Staging the Sale
A professional makeover can add sparkle to houses that linger on market
Sue Doerfler
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 4, 2006 12:00 AM
Gary Kennedy's under-furnished south Phoenix house sat on the market
for 50 days with no offers. But instead of lowering the price, like most
sellers would do, he hired someone to come in and decorate - adding wall
hangings and accessories.
Two weeks later, the house sold for the list price of $255,000.
Houses are taking longer to sell due to the Valley's housing market
slump, and staging or giving them temporary new decor has become the
strategy of choice for many sellers and investors.
Staging is typically done by professional stagers, interior designers or
real estate agents. They may rearrange your furniture, suggest that you
repaint, remove worn drapes and reduce clutter, and supplement your
décor with accessories. If your house is empty, they'll furnish it.
But staging is more than decorating, certified home stager Bonnie Lewis
said. It showcases the home's possibilities, she said. It can make rooms
look larger, de-emphasize unusually shaped rooms or dark rooms, and
can show buyers how to decorate the space, she said.
"You're setting a mood, and you're showcasing the lifestyle you could
lead in this home," said Phoenix interior designer Patti Craze who staged
Kennedy's house. "You're trying to have the buyer imagine themselves in
the space."
Diane Neslund, a Scottsdale interior designer who also does staging, said
that it gives the illusion that you're not desperate to sell your home.
"People will think that they had better hurry up and buy it or somebody
else will," she said.
The purpose of staging is not just to sell the house but to sell it at an
optimum price, Neslund said.
The cost for staging generally is less than the $5,000 or $10,000 first
price drop sellers make to entice buyers, said Lewis, who owns Enhanced
to Sell with David Bugniazet.
Stagers, who want to see a house before they quote a price, generally
base the cost on time, work involved and furnishings. The price, which
differs among stagers, typically ranges from $500 to $1,500 for a home
that needs minor rearranging to $10,000 or more for an upscale home
with full furnishings. Lewis, Neslund and Craze say that staging works on
homes priced $250,000 and above.
Realtor Pat Hune, who sold Kennedy's house, said staging isn't the
solution for every for-sale home.
"If you have a home that's getting no showings, it's a price problem,"
she said. If it's getting showings but no offers, it's can be a problem with
price or the condition of the house, such as under-decorating, she said.
In Kennedy's case, Hune considered lowering the price but instead
recommended staging. The redecorating cost $1,500 and added
everything that his house didn't have: wall hangings, accessories and
other items that made the house look homey.
"That was the only difference; I didn't change the house," said Kennedy,
who until recently was a bachelor. "The staging made everything look
good. It brightened up the whole house." It made him almost wish he
had kept it, he said. He and his wife, Kelly, recently had the house she
owned before their marriage staged by Craze - it now sports new blinds,
paint and curtains - and put it up for sale. They are buying a new home.
Staging isn't new; it's been around for more than 20 years. Last year,
during the Valley's housing market boom, few homes were staged. That's
because many sold in a matter of hours or days, as is.
With the flood of homes on the market now, buyers have become more
selective, said Neslund, owner of Distinctive Interiors and Design in
Scottsdale.
"There is so much competition you have to do something different than
the others," said Claudia Michalson, a Realtor with Russ Lyon Realty. She
has used Neslund to stage a Scottsdale home listed at $595,000.
The key to staging is incorporating the correct scale of furniture and the
right furniture for the house, using neutral colors that appeal to
everyone and making the home look fashionable and cozy, the stagers
said.
That may mean removing some of the seller's personality and replacing it
with a neutral environment, said Craze, whose company is PMC Interiors.
She started her staging business three years ago and is certified as a
stager through Minneapolis-based Home Staging Expert. She does
several stagings a month.
It's not that your quilting room isn't handy; it's that few buyers have
need for one. Your walls of family photos are appealing to you, but
they're distracting to buyers. Purple may be your favorite choice in carpet
color, but few buyers are going to have furniture to match.
Craze said that stagers take special care when sellers are still living in the
home. "When a family is living there, you can't just yank all the items
they use," she said.
Reach the reporter at sue.doerfler@arizonarepublic.com or (602)
444-8236.
