Town Topics Newspaper 4 10 13 by Witherspoon Media Group

TOWN TOPICS, PRINCETON, N.J., WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013 • 32

Quicker, More Lucrative Sales Can Result From Professional Home Staging

he stress level of selling a house is right up there with divorce and root canal, says a Princeton resident, who recently sold her home. “It is really hard! Even with the best realtors helping you, there is just so much angst! De-cluttering, repainting, never knowing when people will show up, having to take the dog somewhere else — it is challenging.” Reducing the number of days the house is on the market was one way to keep her mental health, and she decided to avail herself of LET NATURE take its course with Holistic Design Approach. Nicholas Carnevale, Architect/ the services of professional home stagers. Planner of Princeton adds drama and excitement to your ceiling and space for a private PrincStaging a house — that is, eton residence. presenting the house in its most attractive state, uncluttered, free of many personal belongings (photos, memora-

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bilia, etc.) will help it to sell faster and at a higher price, believe area stagers. Attractive for Sale “Homeowners often don’t understand why buyers who are looking at a house cannot see the potential and quality of the home that they (the owners) have lived in, often for years,” explains Jessica Goldenstern of JMG Concepts Staging|Re-design|Feng Shui in Princeton. “Turning your home into a place you personally love to live in and making it attractive for sale are two very different things

Julius says...

with different objectives. If you can’t imagine your own home as an object that needs to be optimized for sale, you should get help. “Buyers often can’t visualize how they would furnish and live in a home when the walls are covered with photographs of a stranger’s family or when the rooms are so cluttered that buyers cannot picture how to fi ll the space with their own furniture.” Staging has been around fo r a l o n g t i m e , a d d s Carla Cheifetz, owner of Continued on Next Page

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popular recently, and as she notes, “Owners who want to Continued from Preceding Page get their home sold faster Showhomes, the staging and for more money will use franchise in Lawrenceville. It a staging company to help has become more and more them get their home ready for

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owner of Classic Creations Consultants in East Windsor, agrees. “I started introducing staging into my design business about 10 years ago, and back then, it was a pretty new concept on the east coast, but today, you will find that many people request it because they have heard so many statistics and know that the value is there.” More and more homeowners today are using staging when selling, she continues. “I work with a large number of realtors who swear by staging and have me in every one of their listings. In today’s market, both pricing a home competitively and staging a home and marketing it to its fullest potential are the two most important ingredients for a quick and successful sale. “I have worked with the same realtors for years and keep getting calls from new ones that I have been referred to. I have developed a nice relationship with many

realtors in the area, and I think of us as a team to get the house sold quickly and for the price they want.” Higher Prices “Many realtors work with stagers and recommend them to their clients,” notes Ms. Cheifetz. “A great realtor will always provide their sellers with options and suggestions, whether it be from painting to de-cluttering to bringing in a stager. This way an owner will have all the facts and then can make the best decision.” “These days, it’s common for real estate agents to recommend or request that the clients they represent obtain the services of a stager because well-staged homes are easier to sell, typically sell faster and demand higher prices than comparable unstaged homes in similar locations,” says Ms. Goldenstern. “Often, the partnership between realtor and the stager can make a real difference. Continued on Next Page

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33 • TOWN TOPICS, PRINCETON, N.J., WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013

Home Staging

TOWN TOPICS, PRINCETON, N.J., WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013 • 34

Home Staging Continued from Preceding Page

Good working relationships and knowing how to complement each other are key. “And, also, thanks to the increasing success of staging and exposure on TV shows like the HGTV channel, home stagers are being employed more and more frequently to apply their expertise in making a home more desirable.” Another thing, she adds, “Homes that have been staged are visually much more appealing, also in photos. Many buyers are searching the web first to find a home. They don’t necessarily choose a home to buy from photos, but they do choose which homes to eliminate from their list and which ones they will take a closer look at.” For the homeowner, the staging process can typically be one of removal. De-cluttering, de-personalizing, and “doing away with.” When people have lived in a house for many years, the accumulation of items frequently multiplies over time. Much of this may be detrimental in the eyes of a potential buyer. A stager will make important recommendations, says Ms. Goldenstern. “Decluttering the home room by room, removing any personal items, including photos and unique accessories, colorcoordinating rooms for harmony, making sure that there is a good flow to the floor plan; re-arranging furniture for the best possible visual effect and use of space. A stager helps realtors and homeowners in identifying the home’s strengths.”

Vacant House Interestingly, if the house is vacant — literally, without furniture, accessories, etc. — the opposite applies, she adds. “Many people have a hard time imagining what a vacant home will look like when it’s furnished. For these buyers, a vacant home is a problem because all they see are empty rooms. “Vacant homes take longer to sell. Staging a vacant home involves selecting and arranging rental furniture and accessories in order to create a warm, inviting space that has wide appeal. What surprises many people is

that a space with the right furniture in the right place appears larger than a vacant room.” “My staging consultations last from one to two hours depending on the size of the house and the need,” explains Ms. D’Ambrosia. “I will go room by room with the homeowner and the realtor and then type up a detailed report that the homeowner can use to get each room ready for the market. Some homeowners can do all the work themselves and others need help. I have many contractors, organizers, movers, etc. that I get estimates from for the homeowners.”

