Don’t try this at home!
Or maybe do try this at home, if you are trying to sell and the competition is stiff (and it is in lots of Central Ohio neighborhoods isn’t it? ) try home staging in your home.
Craig Schiller (just like the park in German Village) a home stager in Chicago has a gorgeous slide show about Buyer’s Seeing Red.
Craig is talking to other stagers about the use of the color red in home staging. It caught my eye.
Can you do home staging yourself? Or do you need professional help? I majored in interior design until the second semester of my junior year in college. My degree in home economics then became a major which was called ”Related Art History of Design.” So I have a background and lotsa study in design but I am not qualified to really stage a home. I can help a seller with the rudimentary stuff but there’s a reason to get a professional involved in many Central Ohio homes today in my opinion. It’s not like there aren’t buyers out there. Buyers are just able to ‘cherry pick’ the homes they buy today.
I have thought about getting the staging designation for real estate agents too. Maybe someday. For now if you are in a neighborhood with 6 months or more supply of houses to sell, why not give your home a competitive edge by having it professionally staged?
Can you stage a home yourself? Some people live in houses that look like they were staged. Most of us don’t.
Accent colors, accesories, home staging is not decorating. Often home staging can be done with your own things.
We have professional stagers in Columbus.
What’s the market like in your Central Ohio neighborhood? What is your home worth?
Previously on ColumbusBestBlog:
August 21st, 2007 at 09:57 am
I think as long as you keep your place uncluttered and have reasonably good taste, I don’t believe in these services. We used one and before and after she did her stuff, we got the same moaning random complaints from people and the interested parties just seem to be able to see beyond the physical setting. It was only a $125 or something, but totally wasted money. We were lucky and our place sold in 7 weeks. With a 3 year old, it was an agonizing 7 weeks to always keep it clean.
August 21st, 2007 at 11:41 am
Thanks for the comment. Seven weeks, there are people who have been on the market for a year in some Central Ohio neighborhoods. Great neighborhoods with lots of competition. Thery’re are sellers who are keeping their homes in showing condition and unclutterd even with children
Craig in Chicago and a lot of the other big city stagers charge a lot more than $125 but they also do a lot more than what you get in Central Ohio for $125. There’s a whole menu of services from what I understand. The Chicago houses are selling a lot higher than our Central Ohiol homes too.
There are plenty of homes on the market that some staging would help differentiate them from their competition.
August 22nd, 2007 at 11:43 am
Staged Makeovers in Northeast Ohio charges only $75 an hour and that is relatively inexpensive compared to national rates. I agree that it is best to have a professionals stage homes for sale rather than realtors doing it themselves. This keeps the relationships with the realtors and the homeowners on good terms, making the stager “the bad guy” who has to bring up what needs changed in order to sell the home quickly and for the most money possibly.
August 22nd, 2007 at 06:16 pm
Thanks Rachel. I am trying to get up the courage to ask stagers about guest blogging on my blog. I don’t think any of them are blogging in our market.
I think for many people staging is money well spent. I thought I knew who Dave who commented used in Central Ohio but after researching I am not sure.
It seems like Ohio is so reasonably priced in so many ways, home prices, staging prices…
Why were we were talking about Hudson Ohio at a friends house on Friday night? Oh I know … A friend of a friend is doing missionary work in India with a church out of Hudson. She is going with a group from a Hudson church. It is medical work they are accompanying a doctor and will be visiting remote villages to offer medical care to the needy. She’s been driving up for meetings to learn about what they will be doing and about India.
August 22nd, 2007 at 11:25 pm
Maureen,
You, trying to find courage to ask Stagers about guest blogging? As far as I can tell you are the local blogging queen. Any Stager interested in establishing firm strategic alliances and sharing intriguing dialogue would be honored to blog with you.
If only I had time to blog consistently, fortunately business is too good and I don’t have nearly enough opportunities to enjoy your blog.
You are a gem.
Your friend in Staging,
Jodi Poliseno
August 23rd, 2007 at 03:55 am
Jodi you are too kind. Can Michael write?
If things slow down and you want to guest blog contact me.
Visit Jodi’s website: great info on what staging is. http://www.refineddesign.info/3.html
Can I blog about you sometime? Do an interview with you?
I had a brouhaha on ActiveRain over my home inspection guest blogger that was just resolved, I am scared a stager could be even more high maintenance than a home inspector.
The guest blogger who has written on ColumbusBestBlog once is not high maintenance. I look forward to another entry from David Tamny soon. Another home inspector on ActiveRain has been commenting inappropriately on my AR blog for months and started screaming he’d been denied free speech on my AR blog because I deleted all his comments since May. Or I delete his comments because he comments inappropriately. It is a vicious circle.
Again thanks for the comment.
August 28th, 2007 at 01:00 am
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