were the drops big or small? Was the rain coming from the east or west, north or south? You get the picture. No? You're not alone, neither can 90% of the rest of us.

So, now you know that staged homes sell 85% faster than vacant properties and you can understand how important visualizing is to the home selling process (check out HomeGains annual 2011 Home Improvements Survey). You can understand that the property needs to "connect" with potential buyers on an emotional level and home staging does exactly that.

When it comes right down to it, money is always the "issue" and the deciding factor. Sellers are hesitant to make the one investment that will give them an edge over their competition. The one strategy that is able to provide tangible, proven results. 

Let's go back to RESA's 2010 study. Using their example and formula you can determine approximately how much money you will continue to spend while your home is on the market un-staged.

 

If your mortgage is : $1800.00

 

If your direct expenses are: $300.00

 

Total carrying cost per month: $2,100.00

 

RESA's study shows home owners had their property on the market for an average of 6 months. $2,100.00 X 6 months = $12,600.00 in expenses. Had those homeowners staged first, their time on market would have been cut by 120 days on average (4 months). $2,100.00 x 4 months= $8,400.0. Staging their homes first would have saved them $ 8,400.00.

Costs for staging a vacant house vary, subject to the square footage, # of rooms staged, target market and other factors. But let's say you invested $3500 to stage your property for 60 days (the average time on market per the RESA study and what's more, properties staged by Pro Staged Homes average less than 54 days from the date staged to CLOSE OF ESCROW). You would have saved $4900.00 overall. And what if you choose not to stage and have to reduce the price?

 That's another $5000-$10,000 taken out of your pocket.

 

These numbers are all relative to individual mortgage and expenses but you can use this simple formula to determine how much you will save by staging your home  or listingbefore putting it on the market:

 

 Mortgage + expenses (utilities etc.) = Monthly expenses

 

Monthly expenses X 6 months (avg. time un-staged) = Cost to list house un-staged

 

Savings: Expenses x 4 months (average time on market reduced) – staging fee = Savings if you stage your house first!

 

** If you have a price reduction you can also add that into the loss you are taking by listing a property un-staged.

Check out RESA's Home Staging Calculator to see how much you can save: http://www.stagingsavings.com/stagingSavings.html

Want more proof?

This Chino Hills property sat vacant on the market with no offers for nearly 50 days. It was staged by Pro Staged Homes mid January and went into escrow less than 30 days later!

 

This Whittier property sat vacant for over 125 days. After being staged by Pro Staged Homes, it closed escrow less than 60 days later!

 

 

PROVEN RESULTS IN PRICED RIGHT-STAGED HOMES SALES!

Pro Staged Homes      Home Staging & Redesign      San Dimas, CA 91773     909-714-1149      www.prostagedhomes.com      judy.colburn@prostagedhomes.com

   

Home Staging is only for high-end homes. We've been seeing and hearing that for years. Just look at all the model home communities. Theses gorgeous properties are staged to the max. Buyers tour them, sometimes drooling and sometimes finding love-at-first-site. Admit it, haven't many of us spent our weekends driving around to the grand openings, delighted and excited by the life-style decorating feast we're about to partake in?

But the times, they are a changin'. Home Staging is here to stay and it's growing in popularity. That is in large part due to all of the HGTV like programming, decorating magazines and media attention being given to the home selling and buying industry. But it's also because people want to get in on that slice of heaven they saw in the models. Home buyers at all price levels want a piece of that pie.      

Here in America, buying a home is almost a constitutional right, it's always been touted as the great American Dream. Buy a home, set down roots and become a part of this great country. But do only wealthy people get a piece of this pie? Are only wealthy people entitled to buy that heavenly lifestyle? Of course not.

Whether the buyer is a first-timer, moving up or down-sizing, they still desire that dreamy lifestyle they saw in the model home. Most people will be able to describe every detail of "that" model house they fell in love with - no matter how long ago it was that they saw it. And there's a reason for that.  Home Staging.   They made an emotional connection to a home that was staged, a home that hooked them on the lifestyle living in that house would bring them. It wasn't just because the price was right, it wasn't just the location. It was the way the house was staged, it was the way the house appealed to their emotional senses, the way that house looked and felt like a home to them.