Some stagers are also interior designers, while others are not. As Carla Cheifetz points out, “I think the big difference is that a home stager is staging the house to sell whereas an interior designer is designing that home for the owner to live in. It’s very different.” The cost of home staging varies depending on the size of the house and the scope of the project. All the stagers agree that the costs of staging are less than the costs of keeping a house on the market, and staging costs are also mitigated by the higher selling price staging will bring.

“One thing I always express to an owner is that generally your first price reduction is around 5 percent, which is well under what it would cost you to stage,” points out Ms. Cheifetz. “Another factor for an owner to consider is how long will it take to sell if they choose not to stage. They need to factor in the carrying cost of holding on to that property. When you add up the price reduction and the months it took to sell the house, how could they afford not to stage?” Show-Ready Ms. Cheifetz bases her fee on the scope of the job. “I

require only one-half to be paid at contract signing and the balance to be paid at closing or cancellation of the contract. Plus if the house is vacant, we come back weekly to clean and always keep the house show-ready. I do everything in my power to work with the owner and the listing agent to help get the house sold.” Ms. D’Ambrosia says that staging prices can range from $500 to $6,000 or more, but cautions homeowners not to be put off by the price. “Remember that an investment in staging your house may Continued on Next Page

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net you thousands of dollars more at the closing of escrow and fewer days spent marketing your house.” Some stagers charge by the hour, others offer a flat fee, adds Ms. Goldenstern. And keep in mind, she points out, “Whether a house sells in 35 days or in 175 days is a big difference. Also, typically, the price for a house is reduced if it has been on the market for longer than a month.” She refers to a study by stagedhomes.com which reported that “Staged homes sold for 6.9 percent more than their unstaged counterparts. Staged homes sell in an average of 35 days compared to 175 days for unstaged homes.” Ms. D’Ambrosia provides further statistics. “63 percent of people polled by Maritz, a sales and marketing research company, claimed they will pay up to 63 percent more for a house they perceive to be turn-key.” Stagers also do not forget about the outside of the house, she adds. “We talk about the landscape being neat, with edging, mulch, flowers in pots when the weather is appropriate. We also address the exterior condition of the house — front door, deck or patio, roof, etc. Anything that needs to be noted inside or outside to make a good presentation is addressed as part of the staging consultation.” Curb Appeal “Curb appeal is a very important part of our job,” adds Ms. Goldenstern. “The exterior of the house and also the front and back yard should be in tip-top condition. It’s the first impression.” Ms. Cheifetz agrees. “We work from the curb to the back yard. There are some factors you can’t change — a busy street, a power line, which direction a house faces — but what we can control is to try to take away all possible obstacles that a potential buyer might have. Then we know we have given our very best.” The best possible presentation can make all the difference, both inside and outside. A few final tips to make a house sale-ready are offered by the Real Estate Staging Association (RESA). “Make your house look organized — even if you aren’t! “Hang mirrors to widen a narrow room.

Funding for t he 2012 grants comes from the Garden State Preservation Trust Fund, which was created to preserve open space, farmland and historic sites. The grant round will support non-construction activities such as conditions assessments, engineering reports, construction documents, archaeology investigations, use feasibility studies and heritage tourism initiatives. “Every grant round is highly competitive,” said Historic Trust Executive Director Dorothy P. Guzzo. “The First Presbyterian Church project in Ewing Township is exceptional in its design and will not only help save our state’s significant history, but contribute to its economy.” For more information on the New Jersey Historic Trust, visit: www.njht.org/.

Continued from Preceding Page

“Add light inside closets to make them look bigger.” And remember, adds the RESA report, “If you have a budget, a professional stager will be able to tell you where to invest your dollars for the best return. They will be able to make recommendations on everything from paint choices to knowing when to replace or update items and what stays and what should be packed up. “Staging also shows buyers the property’s true potential. Buyers often do not have the funds to purchase a house and then pay more money to address repairs, painting, etc. Buyers’ agents recognize that professionally-staged listings are ‘move-in’ ready, and they like to show staged properties.” Finally, when considering hiring a stager, adds the RESA report, make sure the stager knows the area. “Have they worked in the seller’s area? It is important for stagers to do their homework and understand the market in the neighborhood they are staging.” With the help of a professional stager and a good realtor, selling your house does not need to be an anxietyridden ordeal. With their assistance, you will be ready to “move on” smoothly, with the least stress and the most comfort. —Jean Stratton

35 • TOWN TOPICS, PRINCETON, N.J., WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2013

Home Staging

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