Do you believe that it’s “what’s inside” that really counts? What about when it comes to the interior of a home?
When it comes to selling a house, the importance of “what’s inside” is more vital than you may realize. A striking and attractive home exterior can quickly draw attention to a property, but if the inside doesn't match, you're not going to achieve the maximum purchasing potential. Interior design is, of course, a matter of taste, but buyers need to be able to envision themselves living in the home. If the taste of the current homeowners lacks that certain “je ne sais quoi”, then an otherwise stunning home will possibly take longer to sell and will move at a lower price.
The solution that’s continuing to gain popularity is to bring in a home stager. Home staging is becoming more and more essential as real estate agents realize just how much value they can bring to a potential sale. It's not just a matter of interior design either; a home stager pays attention to all aspects of a home. They’ll isolate any detail that’s less than ideal and find ways to correct it.
It’s About More Than Just Decoration
Yes, a home stager may certainly redecorate a home to improve the optics and help potential buyers to see its true potential, but they do more than that too.
A home stager looks at a home in a similar way as a real estate agent. With a hyper critical eye, they try to find everything that could be a potential downside for buyers. If there’s a crack, a tiny bit of peeling wallpaper, or a stain the floor, it will instantly catch their attention. But certainly, as a real estate agent, you could provide your clients with that same service, right?
A home stager has one advantage you don't: they’re a third-party observer. They have the freedom to tell your clients things about their home that could put them on the offensive if you were to bring them up issues. A home stager can help you maintain your relationship with stubborn clients by essentially playing the “bad cop” to your “good cop”.
It Increase a Home’s Selling Price
Optics aren't everything when it comes to selling a home, but they’re darn important. The average home buyer probably doesn't have the trained eye to see the “potential” of a home. They see what’s directly in front of them, and if that something is an unattractively laid out room, they aren't going to be able to imagine what “could be”. But if they see a room that makes excellent use of space and color, they’ll instantly be able to see themselves in that space.
The bottom line is that an attractively decorated home is much more likely to sell at a higher price. It doesn't matter that the furniture and decoration aren't coming with the house, what matters is that the buyer can really see what they could do with the property. Home staging gives you that advantage.
It Reduces a Home’s Selling Time
Not only is home staging going to help you sell a home at a higher price, it will also help you sell it much more quickly for the exact same reasons.
If a potential buyer falls in love with a stunningly decorated and well laid out home, they’re going to instinctively know that other potential buyers will too. If they want the house, they know they’re going to have to make an offer and fast, or risk losing it.
You Don’t Necessarily Need to Pay For It
Some real estate agents pay for a home stager out of their own pocket, which can really hurt your bottom line. Not only that, if your sellers sees home staging as a free service that they don’t need to worry about, they’re less likely to put their recommendations into action.
Not unlike a real estate lawyer or appraiser, hiring a home stager should be an expense paid by the sellers, not you. You can, however, highly recommend that they take this route. More often than not, the difference between the selling price of a staged home and one that has been left alone more than makes up the difference that it would cost to hire an experienced home stager.
Home Stagers Allow You To Focus On Selling the Home
Let's face it, even though real estate agents know a ton about selling homes, they might not know a ton about interior design, color matching, artwork, or other details. That said, it’s also a real estate agent’s job to present a home in its best possible light. Doing so can take up valuable time you could be spending on the things that you’re really good at, like finding a buyer and getting a great price for the home.
A home stager frees you from the constraints of having to worry about the interior presentation of the home. They’ll take care of everything, with the assistance of the home’s current owners. Together, you can act as a team to package the home in an attractive way that will make your job as a real estate agent easier.
The Bottom Line
The bottom line is that an experienced home stager can really help a property stand out. Like most things, it’s what’s on the inside that counts. In this case, what counts is a beautifully decorated home that potential buyers will instantly be able to see themselves in.
Developing positive relationships with home stagers in the community you serve will help build partnerships. Plus, they might even be able to get you referrals in return for referring them to your clients!
When setting out to build business relationships, the importance of a real estate business card cannot be overstated. They deliver a lot more than just your contact information. A great business card shows that you’re serious about your job and that you’re completely invested in it. Printing high quality business cards can be expensive however, especially in smaller population centers. You can trust SureFactor to delivery high-quality, professional business cards, and other real estate print marketing materials, at a guaranteed low price. Like an experienced home stager, SureFactor can add tremendous value to your real estate business, with a 100% satisfaction guarantee!