Real Estate Staging andConsulting Services

Johanna WellsCertified Interior Staging Specialist

303.217.3821

Moving Properties Faster

What Sellers Want

From the National Association of Realtors® in their "2005 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers"

In Order of Importance

1. Find a Buyer for Their Home

2. Sell Home Within a Specific Time Frame

3. Price Home Competitively

4. Find Ways to Fix Up Their Home to Sell It for More: At the very least, suggesting things to do to enhance the look and presentation of the property.

5. Help With Paperwork, Inspections and Preparing for Settlement

Having nothing in a house makes it very easy for the buyer to focus their attention on even the smallest of flaws and then negatively fixate on the

flaws and the money to spend on changing flaws

Home Developers have invested in and created model homes for their

buyers to EXPERIENCE

Staging levels the playing field and makes available to EVERY home seller a marketing tool that for years only had been used by larger Home

Developers.

A buyer will be attracted to a home that they spatially understand; get a good feeling of “home” from; is bright,

warm and inviting; and shows no glaring signs for maintenance or repair.

A vacant house will quite often lack or have no lights at all in some rooms. Bad lighting makes it harder for the buyer to see what they are buying, and makes the house show as dreary, dark and

dull.

• The University of Rochester School of Medicine recently published a study based on brain activity imaging that reveals emotions are inextricably a part of the decision process. In fact, "if you eliminate the emotional guiding factors, it's impossible [for people] to make decisions in daily life."

• A University of Florida study on emotions and their effects on the buying process, headlined that "Americans More Likely to Let Their Emotions Do the Buying." The study contends that "emotions were nearly twice as important as knowledge in buying decisions." The UF study pointed out "marketers should focus more on understanding how to connect with their audiences on emotional as well as intellectual levels.

•Your marketing must trigger emotion(s) that will persuade your prospects to buy your product

• The commonsense side of the decision is: can I afford it, does it meet within our financial limitations? (The logical approach.)

• There should be the balance of: "Wow … this is the place because I feel at home." (The emotional response.)

Pictures are worth a

thousand words

Real Estate Staging: What’s it all about?

• Creating a visual experience and a theme of emotional warmth that will appeal to the largest number of potential buyers

Buyers need “visual cues’ because most have difficulty envisioning how the space

could look with their furnishings.

It is harder to get the welcome feeling of “home” from a vacant property, the emptiness will actually make it more difficult

for buyers to emotionally attach to it.

For many buyers a big part of knowing a house will be the “one” is the emotional connection/vibe they get from it. Houses that are vacant often give off a

hollow desperate loneliness.

Vacant homes make the basic part of the buying process more difficult.Empty rooms will always feel smaller than a

furnished room

Home Staging is almost always lower than the cost of the first price reduction.

Props create focal points for buyers to imagine their own furnishings in the home and get them

thinking about living in the space.

Props help to keep property in the mind of

buyers who view many houses in a row.

Props, soften the hollow, echo sound and show how a small space can be used

Props add perspective with visual depth -- vacant rooms look flat.

Props chosen with your target buyer in mind help reinforce desired emotions.

Some advice on creating a model home strategy

Conventional wisdom, realtors and the NAHB's "old hands" advise that you build a model home, then you furnish it. Sage advisers from architects to interior designers tell you that home buyers can better "relate" to your home when you first drop $30-$50 per square foot in home furnishings.

There are actually three approaches to model homes: One is to fully furnish, or "merchandise," one or more model homes; the second is to provide a minimalist or "vignette" approach, furnishing certain rooms or niches rather than the whole model; and the third is to have no furnished models. I've advocated each position, depending upon the conditions.

3 approaches to staging home1. Fully stage or merchandise the home

2 Provide a minimalist or "vignette" approach furnishing certain rooms or niches

3. Do nothing.

The case for StagingThe biggest argument for furnishing is to demonstrate both utilitarian and decorator uses for rooms in your home. Smart decorating can accentuate your home's strengths and moderate its shortcomings.

When should you use furnish? 1. When the furnished home actually helps buyers

make a decision2. When a high percentage of the sales in your

market are made by outside agents3. When the home requires special treatments to

emphasize strengths or mask deficiencies.

The case for vignettesVignettes, or furnishing sparingly, can help to give buyers the idea without being overwhelming. Sparse furnishings and smart use of color with décor can work wonders, making a cramped room seem "cozy," for example.

When should you use vignettes? When you have a pretty hot market; when you want to showcase a certain feature of the home; when you want to mask a certain deficiency, when you don't have a big budget; when your home could use some tasty suggestions.

Critical Factors That Sell Homes

• Location

• Price

• Presentation

• Home Condition

• Market Condition

• Marketing

Creating an Ambience to Stimulate A Purchase Response

We do the work of setting the stage working with balance, flow and harmony of the space

Staging Consultations

Leasing

• Certification from IRIS • Certificate of Completion Color in Architectural Space• Certificate of Completion in Color/Environment and

Human Reaction• Certificate of Completion in Biological Effects of

Light/Color Psychology in depth• Published in Colorado Homes and Lifestyles, Rocky

Mountain News, Denver Post and DIY Magazine• Have presented to the public eight rooms in the Denver

Junior Symphony Guild Showhouses and done one Parade of Homes

• Certification from Interior Redesign Industry Specialists, Certificates of Completion from the International Assoc. of Color Consultants and Designers,

Look Group-Johanna Wells303.217.3821

www.lookgroupinc.com johannawells@lookgroupinc.com