Staging is Positioning — And Not Just Positioning Furniture

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A marketing term, ‘positioning’ is how you’ve set your product apart from the others in the minds of consumers. When you are ready to sell it, your home becomes your product. You need to win the battle for the hearts and minds of your target buyers to get a top dollar sale in least possible time. Staging is an effective marketing technique to help you do just that.

Part of the staging process is to make sure everything is in top condition. That positions your home in the buyer’s mind as well maintained and updated. Another part of the staging process is to ensure buyers feel comfortable in the home and make an emotional connection. Triggering an emotional response positions your home in buyers’ minds as somehow more valuable than the place that just doesn’t ‘feel’ right.

In staging training provided by the Canadian Staging Professionals, stagers are taught the importance of stirring emotional connections from buyers. They learn how to use lifestyle selling techniques to position the home in the buyer’s mind as his dream home.

Trainees come to the Canadian Staging Professional’s courses with the intention of using their design and decorating flair in a new staging business. They soon learn that staging is more about marketing – selling homes – than it is about merely making homes pretty.

And yet, ironically, many of the building blocks stagers use in their mission to make homes more saleable are principles of interior design. Balance, harmony, rhythym, focal points, flow . . . and ultimately — positioning the furniture, are what makes the home seem more spacious, well planned, peaceful and more desireable.

Here is an example of a recent staging project by Rearrangements where re-positioning the furniture is sure to change the market positioning.

Before

After

After

This 11 foot square room at the very front of a two storey great room plan home may have been originally designed as a formal dining space, or perhaps a formal sitting room. Our home-owner did not have an extra dining suite and the room did not have any overhead lighting, so we opted to stage it as a sitting room. A second brown recliner and the white furry cushions were brought in from the great room. The electric keyboard was taken to the basement playroom and the antique desk was moved to the opposite side of the room. The tiffany lamp and the print came out of storage in the basement.

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In the Kingston, Ontario region, you can call upon Martha Stanton-Smith of Rearrangements Home Staging for all your home staging needs. Visit the Rearrangements website at http://rearrangements.ca. Be sure to download your free Special Report “Get Off The Home Selling Roller Coaster: 5 Reasons Houses Don’t Sell and What You Can Do About Them.”

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Comparing Apples to . . . Houses

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Apples in bins

Photo by Jennuine Captures

A home is a much more important purchase than a few apples, but the buying process isn’t all that different. When buyers shop for apples,  they first search for available choices with the charcteristics they want.  If they want to make apple pie, they might decide to look for Granny Smiths. When they find a bin of them at the store they will start looking closely at individual apples to make sure they select the best.  They usually pick them up and turn them over to see all sides and maybe even give them a sniff.

Which ones go in the shopping bag?  Of course.  It’s the ones that look, feel and smell the best.  Those with a bruise or blemish will be left behind.

When home buyers start shopping, instead of Granny Smiths, they might be looking for three bedroom bungalows in a particular suburb. But then, we really start to see similarities in the buying process.  They look at pictures,  go to see the houses, touch things and experience the smells.  The shopping list of desired features becomes secondary to having a nice look and feel.

The better your house compares to the competition when you are selling, the more success you will have.  In fact, if there is lots of competition, you have to beat at least some of them in order to sell at all. There are always nice houses coming onto the market, so you can’t simply wait til yours is the only one available.

In the end, apples or houses, it’s still the best looking ones with the nicest feel and smell which are sold first and get the highest prices. Making your house look better than the competition is one of the many benefits of staging before you sell.

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In the Kingston, Ontario region, you can call upon Martha Stanton-Smith of Rearrangements Home Staging for all your home staging needs. Visit the Rearrangements website at http://rearrangements.ca. Be sure to download your free Special Report “Get Off The Home Selling Roller Coaster: 5 Reasons Houses Don’t Sell and What You Can Do About Them.”

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Beating the Bushes For a Realtor? Ask These Questions

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Photo by Frits Ahlefeldt-Laurvig HikingArtist.com

Selling your home is a business transaction. Treat it that way. Don’t hire a Realtor just because they are a relative or a friend of a friend. The relationship can get them on your short list, but don’t by-pass the interviewing process. I suggest interviewing three to five Realtors from different companies. Be upfront that you are talking to others when you set up the appointments. Ask each one the same questions; take notes. Get back to all of them the next day to let them know whether or not they were successful.

Here are the questions you should ask:

1. How many years have you been in business?
This is a warm-up question. The answers are interesting but not definitive. A less experienced Realtor may make up for lack of experience with enthusiasm and fresh ideas.

