Why Home Stage?

We are thrilled with the positive response to our first blog (Design Trends for Spring/Summer 2017) and thank you for your feedback and suggestions. Our next topic delves into the concept of home staging and the benefits. As the housing market heats up this summer it certainly helps to have the cards stacked in your favor if you are putting your house on the market, and here’s the secret…Stage Your Home!

What is Home Staging?

For buyers looking for the perfect home, walking through an empty, unfurnished house is like looking at a blank canvas. What they need is a complete story to stimulate their senses and get them excited. They need to be able to envision themselves living in the home. A professionally staged home helps bring a blank canvas to life and provides the insight and imagination clients require to help them through the process and turn them into buyers. If brain space indicates the importance of a sense, then vision is the most important. Roughly 30 percent of neurons in the brain's cortex are devoted to vision, compared with 8 percent for touch, and 2 percent for hearing. Of all the five senses, the sense of sight is most important – humans are visual creatures. Here are a few before and after photos, and as you can see, the “after” photos paint a very clear picture of the lifestyle a buyer could be living, thanks to staging.

Before and Afters

Before

After

Before

After

Pictures

Statistics Don't Lie!

Simply put, statistics don’t lie, and while they can be a little dry and boring, the source information boils down to this...

STAGING YOUR HOME =
90% LESS TIME ON THE MARKET!

View fullsize

Infographic by: www.realestatestagingassociation.com

Source: http://www.realestatestagingassociation.com/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=304550&module_id=164548

• As you can see by the example in the infographic, un-staged homes spend an average of 184 days on the market.

• After Staging, these same homes sold in 41 days.

• Homes staged prior to going on the market sell in 23 days.

Where the impact is truly felt is in the carrying costs.  Carrying costs include the mortgage, utilities, water, yard maintenance costs etc.  If you have an average carrying cost of $3400.00 per month, and you have an un-staged home on the market, you risk 184 days/8 months of carrying costs.  That equates to roughly 10 times the cost of staging the property prior to listing.

So the choice is yours, potentially 8 months on the market or 23 days on the market?

The key is STAGING!

Does Staging Really Work?

The answer to that question is a definitive “YES”! We see it every day!  Not only does staging improve your chances of selling your home it helps maximize the price you can sell for and minimize the days on market. In many cases, previously listed homes that have sat on the market unsold for months end up selling within 2-4 weeks after the Dezin team swoops in and creates magic in the space. 

Staging and the Internet

Facts - We live in a digital world.

1. 85% - 96% of buyers use the Internet to search for homes
Demographics: 96% of buyers under 47 years of age, 89% of buyers aged 48 to 57, and 85% of buyers aged 58 – 66 use the Internet to search for homes. - 2013 National Association of Realtors

2. 90% of buyers use the Internet to source information about a specific property
87% of potential homebuyers rely upon real estate professionals for the same purpose. 53% of buyers get information on a specific property from yard signs, and 45% get Information from open houses. - 2013 National Association of Realtors

3. 84 % of all home buyers ranked photographs as the most useful feature when viewing homes online
76% drove by/viewed the home as a result of an online search.

(Source 2013 National Association of Realtors)

4. The traditional buyer spends almost 6 weeks working with a real estate professional to find their home whereas the average Internet buyer spends only 2.2 weeks.

(Source: Californoa Association of Realtors)

Conclusions

• Today’s homebuyers are educated and discerning and rely upon the Internet as a primary source of information during their home buying search. Based on what they find online, they make judgments and follow up with decisive actions.

• If potential buyers are attracted by what they see online, they act: they drive by and/or attend open houses and call agents to arrange viewings

• Buyers typically make up their minds within minutes of viewing a home. If they aren’t immediately engaged by what they see, they move on. There are no second chances.

So what does this all really mean? The photos on your MLS Listing REALLY MATTER! Ensure your staged home is photographed to its fullest advantage!

Are there different "types" of staging?

Fundamentally, there are 2 types of home staging related to real estate sales – staging an empty space and staging an occupied space.  Dezin Group works with realtors, developers and customers to stage many new builds and unoccupied homes.  In this case, we typically stage the living room, dining room, kitchen, master bedroom and ensuite, but we offer a full range of staging levels for unoccupied spaces, and we are glad to work with our clients to find something that works with their budget and also supports a quick house sale.

We also offer partial staging for currently occupied homes.  One of our design consultants would typically spend one to two hours walking through the home with the client and their realtor, noting suggestions such as editing/decluttering, furniture placement and art/décor adjustments. We then present a written report for the customer with suggestions to increase the salability of their home.  We often do a partial stage where we bring in premier furniture, artwork, and décor that highlight the home's selling features. This blend of homeowner furnishings plus Dezin Group inventory is an excellent way to increase salability of your home.  

