For Realtors Only~

                   Before leaving home this morning, did you brush your teeth and comb your hair? 

That shows me that you believe in the value of staging!  Just as you "market yourself" by putting your "best foot forward" you want the properties that you list to look their very best.  Successful agents like you already know that professional home staging works, so why aren’t you staging every listing? 

The challenges lie in three areas...

 1.  Cost

 2.  Convincing the Seller

               3.  Finding the right stager

I listed COST first, but cost is not the most significant challenge because VALUE JUSTIFIES COST.

·         According to the NAR, the average staging investment is between 1 and 3 percent of the asking price, and generates a return of 8 – 10%

·         USA Today reporter in a survey of over 2800 homes reports that staged homes, on average, sold in half the time that the non-staged homes did.

·         Avoid a price reduction:   NAR survey says that properties still on the market after 4 weeks sell for 6% less than ones sold sooner!  To avoid a price reduction stage your properties FIRST – certainly before the Realtor tour!

·         Staged homes are the basis for beautiful on-line photography which attracts buyer traffic.

·         Staging transforms the home, making it stand out, attract buyers and get offers

The real challenge is in CONVINCING THE SELLER.

·         Because of the personal attachment to their homes, sellers often lack objectivity.

·         According to Home Staging Resource (HSR) “The first goal of staging is the transformation of the home seller.  The seller needs to cross over from viewing their home as their ‘beloved home’ to their number-one ‘marketing commodity’ or product to compete and sell for the best price. 

·         Some sellers think they can do it themselves, but YOU know the value of hiring a professional.  It is the same difference between a property presented “for sale by owner” and one listed by a professional Realtor.

·         Some Realtors think they can stage it themselves

·         Why would you do that?  You already have enough to do!

·         Hiring a professional gives you more credibility:  Would you seem credible if you also appraised and inspected the homes you sell?  You can’t be an expert in everything!

·         When constructive criticism is in order on the hard personal issues – like smell, treasured collections and cleanliness -- letting the stager handle the situation protects your relationship with your client.

·         YOU are the one who sells the homeowner on the value on professional staging.  Just as you guide your clients through every step of the sale, encouraging them to stage their property is in their best interest.   Cozy Chic can help with slideshows of staged properties, testimonials and by consulting on property with you and your client.

Finding a STAGING PROFESSIONAL you can trust with your listing

·         The stager, and the job she does, is a reflection of you.  It is important to find one who understands the importance of preparing the property to emotionally appeal to buyers, so that they can imagine living there.

·         Cozy Chic Design & Home Staging is proud to have been voted #1 in the “Best in 2011” for Solano County in the Interior Design/Staging category. 

When you stage with Cozy Chic Design you provide a platform for us to “show off our skills” – and that builds our reputation.   As Cozy Chic Design stages your properties --we help build your reputation for listing move-in ready homes marketed specifically to buyers.   Other agents want to show your properties!   In a cyclical industry nothing is better than to have a quality listing reputation.

 Let’s work together in this New Year!