Introduction to Home Staging Arcata CA

What is Home Staging?
Home Staging, also referred to as House Fluffing, can be defined as the task of “window-dressing” a real-estate property to maximize its marketing potential. Home staging, or the process of preparing a home prior to putting it up for sale, has become an organized, thriving business. Home staging can not only enable a home to fetch a significantly better price, but can also drastically reduce the home’s listing time on the market.

Home staging was first formally used as a marketing tool in Canada and the US in the 1970s. The concept of enhancing the market value of a property prior to its sale germinated and has been honed professionally through the last three decades. Today, several interior decorators, professional designers and real estate agents consider home staging as a “must-have” tool. Home staging is also gaining popularity as a home-based career option.

What does Home Staging involve?
We may be faced with low buyer interest and find ourselves struggling to sell or let a property. Why does that happen? Sometimes it has nothing to do with the home per se, but how it is presented to the buyer. A buyer would prefer to see an attractive home rather than hear about how great it could look after small improvements are made.

Home staging is focused on accentuating the attractive features of a home, while minimizing the flaws. This may involve de-cluttering, reorganizing, cleaning, creating space, decorating and landscaping. Finally, the idea is to give the home an inviting, comfortable and appealing look.

What are the Benefits of Home Staging?
Why are we willing to pay a lot more when we go to a “fancy” restaurant? It’s not only about how the food tastes there. It’s also about how the food is presented and how you feel while you are there.

So, to put it very simply:
1. A well presented property looks more “appetizing” and could sell for as much as 15% more than properties that are poorly presented.

2. Home staging allows a home to be sold significantly faster than homes that are not staged.

How can I Capitalize on this Trend?
Some believe home staging is an art, while others say it’s a science. In fact, it is a mix of both. It sure helps if you have an artistic bent of mind and an aptitude for making homes look more attractive. However, this is not essential. You could learn the very logical and methodological steps involved in home staging and still be an expert.

You could capitalize on the growing popularity of home staging in the following ways:
1. Home staging has evolved into a professional business, offering enormous profit potential. However, most homeowners and many real estate agents are unaware of how to enhance the prospects of a particular property, or they just may lack the skills. You could start a home staging business in Canada with low investments and low risk. In fact, you could start working on it part time and test the waters before taking the plunge.

2. If you have made a career in real estate buying and selling, home staging expertise could give you a competitive edge.

3. If you have a home to sell, you should definitely consider learning to stage your home. It would certainly help to reduce the time your home is up on sale. And if a little bit of time and effort can yield rich dividends, why not take advantage of that?