Some will say it's pricing. Some will say it's the location. Some say both. Some still don;t believe in that value (Check out HomeGains 2011 Top 10 Home Improvement Realtor Survey) home staging brings to the table. But let's face it, buying a home is a highly emotional process. Home Staging is based on that emotion, placing focus on the features, showing how each space can be used, high-lighting all of the home's potential. In many cases, when a buyer is torn between 2 or more properties, where one is staged and the other vacant, often times, it's the staged home that will sell.

Check out a few of Pro Staged Homes wide range of staged properties:

      Compton CA $185,000

 

   San Dimas $280,000

 

   Glendora CA $622,00

        Chino Hills CA $989,900

Proven results in priced right staged home sales

Pro Staged Homes      Home Staging & Redesign      San Dimas, CA 91773     909-714-1149      www.prostagedhomes.com      judy.colburn@prostagedhomes.com

   

3BR 2BA 1576 SQ FT Corner lot home. Listed by Rob Doeppel. 626-447-1818. Offered at $379,800

 

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Newly listed with the power of home staging in the San Rafael Hills. Listed at $928,800 by Rob Doeppel. 626-447-1818

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The power of home staging at work again. This gorgeous Diamond Bar CA home sold in just 39 days and it sold for $10,000 above the asking price. It made believers in staging of the investor team sellers. So much so, since the home sold before the staging lease expired, we moved the furniture over to another property the team is selling.

When potential buyers walk into a vacant property this is what they are greeted by. Is room this memorable? Can you imagine living here? Is it creating an emotional attachment, drawing you in, begging you to buy it? Of course not. It's just 4 walls. A plain, univiting empty room.

What did draw buyers in was this colorful, inviting space that showed off the rooms potential, created a perceived lifestyle that buyers want to enjoy. This room made buyers remember it, linger in it, long to live in it. So much so, a bidding war, yes, in this market, a bidding war resulted in the home selling for $10,000 over the asking price.

Yes, the power of home staging at work once again proves how effective home staging is especially in vacant properties. This is one time where I can truly state the Pro Staged Homes staged a home that sold faster and for more money.

Pro Staged Homes      Home Staging & Redesign      San Dimas, CA 91773     909-714-1149      www.prostagedhomes.com      judy.colburn@prostagedhomes.com

   

There are a lot of misconceptions about the cost for home staging. People always seem to be surprised and maybe even a bit shocked (and not in a good way) when they get the quote to stage their property, especially for vacant properties.

First and foremost, it is important for consumers to realize that Home Staging is a cost  an investment, the final investment they will make in their current home. And like any investment, consumers receive a return on that investment (ROI) and an amazing return at that. HomeGains reports that consumers may reap a whopping 299% return on the money they invest in staging their home before selling it. With an occupied home, if the owner were to invest just $400 by hiring a professional home stager before listing their home, it will earn them a higher selling price of nearly $1200.

It has been proven time and again that staged homes sell faster and in this market, for full asking price and sometimes higher than unstaged homes. RESA (REAL ESTATE STAGING ASSOCIATION) reports that in 2009 (the most recent year currently available) staged homes spent 78% less time on the market than their unstaged counterparts. The report looked at unstaged homes previously listed and concluded that they sat on the market an average of 263 days unsold. Those same homes were then staged and sold in 60 days on average after staging. The same study states that properties that were staged before they went on the market and sold in 40.5 days on average after staging.

Most staging companies offer a variety of options for consumers to choose from. Services may include and range from a low $99 for a one hour verbal consultation to about $350 for a DIY (Do It Yourself) Report to $900 for a full day of staging by the home stager. Consumers can select the option that works best for them and make arrangements to hire the stager for any or all of the staging. Or, if they purchase the DIY Report, homeowners can complete all of the recommendations themselves and the stager will come back for a final walk through and to take "after" pictures.

90% of the population cannot see past the current decor of a property nor can they envision what their belongings will look like in an empty room. They won't be able to guage whether or not their furniture will fit the space and they need to physically see how the area can be made to look and how the space can be used. That's one of the reasons it is so important to stage vacant properties. Builders have known for years that catering to the lifestyle potential buyers want is integral to the success of their new home sales. So, they invest thousands and thousands of dollars going all out to stage the model homes in a way that will draw buyers in. They know that creating that emotional attachment will bring in the offers.

