The Benefits of Professionally Staging Your Oahu Home For Sale

Your house is probably your largest asset, selling it can be one of the most important decisions in your life. In today’s market you really must consider professional staging to get the highest price in the shortest period of time. When you list a house for sale it becomes a product, as I mention every week on my radio show “Stage It To Sell It” on AM Radio channel 830, Saturday at 4 PM. Just like other commodities for sale, your house must be seen in order for it to sell. 

That is why it is also imperative that you list your home with me as I will put it on the Hawaii Life website at the top of the page. We are the most trafficked real estate website in the islands. To sell quickly, your property needs to stand out from similar products in the marketplace, and since I will professionally stage it for free, your home will stand out above the competition.

By creating a series of first impressions, and showcasing your homes best features, the buyer connects emotionally and is able to visualize living there. Consequently, we make sure that as they enter every room they get excited. You are selling the whole house and we professionally stage the whole house.

Why is Staging Important to Sellers?

Today’s buyer is interested in moving into a home that does not require any maintenance or repairs. They do not want to patch or paint the inside or do landscaping on the outside. Today’s buyer is busy, usually two-income, needing to quickly get on with their lives. Smart buyers look for a house that is move-in ready in all aspects; a staged home is just that.

When the house is professionally staged, it will immediately appeal to the Realtor community that would much rather show a beautifully staged home than one that is not. Worse yet, why would they rush out to see your “vacant” home? A savvy Realtor or buyer will ask to see a staged home first, knowing that it will show best, saving time and effort.

Generally, when buyers arrive to view a property, they have established it meets their basic criteria. Staging the house creates a series of great impressions throughout the home, motivating the buyer to linger; move in-not on!

What is the Ultimate Goal of Staging?

Why is it important to stage both the inside and outside of the home? What feeling should be conveyed? The ultimate goal of staging is to place the home in the best showcase condition, so it sells at the best possible price in the shortest possible time.

The feeling to convey is de-personalized and de-cluttered, so the potential buyer can see “their house”, not the current homeowners’ furnishings and lifestyle. We set it up so the buyer sees the best view of each room, the best traffic pattern through the home, the best curb appeal. Any Realtor will tell you there are times when a potential buyer will not even get out of the car just because of the impression made by the outside. Staging includes curb appeal suggestions. The buyer needs to feel that they are finally “at home”, not in your home.

As a Professional Stager and owner of Stage It Hawaii, I will always share with you my honest third party opinion as what needs to be done to your home. Too often Realtors, seeking a listing, do not want to offend you by telling you that you have too much furniture, that your rocker recliner is a negative feature, or that you will have to remove some of your lovely furniture. This is a disservice as the Realtors job is to give you an honest, professional opinion. Often times, you get the sugar coated version.

The Ingredients For a Successful Sale

Looking at your house with the eyes of a buyer is the first step to objectivity. The marketplace will determine the price range your house is in; by Professionally Staging your home WE are determining where your house falls in that range. With over $140,000 in furnishings to choose from, we will make sure your home falls in the top of the range. 

The most critical time frame for selling your property is the first 30 days, because the first 2 weeks generates a flurry of activity. That is when curiosity is piqued, interest is generated, brokers and agents tour. If your property is overpriced, it will quickly become shop worn; people begin to think there is something wrong with it. They might look, but they don’t buy.

The Realtors that were not trying to list your home have a VERY good idea of what it should be priced at and you very rarely will sell them something overpriced. Even if the buyers agent is not sure what the price should be, the appraiser (if your buyer is getting a loan) will most certainly determine its market value. Appraisers are people too and they are also favorably impressed with a staged home. What kind of experience do you want to have 30 days from now? Do you want to have your house sitting on the market, or do you want to be getting on with your life?

With technology buyers can quickly find out what is on the market, or how much it’s listed or sold for even before they contact an agent. Today, 96% of buyers do their research online first and again, Hawaii Life has the most trafficked real estate site in the islands. Remember, the consumer always wants the best product that meets their needs, at the best price. Isn’t that what you always want? The true value of a home is the price a buyer is willing to pay to gain ownership of it, and a professionally staged home will always generate greater value.

Price, condition, and location are three of the most important ingredients for a successful sale. In order for a house to sell, the list price must be in direct relationship to the other ingredients, and professional staging can enhance the condition so that it will support the price. If just one of those ingredients is off balance, the property will take longer to sell and the $$$ amount will be less. If your home is less than ready to sell and you don’t receive professional help in preparing it for sale, then don’t be disappointed when an offer comes in at less than you hoped for, or not at all.

Call me for a free consultation, and let me bring a re-design expert out to give you an honest third party opinion on what needs to be done to sell your home. It costs you nothing and will be well worth it. The two pictures below give you a basic idea of the tremendous difference professional staging can make (the home had been on the market over a year, I staged it and sold in 17 days).

Dining room before staging (left); Dining room after staging (right)