Designing To Sell High

Dressing up your home before you list will increase the price and quicken the sale

Potential buyers of your home make up their mind within ten seconds after stepping through your front door, studies suggest.

And they were already forming an opinion before even walking up your sidewalk. That's why more and more Edmontonians are hiring professionals called "home stagers" to prepare their houses for sale, in a bid to add more to the selling price.

Home owners can get between 2% and 10% more above the selling price if their home is staged, said Cheryle LaCroix, a home stager in Edmonton who started up Hush Designed to Sell. Staging studies show the average difference in selling price over a list price is 6.3%, said LaCroix.

But in competitive markets and sought-after neighbourhoods where buyers get into bidding wars, home staging increases prices between 20% and 50%. The first house LaCroix staged sold for $30,000 more than the original price tag. Also, a staged home sells more quickly, with an average of 14 days on the market, compared to 31 days for a non-staged home.

"People detail a car before they sell it, but they're having a tough time investing in getting their house up to snuff," said LaCroix.

That's where LaCroix comes in, with design savvy and the help of painters, cleaning staff and landscapers. She updates a home's look with paint and furnishings, declutters spaces and creates an ambience that will make a prospective buyer want to move in.

LaCroix charges a $99 consultation fee, and then home owners can choose a home staging package, which outlines exactly what they get, and how much they'll have to invest. The cost usually ranges up to 1% of the selling price of the house, depending on how much work the house needs. She'll work with what you have, or help find deals on new furniture, reupholstering or curtains. Unsightly lawns, trees, shrubs and sidings also get a facelift, if needed.

"If I was looking for a house, and it was cluttered, it makes you say no right away," said LaCroix, pointing out a messy and dirty house is the No. 1 turnoff for buyers. The same rules of first impressions go for posting pictures on websites, said LaCroix, stressing that good pictures on MLS listing sites can sell a house faster. "Right now, so many people, at least 80%, are looking at digital imaging to narrow down their field," she said. "People are buying more than a house, they're buying a lifestyle."

LaCroix started her home staging business just in November, but she hasn't had any trouble finding clients, even though the concept is still fairly new to Edmonton. She predicts her business will grow rapidly, and within two years, she predicts to have her own office and furniture to rent out to customers for staging. "It's sort of a hard nut to crack. But, we're starting with the realtors because that's the natural place to go."

She hasn't done any advertising except send out 1,000 business cards to realtors. "Everything has been word of mouth right now."

LaCroix, who worked as a travel agent for 23 years, took a $900 course to become a home stager. But she's always had a knack for decorating. When she was only 12 years old, she would arrange furniture in relatives' homes and give tips on decorating. She redecorates her Ottewell home obsessively when her husband is away at work.

"I love decorating. It's my passion. I'm always doing it for everyone." LaCroix has five basic tips for homeowners trying to sell their house:

1. De-clutter: a well-organized space will make your home look bigger.
   
2. De-personalize: somebody else doesn't want to buy "your" home, so remove family pictures.
   
3. Keep it clean.
   
4. Curb appeal is important: a prospective client may not even make it up to your door if they don't like what they see when driving up to your house.
   
5. Freshen up: make sure the painting is done or touched up, and make your home smell pleasant.
   

Source: Patrycja Chalupczynska, Special to the Edmonton Sun, January 22, 2006