Recognizing the right home stagers in Calgary

If you thought that home staging is just another fad, think again. The Home Gain Survey reported the results of their study of more than 2,000 realtors and found that the staged homes often sell for almost 17 percent more than a home that was not professionally prepared for sale. The survey also found out that a staged home sold twice as fast as the home that has not been treated by professional stagers.

Calgary market is picking up and slowly recovering from the recession blues. As banks are announcing interest rate raise, many home owners are thinking of taking advantage of the climate and trying their luck. So, how to get ahead and make your home stand out from the crowd?  How to make most money from your biggest investment? Many home owners found out from experience that home staging is the first step, right after you find a good, professional and experienced realtor.

There is a number of home stagers in Calgary and all of them claim to be professional, accredited and experienced. Finding the one that suits your needs requires a bit of common sense.

What do home stagers do?

Home stagers will prepare your home for the market. Instead of your home, it will become a market product and they will prepare it for as wide number of potential client as possible. They will depersonalize your home to enable other people to imagine themselves in your home

How should a staged home look like?

Home staged for sale should look clean, neutral, the décor should be appropriate to the architecture of the home. The furniture and appliances should respond to the current client expectations. So, if you happily lived in your home for 15 years with your art deco collection and with your fixture and fittings that worked just fine all that time, you can be sure that the first thing your home stager will tell you: let’s bring your home to the 21st century. After all, did you like all that stuff you found in your home when you moved in?

Where can one look for a home stager?

Your best advisor is your realtor. If you are lucky, your real estate agency offers free home staging. It is in their interest to sell the home as fast as possible and for as much money as they can get. If they have their own team of home stagers, and your realtor has a good sale history, do not hesitate, use them. If you have to look elsewhere, web is a good place, as well as the Yellow Pages.

How to know if a home stager is really good?

Home staging is still in its infancy as a business and there is no official accreditation. Their experience and testimonials from their former clients is your best guidance. Look at their portfolio  and ask for references. Call their former clients and ask if they would hire them again.

Should you pay for a home stagers’ visit and estimate?

Professional home stagers make a living from offering their advice to clients. Once they visit your home and offer you advice on what to do next, they sold you their knowledge and expertise. Their advice is valuable, so do not hesitate to pay for it.

Even if you found a great Calgary home stager, do your part as well: do not forget about the age-old advice and make your home smell like a home – bake some cookies before the next Open House.