July 6th - 2004

Setting the stage for a quick sale

REALTORS know how important a home's first impression can be to its ultimate selling price.

REALTORS know how important a home's first impression can be to its ultimate selling price. A home that shows well is more appealing to potential buyers and generally sells faster and for a better price than a less attractive home.

So if your sellers' home is cluttered, outrageously decorated or in need of a major clean-up, how do you advise clients on what's needed to get their home ready for sale without offending or upsetting anyone?

For some REALTORS, enlisting the services of a professional "Home Stager" gives them an edge in such a situation. Many others have earned their "ASP" (Accredited Staging Professional) credentials, a five-year-old designation that means they've completed a two-day classroom course and hands-on practice "staging" a real home. Possession of an ASP designation can be seen as a "value-added" service for REALTORS when competing for a listing.

Just as a home inspector investigates and reports on a home's structural and mechanical fitness, a home stager will evaluate a home's "curb appeal and saleability." Unlike interior decorating which concentrates on making the owners feel more at home in their interior space, the objective of staging is to make the home more marketable inside and outside. Usually this involves "depersonalizing" a home and that's when the discussion can get uncomfortable for many REALTORS.

An accredited home stager will follow a set of standards and professional guidelines to prepare a home for sale. Staging services range from simply rearranging furniture to emptying a house out and filling it with rented furniture. The cost to hire a staging professional varies and ranges from $30 to $150 an hour with the majority of jobs taking less than a day to complete.

Home staging is a growing business in the U.S. with over 2,500 graduates of the accreditation course since 1999. The service is also gaining popularity in Canada and accreditation courses are offered in several locations throughout the year.

U.S. REALTOR Barb Schwarz is credited with inventing staging in 1972. According to a Wall Street Journal article, Schwartz says she has trained 500,000 REALTORS and interior decorators on concepts such as the "three Cs" (cleanliness, clutter reduction and color) to give homes more appeal.

She was involved in theatre before she became a REALTOR and began advising her clients on how they could show off their home's architectural features while downplaying their belongings. According to Schwartz, sellers who took her advice sold their homes faster and for more money. She also predicts more REALTORS will pay for the services of a professional home stager especially when competing for listings.

The two-day Home Staging course includes one day of classroom instruction and another day of actual hands-on staging in a real home on the market for sale. Graduates are eligible to become members of the IASP (International Association of Staging Professionals) and receive information and support as well as networking opportunities. Members of IASP are bound by a professional code of ethics, and have set policies and standards of excellence to follow.

For more information on home staging, courses or a list of professionals visit www.stagedhomes.com.

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For more information contact

Ontario Real Estate Association

Jean-Adrien Delicano

Senior Manager, Media Relations

JeanAdrienD@orea.com

416-445-9910 ext. 246

Ontario Real Estate Association
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The trademarks REALTOR®, REALTORS®, and the REALTOR® logo are controlled by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identify real estate professionals who are members of CREA. The trademarks MLS®, Multiple Listing Service® and the associated logos are owned by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identify the quality of services provided by real estate professionals who are members of CREA. Used under license.

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