A Great Deal For Our Valued Clients and Social Media Followers!

Speaking of our Dezin Group inventory, our professional furniture curator, Dawn Aitken, has an amazing offer for you!  She has selected two timelessly elegant Sofa Set Series to offer you at Designer Industry Pricing - 50% Off! 

Dori Sofa Series

Della Sofa Series

Visit our web store here: www.dezingroup.com/shop and use the promo code: SPRING17 during checkout! or come into our showroom to check these two beauties out! 

• Dezin Group Exclusive! (Not available anywhere else!)

• Limited Quantity! (No Rain checks!)

• No Substitution

• Event ends June 9th

That concludes the Dezin blog for May!  Enjoy the blooming flowers and budding trees. Calgary is a breath-taking place in the summer!

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If you wish to schedule a free consultation about your next home project please click the button below!

About the Author

Liane Medwick

Dezin Group Interior Decorator and Home Staging Professional

After many years working for a commercial interior design firm in Vancouver, Liane relocated to her hometown of Calgary to continue pursuing her passion for design in residential interior decor and home staging. She specializes in paint selection and lighting as well as interior decor.

Spring/Summer 2017 Design Trends

The world of fashion and design are inextricably linked, with the Fall 2016 runway fashions inevitably translating to the Spring/Summer design trends for 2017.

This Spring brings bright colors, mixed patterns, faux finishes, and texture, so let’s explore the trends to watch…

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Green For 2017

Every year, PANTONE selects a color of the year and you’ll see this color trending in furniture fabrics, accessories and wall color selection. The Pantone color of the year for 2017 is GREENERY.

Source: http://www.pantone.com/

Inspired by lush palm fronds and a walk through the forest, the scope of greens you will see utilized in interior design range from citron and lime to grass green and deep emerald green – the whole green spectrum is yours to play with this year!

Bright Colors

Yellow, blue, purple and red make a splash this season and can easily be integrated into your residential design palette through the use of throw pillows, artwork, and fabrics. As interior decorators and stagers, we tend to use color in our seasonal items that can be changed out, like throw pillows and rugs. Keeping your core furniture and hard surface selections in neutrals like creams, grays, and browns allow you to change your accessories to seasonal trends while providing a neutral and timeless backdrop.

As home stagers, our job is to present and highlight the finishes in a home - this includes counters, millwork, flooring and cabinetry. Therefore, we use pops of color to compliment these surfaces.

Source: www.patternbank.com

Bright and cheery, yellow and blue are two of our core accessory colors, and you will notice them used often in our staging – anything from gold and cream throw pillows to contemporary artwork in shades of blue.

Here are a couple of examples of how the Dezin Group has integrated blues and yellows into our staging pallette:

And speaking of blue, have you heard that navy is the new black? Whether you’re incorporating a new navy armchair into your design plan or adding splashes of navy in your artwork, this deep blue is a modern twist with a traditional feel! And navy never goes out of style! We recently brought in this luxurious navy velvet sofa into our showroom, and yes, it’s available for purchase as well as staging!

Mixed Patterns

Florals with stripes, geometrics with polka dots! This is one trend this is not easy for everyone to master. The art of mixing patterns involves using repetition of core colors and scale of pattern. We recommend dipping your toe in the mixed pattern design pool by mixing different patterned throw pillows on your sofa or bed. Beware, this design trend can be a challenge and you may decide next season that those bold florals or geometrics just don’t have the timelessness you want for your home.

Texture! Texture! Texture!

An easy way to bring warmth to your space is by layering different textures through the use of fabric, rugs and throw pillows. Pleating and folds are trending this Spring and you’ll see them in fashion as well as interior décor! Consider incorporating luxurious fabrics such as velvet or linen, faux fur and fine wools, all part of a macrotrend in COMFORT!

Some trending design themes for texture this Spring and Summer include tarnished metals, quilted fabrics, polished concrete and chunky weave.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this journey through the Spring and Summer 2017 trends. We are always available to assist you in integrating any of these ideas into your home, just give us a call and book an appointment to have one of our designers visit your home, or stop by our new showroom at 456 42 Ave SE, Calgary, AB T2G 1Y5

 

About the Author

Liane Medwick

Dezin Group Interior Decorator and Home Staging Professional

After many years working for a commercial interior design firm in Vancouver, Liane relocated to her hometown of Calgary to continue pursuing her passion for design in residential interior decor and home staging. She specializes in paint selection and lighting as well as interior decor.

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Welcome to the Dezin Group's inaugural blog! We get questions from clients and colleagues all the time and love to share our knowledge on design and staging with our customers and followers. If you have an idea you would like us to discuss in upcoming blogs please email: dezinhomestaging@gmail.com