This month’s Salem Business Journal has an article about home selling in 2011 and features our home staging company, Creative Concepts! Woo hoo! Thanks Salem Business Journal!!
Here’s the link to the article (top of page 5) and it is also reprinted below. (I also just had to throw in a couple of photos from a recent job we did in Monmouth. Was on the market without any offers for several months — had an offer the first weekend once it was updated and staged.)
Home-staging –A Selling Strategy for 2011
In 2011, the deck seems stacked against home sellers.
Lower prices, longer days on market, lots of competition and fewer buyers make the days of putting out a “for sale” sign and receiving a quick offer a faded memory. One real estate expert recently summed up the Oregon real estate market as a “price war and a beauty contest”. Not only do buyers expect to find a house that is a bargain, but one that they can fall in love with, as well. How can home sellers level the playing field and get their home sold quicker and for top dollar?
More people are turning to home-staging and finding it the strategy that works.The concept of home-staging is simple: improving a home to appeal to the highest number of potential buyers. Make it a welcoming, attractive product. Sellers often overlook flaws that are potential red flags to buyers and underestimate how people will react to their décor, paint choices or clutter. Based on research by real estate agents, home-staging can reduce a listing’s time on the market by one third to half, and may sell for even more than an empty home or one that is not properly staged.
Home-staging professionals bring an objective eye to a home and use a combination of interior design and home improvement expertise to ensure a home will show to its best advantage. More than cleaning, clearing clutter or adding décor; professional staging targets home buyers emotions and draws them in, and it’s a strategy that works. Within ten seconds of entering a home, buyers form a strong impression – and if it isn’t “wow – I love this house”, they’ll be moving on to view the next listing.A local staging company, Creative Concepts – Home-staging and Contracting recently analyzed their statistics for a four week period in April 2011. Thirteen homes were staged, priced from $130,000 to $700,000. At the end of that four-week period, six of these properties were under contract. Five of the houses staged during this period had been staged 12 days or less when the data was compiled.
The Creative Concepts tagline is “You can’t change market conditions, the competition or your location. We can help you change the presentation of your home”. Creative Concepts offers consultations, staging props and advice to dozens of home-sellers every week – often with amazing results. The goal of Creative Concepts is to transform the ordinary to extraordinary – taking a home from looking “lived in” to “longed for”.
Their best advice for home sellers? Listen to real estate professionals.“Successful home-selling is based on presentation and price” states Margaret Oscilia, owner and professional stager with Creative Concepts. “If sellers price their home as recommended and stage it professionally, they will beat the odds and sell their home much quicker. We’ve staged homes that have languished on the market for over a year and had them sell within two weeks. By entering the market at the right price and perfect presentation, sellers can offer a product that portrays the best value and lifestyle – one that captures home buyer’s attention and hearts!
Want more tips or ideas on homestaging? Check out the website and blog for Creative Concepts at CreativeConceptsAndContracting.com or email Margaret at stagingoregon@gmail.com.
