This year, Design Smart Home Staging and Redesign celebrates its seventh anniversary of serving homeowners, real estate brokers and new home builders in the South Sound and beyond.
In those seven years, the popular local company has staged more than 2,000 homes, helping many homeowners sell their homes— ranging from as little as $59,000 all the way up to more than $3 million—more quickly and for a higher profit.
“When done correctly, home staging significantly increases a home’s perceived value and helps buyers imagine living here,” explains Lisa Poundstone, owner of Design Smart Home Staging. “It is not interior design. It is more scientific principles with measurable results than just decorating a home. Clearly, the evidence shows it works, as homes sell often within weeks or even days of being staged.”
For occupied homes, de-cluttering, de-personalizing and neutralizing are the most important staging tasks. For vacant homes, showing the function of a room, showing proportional space and highlighting features of the home are most important.
Staging for the best first impression
When a home is staged prior to the listing going active, it has the best chance of selling quickly. The online photos, that 90% of buyers look at first, are extremely important and often determine if they want to see the home in person or not.
Another reason for staging a home prior to listing is that the greatest number of buyers will view the home in the first two weeks it is active. You only have one chance to make a first impression, so having the home show its absolute best right from the start is vital to receiving the best price.
When homes are staged at the beginning of the listing and are priced well compared to other comparable homes, a lot of them will sell in less than 30 days, some within a few days or even hours of being on the market.
“Waiting to stage the home to see if it will sell without it is one of the worst mistakes I see home sellers make,” says Lisa. “Often, they undergo price reductions because the home just sits on the market. They may decide to stage a few months later, which can revitalize the look of a property, but it won’t have the same power as staging a home from the very beginning.”
“As I have often explained to my clients over the last seven years – the investment in staging is always less than the first price reduction,” summarizes Lisa.
Lisa Poundstone, PhD, is the owner of Design Smart Home Staging & Redesign, LLC. She is an Accredited Staging Professional (ASP®) and was the 2013 and 2014 Winner of the Best of South Sound for Interior Design. Contact her at 360-480-5810 or visit her website.
