1. What is Staging?
2. Why Should I Have My Home Staged?
3. Do I really need to take off wallpaper, repaint walls and replace carpeting before I put my home on the market?
4. How do Realtors® benefit from RE:STYLE’s services?
5. How do I choose a staging professional?

Staging®, or “restyling,” is a way of professionally preparing or staging a house for sale, and it’s changing the way homes are marketed today. We know how to help you sell your home faster - contact today to find out how. “Staging can increase prices from two to 10 percent in a moderate market and up to 50 percent in hot markets or for luxury homes.” The Times, “Setting the stage” by Anne Levin, November 10, 2005

When staging a house for sale, lived-in homes need de-cluttering and de-personalizing and neutralizing the décor so that your house appeals to the broadest range of buyers.

“When it comes to real estate these days, it’s definitely a buyer’s market. But there’s a new service that can give sellers a real advantage. It’s called home staging. Home staging is preparing a house for a quick and profitable sale. Home staging has been popular on the west coast for some time. Now it’s being used to sell Michigan homes.”
WXYZ.com, “7 On Your Side:Home Staging Could Help Sell Your House”, by JoAnne Purtan (web—Seth Myers), July 13, 2005

Vacant home staging involves adding furniture and accessories in order to create a warm, inviting space that has wide appeal. In both cases, the object is to highlight the features of the house and downplay any flaws.

“Many people have a hard time imagining what a vacant home will look like when it’s furnished. For these buyers, a vacant house poses a problem. They walk into an empty living room and start worrying about how they’d furnish it.”
Detroit Free Press, “Staging helps a house sell fast” by Emily Shartin (Boston Globe), November 13, 2005

Real estate is about location, location, location.
Staging, as performed by RE:STYLE, is about emotion, emotion, emotion. Location, emotional appeal through staging, and price are what sell homes today!

“Staging specifically targets homes that are about to be listed or those that have been on the market for some time and gives homes the leg-up in the competitive real estate market.”
Herald Democrat, “Improve the marketability of your home” November 25, 2005

“If the seller postpones needed changes until after the home sits on the market, they risk having their house become what real estate agents call ‘market worn’ and less desirable to buyers. ‘Market worn’ homes often translate into more mortgage payments and major disruptions in a family’s plans.”
The Journal-Standard, “Setting the Stage” by Tabitha Engel, June 18, 2005

Why should I have my home staged?
The way you live in your home and the way you market your house for sale are two very different things!

“There’s an unwritten rule in the real estate industry: When the housing market slows down, show off. As inventory grows, buyers are being wooed by more options, and sellers are seeking ways to make their homes stand out.”
Detroit Free Press, “Staging helps a house sell fast” by Emily Shartin (Boston Globe), November 13, 2005

Properly staging any house, lived in or vacant, gives it that all-important competitive edge in this currently very crowded market. By staging, or “restyling” your home, RE:STYLE will make it appeal to the broadest range of buyers.

When you RE:STYLE, your house will sell more quickly and , chances are, more profitably! That means, if you’ve already purchased another home, you’ll save a bundle on second mortgage payments, and all the utility bills it takes to keep your old house in show condition. Not to mention taxes, insurance, interest…you get the picture! Contact us and we can show you how staging a house for sale can help you sell more quickly.

“In Metro Detroit, more homes are being listed for sale and taking longer to sell. At the same time, the median sales price grew just 1.9 percent through July to $163,786, compared with the same seven-month period a year ago.” The Detroit News, “Area faces falling home prices” by R. J. King, August, 2005

Statistics show that houses that are not staged stay on the market up to 4 times longer than homes that are staged. Visit StagedHomes.com and look at the “Statistics” section for more specifics about staging a house for sale.

“One of the worst things that can happen to a property is it stays on the market too long. If a house has been for sale a while, people start thinking there must be something wrong with it.”
news-press.com, ”Every home a fix-‘er-upper” by Anne Mitchell, June 26, 2005

You’ll see why 90% of the houses in California are staged, and 25% of houses nationwide.

“Realtors say staged homes net higher prices and sit on the market for less time than unstaged ones. Joy Valentine, a broker at Coldwell Banker in Los Altos, California, looked at 3,358 homes sold in the San Francisco Bay area from Jan. 1, 2002, to Oct. 31, 2002. In general, the staged homes went for the asking price and spent 35.3 days on the market, vs. 2% below asking price and 48.2 days for the group.”
BusinessWeek, “Showtime For Your Home” by Annie Tergesen, November 22, 2004

Homes that have been restyled also look much more appealing in photos. Since many buyers are searching the web sites for homes, yours needs to look its best. Buyers don’t necessarily choose a home to buy from photos—but they do choose which homes to eliminate.

