COVER STORY
The VALUE of Home Staging & Showcasing • The most common rooms that are staged include the living room (83 percent), kitchen (76 percent), master bedroom (69 percent), and the dining room (66 percent). • Buyers consider the most important rooms for staging are the living room (55 percent), followed by the master bedroom (51 percent), and then the kitchen (41 percent).1
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Many Realtors know that to sell a home quickly, it needs to stand out from the rest. There are many tricks of the trade that showcase a home in the best possible light allowing potential buyers the ability to visualize living in that home. Taking a few extra steps such as investing in professional photography, aerial images, and staging can make all the difference in your business and your client’s experience. According to the National Association of REALTORS (NAR) 2017 Profile of Home Staging, 62 percent of seller’s agents say that staging a home will decrease the amount of time it spends on the market. Less time on the market means happier clientele and the agent can move onto the next sale. Buyers also need to be able to picture themselves living in a house, and according to the report, 77 percent of buyer’s agents say that staging makes it easier for buyers to visualize a house as their future home. Properly staging a home can also increase a home’s value. Thirty-one percent of buyers' agents reported that staging increases dollar value by one to five percent. Sellers' agents report even more value is added from staging. Twentynine percent reported an increase of one to five percent in dollar value offered by buyers, making home staging and showcasing a win-win.
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Additional Highlights of the report include: • 40 percent of potential buyers are more willing to walk through a staged home they first saw online. • 38 percent of buyers' agents said that staging positively affects a home's value if the home is decorated to the buyer's taste, meaning that a home's staging should be designed to appeal to the largest number of potential buyers. • 38 percent of sellers’ agents said they stage all sellers’ homes before listing them for sale. • Only one percent of buyers' agents felt that staging has a negative impact on a home's dollar value. 6 JULY 2018
Digital Photography, Videos & Drones Photography has come a long way in a few short years, and quality digital images can really set a property apart from the competition. The NAR 2017 Profile of Home Staging report states that 89 percent of homebuyers who searched for a home on the internet found photos to be among the most useful, and 82 percent of homebuyers find virtual tours to be very or somewhat useful. Today’s digital photography and virtual tours allow Realtors to showcase properties like never before. “On every listing I do, regardless of price, I always pay for professional photography, including 3D and aerial photography, as well as video fly-overs of the neighborhood and amenities,” said Miranda Oswald, Broker Associate with Keller Williams on the Water. “It is such a small investment but a critical one for the return. When I look at my competition, photos always stand out. They help a prospective buyer visualize living at that home. I have found that, regardless of the price, it is imperative that I spend the money upfront on photography.” Digital images quickly and professionally showcase a home, and today's buyer or seller have come to expect quality images, so much so that a poorly showcased home truly stands out. Clients today are also more technologically savvy than ever before and appreciate the ease of a virtual tour for both long distance and local moves. “I’ve had customers come to town ready to buy based on the 3D virtual tours alone; they are such a great tool,” said Oswald. “Sometimes when I am showing them a house that they have seen on 3D, they tell me they know what is coming up around the corner.”
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Sarasota/Manatee REALTOR® Magazine
www.MyRASM.com