A professional makeover can add sparkle to houses that linger on market
Sue Doerfler
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 4, 2006 12:00 AM
Gary Kennedy's under-furnished south Phoenix house sat on the market
for 50 days with no offers. But instead of lowering the price, like most
sellers would do, he hired someone to come in and decorate - adding wall
hangings and accessories.
Two weeks later, the house sold for the list price of $255,000.
Houses are taking longer to sell due to the Valley's housing market
slump, and staging or giving them temporary new decor has become the
strategy of choice for many sellers and investors.
Staging is typically done by professional stagers, interior designers or
real estate agents. They may rearrange your furniture, suggest that you
repaint, remove worn drapes and reduce clutter, and supplement your
décor with accessories. If your house is empty, they'll furnish it.
But staging is more than decorating, certified home stager Bonnie Lewis
said. It showcases the home's possibilities, she said. It can make rooms
look larger, de-emphasize unusually shaped rooms or dark rooms, and
can show buyers how to decorate the space, she said.
"You're setting a mood, and you're showcasing the lifestyle you could
lead in this home," said Phoenix interior designer Patti Craze who staged
Kennedy's house. "You're trying to have the buyer imagine themselves in
the space."
Diane Neslund, a Scottsdale interior designer who also does staging, said
that it gives the illusion that you're not desperate to sell your home.
"People will think that they had better hurry up and buy it or somebody
else will," she said.
The purpose of staging is not just to sell the house but to sell it at an
optimum price, Neslund said.
The cost for staging generally is less than the $5,000 or $10,000 first
price drop sellers make to entice buyers, said Lewis, who owns Enhanced
to Sell with David Bugniazet.
Stagers, who want to see a house before they quote a price, generally
base the cost on time, work involved and furnishings. The price, which
differs among stagers, typically ranges from $500 to $1,500 for a home
that needs minor rearranging to $10,000 or more for an upscale home
with full furnishings. Lewis, Neslund and Craze say that staging works on
homes priced $250,000 and above.
Realtor Pat Hune, who sold Kennedy's house, said staging isn't the
solution for every for-sale home.
"If you have a home that's getting no showings, it's a price problem,"
she said. If it's getting showings but no offers, it's can be a problem with
price or the condition of the house, such as under-decorating, she said.
In Kennedy's case, Hune considered lowering the price but instead
recommended staging. The redecorating cost $1,500 and added
everything that his house didn't have: wall hangings, accessories and
other items that made the house look homey.
"That was the only difference; I didn't change the house," said Kennedy,
who until recently was a bachelor. "The staging made everything look
good. It brightened up the whole house." It made him almost wish he
had kept it, he said. He and his wife, Kelly, recently had the house she
owned before their marriage staged by Craze - it now sports new blinds,
paint and curtains - and put it up for sale. They are buying a new home.
Staging isn't new; it's been around for more than 20 years. Last year,
during the Valley's housing market boom, few homes were staged. That's
because many sold in a matter of hours or days, as is.
With the flood of homes on the market now, buyers have become more
selective, said Neslund, owner of Distinctive Interiors and Design in
Scottsdale.
"There is so much competition you have to do something different than
the others," said Claudia Michalson, a Realtor with Russ Lyon Realty. She
has used Neslund to stage a Scottsdale home listed at $595,000.
The key to staging is incorporating the correct scale of furniture and the
right furniture for the house, using neutral colors that appeal to
everyone and making the home look fashionable and cozy, the stagers
said.
That may mean removing some of the seller's personality and replacing it
with a neutral environment, said Craze, whose company is PMC Interiors.
She started her staging business three years ago and is certified as a
stager through Minneapolis-based Home Staging Expert. She does
several stagings a month.
It's not that your quilting room isn't handy; it's that few buyers have
need for one. Your walls of family photos are appealing to you, but
they're distracting to buyers. Purple may be your favorite choice in carpet
color, but few buyers are going to have furniture to match.
Craze said that stagers take special care when sellers are still living in the
home. "When a family is living there, you can't just yank all the items
they use," she said.
Reach the reporter at sue.doerfler@arizonarepublic.com or (602)
444-8236.
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Copyright 2006, PMC Interiors