SPOTLIGHT ON REAL ESTATE PHOTOGRAPHY
Staging, Staging, Staging
You'll share many exciting moments with your listing agent, like the day you close on your house, but before that red letter day arrives, there will be other conversations. Maybe the market isn't ready for the price you'd hoped to get or the home inspector discovers a necessary repair that will cost you a fortune. Your agent will be reluctant to deliver these pieces of bad news, but it's part of their job.
While "location, location, location" still rates as one of the top factors in the sale of your home, staging gets more attention every day. Some staging advice is easy to understand. A pot of seasonal flowers on your doorstep? Of course that would warm up potential buyer's opinion of your house and it won't cost much. However, sometimes staging advice can feel like personal criticism and can come with a sizable price tag. While it might be hard for you to hear what your home needs, delivering the message may even be more difficult.
It's Not About Your Taste
What may not be clear is this - staging is not about taste or style. Your taste might be amazing and your style absolutely on point, but neither of these may do a thing to help sell your house. Staging a home is all about making the house attractive to the largest number of people, but it's also about helping potential buyers imagine themselves in your space. Those two things might not be the same thing.
While listing agents are knowledgeable about staging, that's not their primary focus. They can't be expected to have an exhaustive knowledge of design or even to be aware of the latest design trends. For the best advice you need a design expert, but don't call an interior decorator. Their job is to decorate a home to fit your taste and your budget.
If you're selling your home, you want a staging expert. They understand that you don't want to spend a whole lot of money decorating up a place you are leaving. Their job is to use what you have and suggest inexpensive fixes to take your house to the next level. In fact, one of the most important things they do is help you understand what needs to go into hiding. Hiring a professional staging expert might be one of the best investments you can make.
What to Expect
Staging comes in all sizes. Builders often hire decorators to come in and stage a vacant model home. However, you can also hire a staging pro to come out to your home (for a very reasonable price) and give you a personalized to-do list to complete on your own. For instance, Amy Fedosky of Staging Dallas, will do that very thing for about $250, but she also offers other levels of service. Whether you'd like her to do the actual staging operation for you, completely furnish an empty home or even provide staging enhancements to punch up your look - you can count on Amy.
If you're selling your home, talk to your listing agent about hiring a staging expert. Chances are they'll love having a pro handle the task. They know good advise from an expert can get your home sold faster. Your real estate photographer will be very happy you called a staging expert, too. It will make your home look even better in their pictures.