FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
A: Home staging is the process of
preparing a home for resale, through elimination of clutter, editing an
arrangement of furniture, and overall enhancement of the property's
features through décor and design solutions.
Q: Why is
home staging important? What are the
benefits?
A: Staging
your home will sell your house quicker and for more money!
Below is a list of reasons compiled from
HomeStagingResource.com:
Top Ten Reasons You Should
Professionally Stage Your Home...
1. You
will make more money.
U.S. Housing
and Urban Development reports that a staged home will sell, on average,
17% higher
than an un-staged home.
2. Your
house will sell faster, which equals less headaches and hassles.
The New York
Village Voice reported that the average number of days an
un-staged
home is on
the market is 30.9 versus 13.9 for a staged home.
3. The
cost of staging doesn't cost a dime.
In a 2007
Home Gain Survey of over 2000 realtors, it was discovered that sellers
who
spent
typically $500 on staging services for their home recovered over 343%
of the cost
in the sale
of their home.
4. Most
home sellers cannot view their house objectively.
If you can't
see objectively, you can't package effectively. Have a staging
professional
get your
home into its most advantageous condition for showing.
5. You'll
have less guesswork and "Do It Yourself "work.
A
professional home stager can manage your projects from start to finish.
Or, they can
give you a
detailed enough report based on their extensive knowledge and training
to
have you "do
it yourself".
6. Only
10% of home buyers can visualize the potential of a home.
This is why
staging a home is critical! You don't want the advantages of your home
overlooked
and left up to the buyer's imagination.
7. The
longer your home is on the market, the lower the price will be. So
stage first!
According to
a National Association of Realtors survey, homes that sold after
four weeks
on the
market sold for 6% less than ones within the first four weeks!
Don't be in a
position
where you have to lower your price. Have your house staged first!
8. The
money you make may be tax-free. The money you spend is tax deductible.
Take
advantage of a possible tax-free capital gain by getting every dollar
possible!
9.
Leaving your house in "as is" condition will help sell the
competition.
Right now
the number of homes for sale on the market is at a record high.
Competition is
stiff and
buyers have very high expectations. Successful agents know that the key
to
selling
competing is professional staging.
10. You
can relax.
You will
have the satisfaction of knowing you have done absolutely everything
possible
to affect a
quick sale of your most valuable commodity and for top dollar!
Q: What is the average cost for staging a home?
A: Costs vary depending on
both the size and existing condition of your home; however, our Services begin as low as $150 for Consultations & Reports and average about 1-2%, or less, of
your home's sale price for a Complete
Staging Installation.
Q: How
long does the home staging process take?
A: Most staging projects take anywhere from 3 days to 2 weeks from our initial consultation, depending on the planning and contract work involved. However, actual in-home installation is usually completed in 1-2 days.
Q: When
should I hire a professional home stager?
A: In this buyer's market, it's recommended by most realtors that your home be staged prior to listing your home for sale. However, we are more than glad to work with homes that have been on the market for some time or 'gone stale' as many don't realize the cost of staging is usually HALF the cost of a price reduction and will help you sell your home quicker and for more money!
Q: What
makes Blend Nashville different than other home stagers I may run
across?
A: Seller beware. Unlike most professions, Home Staging is not a regulated business and, although many stagers' websites or business cards may tell you otherwise, there is no such accreditation or license required to become a home stager. In fact, many home stagers we have run across over the years proclaim to be 'graduates' or 'accredited professionals'; however, what many sellers or realtors may not realize is that most of these 'professional stagers' were trained simply by a five course, at home curriculum or they paid heavily for a 2-3 day course that essentially gives them a website, an 'accredited logo', and EVEN stock portfolio pictures!
Q: Why
can't I just do home staging myself?
A: Many of our clients on a budget will do the actually staging installation themselves and simply choose our Walk Through Consultation and Report & Analysis services as they value the objective, expert opinion we offer as well as the complete analysis and strategy specific to their property.
Q: My home needs more than a coat of paint and some flowers; what does Blend offer when heavy repairs and upgrades are needed?
A: Blend Nashville has an entire network of professionally insured contractors, including painters, landscapers, plumbers, repair men, storage facilities, moving and maid services, all of which we will be glad to coordinate in addition to our Home Staging strategy for your home.
Q: Do you keep inventory of décor and furniture on hand?
A: Blend Nashville keeps an inventory of select décor items and furnishings on hand for client projects. However, over the years, we've chosen to keep our inventory to a minimum simply due to the amount of maintenance and management involved which would add to our overhead and ultimately the price of your project. Instead, we strive to work with furniture and other décor items you may already own or select items we may choose to rent through one of our retail furniture partners, depending on the specific needs of your property and the scale of your budget.
Q: How
do I schedule an appointment or consultation? I
still have some questions...
A: We both strive to work within our clients' own schedules as we realize one of the many reasons you may need us is due to your own time constraints. You can contact us personally by email or by phone to set up a consultation or simply to address more questions or concerns you may have:
Miranda Priest, Senior Design Consultant & Founding Partner: 615-403-0306
April Heien, Senior Design Consultant & Founding Partner: 615-300-1270
Q: What
forms of payment does Blend Nashville accept?
A: Blend Nashville accepts cash, check, money order, major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, AMEX) as well as Paypal. Home staging is such a vital aspect of selling your home for top dollar and we make every effort possible to accommodate our clients and their budgets.
Q: I'm not selling my house but have heard great things about your services and my home needs a makeover, do you only service home sellers?
Q: I'm a realtor who is interested in partnering with your company; do you only work with home sellers for Home Staging?
A: We ♥ realtors! In fact, that's how we started our business. We understand that so many realtors seem to have so much more pressure and projects on them these days per house and home staging is a 'necessary evil' for so many of them as many realize houses need help but don't know where to start. Feel free to Contact Us and we can meet with you to discuss a business relationship and pricing; also, if your realty office does not yet have one of our Blend Nashville Design Packets, please let us know and we will be glad to have one delivered for you and your clients' reference!