“Most potential buyers tend to be busy people who are not interested in houses that need work.”
Detroit Free Press, “Staging helps a house sell fast” by Emily Shartin (Boston Globe), November 13, 2005

Buyers only know what they see, not the way it’s going to be! Since most prospects aren’t good at visualizing, you need to help them see all the features of your house, without distracting them with your personal (though excellent) taste.

“Existing homes in the region (metro Detroit) are staying on the market an average of 73 days. That’s up more than 30 percent from July 2004 when homes took an average of 56 days to sell. Active listings are up 20 percent from a year ago.” The Detroit News, “Area faces falling home prices” by R. J. King, August, 2005 Buyers today have a lot of houses to choose from, so you need to make sure that yours compares favorably with everything that’s out there. That includes new-build houses. Buyers today expect your house to be Q-tip clean and move-in ready, which is why staging houses is so helpful when selling.

“Remax‘s Hatton said the amount clients spend (on staging) is often linked to the asking price of the home. If you’re selling a home for $280,000 or more and you have outdated wallpaper, you need to address that. (Not replacing it) can cost you $10,000 on the sale of a house…(Homebuyers) see that wallpaper and they don’t think, ‘It will be $500 to change this wallpaper out’; they think, ‘Lord have mercy, this house needs updating and I’m going to have to spend $10,000 on it'.”
The Times, “Setting the stage” by Anne Levin, November 10, 2005

So, yes—remove wallpaper, repaint walls, replace worn or outdated carpeting. RE:STYLE and stand out from the rest!

“The trend is called many things—staging, redesigning, visually coordinating—but setting up a home to sell institutionalizes principles real estate agents have long known.” Tampa Tribune, “Moneymaking Makeovers” by Shannon Behnken, August 16, 2005 RE:STYLE serves as a partner for Realtors. When it comes to unpleasant household (pet) odors or too much of Mom’s scrapbooking clutter, RE:STYLE can be the “bad guy” and deliver the news that these things must be taken care of in order to get the most money for the home. And since ASPs™ are seen as experts, RE:STYLE can offer expert home staging advice, often the same advice as the Realtor gave, and the seller will take it more seriously. Check out RE:STYLE REWARDS for Realtors to find out how RE:STYLE can help you reduce your cost and get your listings SOLD!

Restyled homes sell more quickly. That means Realtors spend less time and money promoting the property. More money in their pocket! And, the faster a home sells, the more likely a seller is to get full price—so the Realtor gets a full-price commission!

“According to the 2003 HomeGain Survey of 2000 real estate agents nationwide, staging a home results in a 169 percent return on the investment and three-quarters of the agents recommended staging a home before putting it on the market. Studies show that staged homes sell for an average of 17 percent more and up to 40 percent faster.”
The Hour, by Chris Bosak, August 5, 2005

The goal is the same for both Realtors and RE:STYLE—sell the house more quickly, and more profitably.

“Although straightening up the house for prospective buyers may seem like common sense, professionals add another layer, often suggesting ideas home owners haven’t considered. But don’t call them decorators. Traditional home designers may seek to incorporate their clients’ style into the look of the home, but home stagers ‘undecorate’.” Tampa Tribune, “Moneymaking Makeovers” by Shannon Behnken, August 16, 2005 It’s easy—choose RE:STYLE LLC and you’ll get an Accredited Staging Professional (ASP™) who has received specific training in proper staging techniques through Staged Homes — founded by Barb Schwarz, the originator of staging. With RE:STYLE, you also get a professional with over 30 years of experience in marketing, and a degree in design from a highly regarded university. RE:STYLE provides the expert home staging advice that can help you stage your home to sell.

“Good home-staging professionals can be worth every penny they charge, especially in areas where sales are beginning to slow.”
Detroit Free Press, “About Real Estate: Home stagers may be worth their fees in slower markets” by David Myers, July 17, 2005

What this means for you is that RE:STYLE brings a buyer’s perspective to every job. RE:STYLE gives you the insight you need to make your home into a house that appeals to the widest range of buyers, and the creativity that allows it to compete successfully with other “products” on the market.