The investment to stage a vacant home is higher than that of an occupied home. Stagers will do their best to work with the owner's existing furnishings which saves the seller a lot of money. In the case of a vacant property, the stager will bring in the furniture, accessories, artwork, plants, area rugs and lighting needed to create a home that will appeal to a broad range of buyers as well a home that creates that emotional attachment for potential buyers.

Now that you understand that home staging is the final investment you will make on your present property and you have learned that staged homes sell faster and for the best price, let's talk about what you are paying for. How does the home stager come up with your total investment costs.

In an Home Staging: It's All In A Day's Work earlier blog article, I talked about the process your stager will go through to prepare your home for market. To quickly recap, your stager will:

  Meet with you and conduct a walk through and take "before" photos

  Prepare/Discuss all of the steps you need to take before staging can begin

  Create Room Design for each room to be staged

  Select Inventory for each room

                                         Select Furniture, Lighting, Bed & Bath Linens, Artwork, Accessories,  Plants                                     

                                         Prepare/Wrap/Load/Transport to property

                                         Deliver/Unload/Unwrap for set up

                                         Determine Room Configuration & Set up Inventory

                                         Personal Shopping 

Once your home has been staged, your home stager will take "after" pictures and write blogs and articles and create marketing presentations for their portfolio and to advertise your home on ActiveRain, Energized Seller, their company blogs and other platforms. Many stagers do not charge for these and offer them as complimentary services.

 

And after your property sells, your stager must then destage the house which includes preparing/wrapping/loading and transporting all of the inventory back to the storage facility and then unload and restock it.

Your home stager will spend many, many hours prepping for the day your home will be staged, many more hours than you will be charged for. Your stager will spend a few restless nights during the creative process coming up with the perfect plan for your home. Your stager may even return to the property while it's on the market to ensure that everything is still in perfect order for open houses or showings. Again, most won't charge for this.

As you can see, there is a lot of work that goes into the home staging process. So when your stager is preparing the quote for your home, he/she has to take into account all the time, energy and resources that will be needed. Your stager may rent the furniture and will pass on those fees to you, the client, you will pay a rental fee on all of the accessories from their stock or they may have to do some shopping for some additional items. Or your home stager may have their own warehouse filled with all of the furniture and accessories. In that case, the furniture rental fee will take into account all of the overhead needed to maintain the warehouse as well as a prorated or percentage-based fee on the cost of inventory used in your home.

Regardless, it's important for consumers to realize all the expenses your home stager has to cover. Expenses may include a mortgage/rent payment on the storage facility or rental fees from the furniture rental company, insurance for the storage facility, liability and car, employee salaries and associated costs, utilities, marketing, professional fees, all the costs associated with any business.  

                                                                                                              

Staging costs vary by region and as such, what it might cost to stage a home in California will be different from what a   home in rural New Hampshire costs.  Some staging companies may have a fixed starting point or minimum fee regardless of the size of the property. Your home stager may charge based on the square footage of the home or as a percentage of the selling price.

You may think that staging a 850sq ft home should cost far less than a 3000sq ft home. And although that might be true, in most cases, your stager is still renting the same basic furniture no matter what the size of the property. There will be a sofa and one or two chairs, occasional tables,(X2 if there is a living room and family/bonus room) dining table and chairs, beds and nightstands. There will be artwork, bed and bath linens, table and floor lamps, plants and decorative accessories in every room.

So what goes into your quote? Your home stager will prepare a quote that will take into account among other things, rental fees for all the furniture, rental fees for all of the accessories used in your home and labor for the entire project. To determine the labor costs, your stager has to account for all of the business expenses, inventory costs, employee-related costs and a reasonable "profit" that allows your them to pay their personal debts and obligations and enables their  company to stay in business.  

And now you know all of the work that goes into staging your home and you know what you can expect to be included when you receive your home staging quote. With staged homes selling within 60 days and sitting on the market 78% less time  than unstaged homes, this is an investment that is well worth making. 

Home Staging + Priced Right Property =

Pro Staged Homes is a professional home staging company. Our staged properties sell in 54.5 days on average from the date staged.

Proven results in priced right-staged homes sales

 

Pro Staged Homes      Home Staging & Redesign      San Dimas, CA 91773     909-714-1149      www.prostagedhomes.com      judy.colburn@prostagedhomes.com