Marianne Sweet on Home Staging

I recently did a Home Staging Consultation for a homeowner who had already purchased a new home … on MY block, as it turns out. Small world! As he diligently worked his way through his “to-do” list, he discovered an issue and called me for advice. While de-cluttering and rearranging his office, he realized that [...]

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Anyone who has sold a house has been through it … the caller says “We’re close by and would like to see the house. Can we come RIGHT NOW?” The seller hangs up and goes in to full-on panic mode! Where to start cleaning? From the online pages of Real Simple Magazine (www.realsimple.com), a checklist [...]

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If you are still on the fence about the value of professionally staging a home for sale, here is another benefit to consider:  staged properties command higher appraisals. Certified Residential Appraiser Linda Shurtliff, owner of Troy-based Reliable Residential Appraisals, LLC agrees.  “A staged home has much more appeal than an unstaged home.  A staged home [...]

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Gary Keller, one of the country’s top brokers and author of best-selling book “Shift:  How Top Real Estate Agents Tackle Tough Times” was on ABC’s “Good Morning America” last week.   Mr. Keller gave his opinion on how to increase your chances of selling in this market. Selling Your House in a Down Real Estate Market [...]

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Most Home Stagers agree, however, that Staging encompasses all 12 of these improvement projects, as a good Stager will advise if, and to what extent, these improvements should be undertaken to increase the marketability of the property. The article can be viewed here: http://blog.homegain.com/home-improvement/homegain-2009-top-12-home-improvements-survey-results/ I have already had an agent ask if $300 for Home [...]

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From my staging colleague Cindy Bryant, owner of Redesign, Etc. in Houston, TX: Helping home sellers achieve their goal. Offers will come faster. Marketing strategy. Effective selling technique. Selling a home for all it’s worth. Taking a tried and true approach. Always looking better than the competition. Get better appraisal values. Internet photos will show a must see [...]

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After owning a Home Staging business for over 5 years, I think I have heard every possible objection to hiring a Stager, from “I know what needs to be done” to “I don’t want someone touching my stuff”.  The biggest objection by far, however, is the cost.  In this economy, people just don’t have a [...]

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When potential buyers view a house for sale, they need to see rooms presented as they were intended.  The master bedroom shouldn’t be an exercise room, the bathroom shouldn’t be a pet station, the garage shouldn’t be a storage unit, and unless you have more than 3 bedrooms, resist the urge to make one an [...]

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A link to a “virtual home staging” site was sent to me recently, and naturally, I had to investigate.  Ahhh … the wonders of Photoshop.  The owners of this site will take uploaded photos of your vacant rooms and plug in furniture to make it appear furnished.  The “after” photos actually look pretty good, although [...]

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I received a call recently from a client to whom I had provided a Home Staging consultation report. For those not familiar, a consultation involves touring an occupied house for sale, assessing it’s flaws and possible buyer turn-offs, and providing a complete DIY to-do list to the seller. For sellers who have the time and [...]

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This week, five fellow Home Stagers and I donated our talents and furnishings to stage the vacant property at 159 Highland in Clawson. We will be holding a preview Open House tomorrow, April 24th, from 4-6pm for real estate agents and press. A $5 donation at the door includes a tour of the house, refreshments, [...]

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