“First impressions are never more important than when you’re selling a home. But it can take a trained eye to spot features that would turn a buyer off. And the longer a house sticks on the market, the more likely the seller will drop the price.”
news-press.com, ”Every home a fix-‘er-upper” by Anne Mitchell, June 26, 2005

Buyers have a difficult time visualizing how their belongings will fit into an empty space. Staging, or styling, the rooms provides a sense of scale so prospects can better judge the size of the rooms. “In areas where slower real estate sales equal a large inventory of homes in every price range it is still critical to put the best face on a house. Sometimes that is called making the beds, but real estate agents generally refer to it as ‘staging’.” MortgageNewsDaily.com, May 31, 2005

What if I just want a different look using my own furniture and accessories?

RE:STYLE offers a service called Re:Styling for Real Life Living. With this service, we use your furniture and accessories to give your home a fresh, new look—all in line with your taste and the way you live in your home. Kathi Presutti, President of RE:STYLE LLC was interviewed about Staging to Live in Home & Design magazine. Click here to read the entire text.

How do you go about staging a home?

Following proven processes and techniques, RE:STYLE begins by going through each room and de-cluttering, setting objects aside in 3 piles—those to keep in the room, those to go into a shopping area, and those to pack. After each room is cleared, we then go back and arrange the furniture to accent the focal point, and re-accessorize appropriately, using items from the “shopping area.” Of course, all through the process, creativity is key, and often spontaneous.

“Realtors forever have advised sellers on techniques—picking up clutter, hiding dirty dishes in the dishwasher, brewing an aromatic tea—to make prospective buyers feel comfortable. But effectively preparing a house to show at its best goes well beyond such tips.” Wall Street Journal, “How Staging a House Can Pay Off for Sellers” by Penny Doherty, April 30, 2003

This isn’t a formula, it’s a creative process that provides pleasure for the stager and home seller alike. RE:STYLE believes that staging, or “restyling,” should be fun for all!

“Staging is changing people’s lives. It’s a freeing of all their clutter. Clutter can bring stress. Once clutter is gone, it helps people feel free.”
Barb Schwarz, originator and owner of Staged Homes

“A fresh coat of paint and new lighting fixtures are easy, inexpensive ways to spruce up a home’s interior…And don’t ignore the dust, dirt and mold that may have collected over the years. Believe it or not, a deep cleaning can translate into more cash in your pocket.”
Detroit Free Press, “Restraint pays if prepping to sell” by Shannon Fromma, June 12, 2005

It’s also a good idea to have boxes and packing material available—for that “to-be-packed pile” we mentioned earlier.

“Though some homeowners may be hesitant to spend the money to make changes, repairs and improvements shortly before selling a home they have lived in for years…it is money well spent.”
The Journal-Standard, “Setting the Stage” by Tabitha Engel, June 18, 2005

The price for home staging is determined by a variety of factors: square footage, complexity of the job, whether it’s a lived-in home or a vacant property, estimated number of hours it will take, whether the seller needs RE:STYLE to shop for accessories, rental of furniture, rental of ASP’s™ accessories—there’s a lot to consider! All the planning and other preparation also take time that needs to be factored into the cost as well.

“Staging, unlike decorating, involves editing, being impersonal and doing so on a limited budget in a short time.”  The Flint Journal, “Lights! Camera! Real Estate Action?” by Melissa Burden, October 9, 2005 RE:STYLE will do as little or as much as you would like. Set a budget, and we will tell you what we can do for that amount. We use creativity here, as well, sometimes “shopping” your new home for items to stage your old home, all in an effort to achieve your goals while saving you money. Contact us today to get started!

“Some troubling signs have emerged: the number of Metro Detroit homes for sale is up, sale prices are up only slightly and houses are taking longer to sell.”
The Detroit News, “Area faces falling home prices” by R. J. King, August, 2005

Perhaps the better question is, “What is the cost of NOT Staging?”

“If the seller postpones needed changes until after the home sits on the market, they risk having their house become what real estate agents call ‘market worn’ and less desirable to buyers. ‘Market worn’ homes often translate into more mortgage payments and major disruptions in a family’s plans.”
The Journal-Standard, “Setting the Stage” by Tabitha Engel, June 18, 2005

It’s difficult to estimate costs without actually seeing the house in question. RE:STYLE will do as much or as little as you like. Just provide a budget, and RE:STYLE will take it from there! Of course, if you prefer, RE:STYLE will provide a bid after doing a walk-through consultation.

RE:STYLE now and sell your home more quickly and more profitably! Call us today at 810-333-5240 or contact us anytime...