Home staging enhances curb appeal - first impressions can equate to a higher sales price

 

Part 1 of 2 series

 

HONOLULU ADVERTISER September 11, 2005

BY LISA SCONTRAS

Custom Publishing Group

 

The adage that you never get a second chance to make a first impression is as applicable to preparing your home for sale as it is to selecting clothes for a job interview.

First impressions do count.

 

Typically, a homebuyer makes up their mind within 30 seconds of walking into an open house.

A Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties agent says that’s   what curb appeal is all about.

 

 “Home shoppers are forming an opinion when they pull into the driveway. By the time they’re out of the car, most have already made up their minds.”

 

Prudential Locations sales manager Greta Richardson agrees.

“We’d like to think that people can look beyond clutter and untidiness, but often they can’t.”

 

The awareness that buyers are unconsciously drawing conclusions within the first seconds of arriving at a home has given rise to a marketing strategy called “home staging” which is the process of decluttering and cleaning, adding and rearranging furniture, and making repairs to create a positive first impression.

 

And while the practice is common in parts of the Mainland, it’s just catching on here in Hawaii. Large real estate companies on the Island are actually training their agents on the basic aspects of home staging as a way for their clients to get a leg up on the competition.

 

“Our agents can offer their clients staging basics for no extra fees,” says Richardson. “Or for bigger jobs, they can refer them to a staging professional.”

 

Professional home stager Christine Carson, founder of Hawaii Staged Homes, buys fixer-uppers herself and understands that home-purchase decisions are made based on emotion.

 

“If the yard is dirty, you already have a mindset going in that ‘these people don’t take care of their home,’” she says. “It could be that the house is real clean, but you’ve already made up your mind.”

 

Home staging basics include tricks for making the home feel bigger.

 

“We’ll re-arrange existing furniture as well as remove some furniture to open up a space,” adds Richardson. “Since they’re moving anyway, we suggest boxing some of their things up early.”

 

Kitchen countertops, bathroom sinks and bedroom dressers are typical places that attract clutter.

 

“It’s amazing how much bigger the space looks when we select one, two or three items per countertop,” says Richardson, who trains Prudential’s agents on the latest home-staging techniques.

 

According to Carson, staged homes will generally sell faster and for more money.

 

“The cost of staging is less than the first price reduction,” adds Carson, who compares home staging to detailing your car before you try and sell it.

 

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