2. Are you a full time realtor?
Generally a full-time Realtor would be a better choice because they are not just ‘dabbling.’

3. Do you have any client testimonials to show me?
Don’t omit checking references from recent customers. You need to know how other clients like yourself found their experience working with the Realtor.

4. Would you tell me about current market conditions?
This gives the Realtor a chance to demonstrate their knowledge of the current market challenges and show how well he or she can communicate them to you in language you understand. There are both good and bad points to selling in almost any market and at any time of year. I would look for realistic, balanced answers.

5. What makes you different from your competitors? Why should I choose you to sell my home?
 Realtors sometimes offer special incentives, unique ways of marketing, extra touches to their service or great track records in selling your type of home.

6. What strategy will you use to market this home? What advertising media will you use and why?
 The marketing strategy and the media used needs to be the best to reach your target market. For younger buyers, more emphasis would be on internet and social media. If your market is older seniors, print advertising might be what will reach them best. The main point is to see if the Realtor is in tune with the most likely buyers or using a ‘one size fits all’ strategy. By the way, one of the most effective ways of marketing is getting the word out to other agents. Look for a mention of how this will be accomplished.

7. How often will you update me?
If you and your Realtor are not in agreement on this, it could be an indicator that you won’t be a good fit to work together.

8. How long do you think it will take to sell this house?
You are looking for some rational speculation but be skeptical if you get an absolute answer. It might signal over-confidence or perhaps a little to much spin on the truth.

9. What price would you list this house at? How much do you realistically think I can get? If the agent doesn’t back these answers up with data from comparable houses, both sold and currently on the market, ask how they came up with their answers. It is also good to compare which properties are included in the comparatives from one Realtor to the next. If the features of the selections are too different from your property they can skew the suggested price. It’s not all science.

Beware of any agent who tells you a overly high price. They might do it just to get your listing, counting on a price drop later.

10. What is your track record with houses in similar price range?
 Here you want to know how many they listed, how many of their listings sold, and what percentage of the initial asking price was achieved. You want to know about agents who routinely have price cuts on all their listings. The best strategy is to price as accurately as possible. If that is done there will be fewer instances of price cuts.

11. What is your commission rate? Is it negotiable? The idea is not to find the Realtor with the lowest commission. In fact if their commissions are too low, and they do not offer the standard amount to buyer’s agents, you may not get all the showings you should. Cut rate agents may not be motivated to give you the same level of service.

One reason for the question is to see if they might have a little flexibility if necessary to close a deal. Also, their answer shows whether they believe they are worth what they are asking. You want a good negotiator, so let them demonstrate by negotiating their commission with you.

Download Interview Questions for Realtors in pdf format. You can print off one for each interview and use them for note taking if desired.

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In the Kingston, Ontario region, you can call upon Martha Stanton-Smith of Rearrangements Home Staging for all your home staging needs. Visit the Rearrangements website at http://rearrangements.ca. Be sure to download your free Special Report “Get Off The Home Selling Roller Coaster: 5 Reasons Houses Don’t Sell and What You Can Do About Them.”

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How to Find a Good Realtor®

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First of all, here are a few helpful definitions and links.

The term REALTOR® is a trademark identifying real estate licensees who, in Canada, are members of The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA). In the United States they are members of National Association of Realtors (NAR). REALTORS® adhere to a strict Code of Ethics and Standards of Business Practice. CREA’s website is here http://www.crea.ca/. There is a tool on the left side of their site which will allow you to easily find the website for your local board.

The government body (provinces or states) which grants real estate licenses sets educational standards. In Ontario, Canada, the regulation covering much of this can be found online here: http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/source/regs/english/2005/elaws_src_regs_r05567_e.htm#BK5

Education for licensees in the province of Ontario is handled by Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA). http://www.orea.com/ You might be interested in the many inexpensive one hour courses provided for the general public at http://folder.orea.com/newpublicportfolio/NewHomePage.aspx

The Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO) is a self-managed, not-for-profit corporation, responsible for administering the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act, 2002 (REBBA 2002) and associated regulations on behalf of the provincial government and protecting the public interest through a fair, safe and informed marketplace. If you have a complaint about a Realtor® you can file it with them. You may also wish to read the resource material they have on their website covering a variety of real estate related issues. http://www.reco.on.ca

We often call a Realtor® a “real estate agent” but technically the only the company the Realtor works for can be an agent. The real estate companies are called Brokerages. Each Brokerage must have a designated Broker of Record. This Broker of Record must be an active manager and supervisor.

A Realtor’s® title can be Salesperson or Broker depending on what licensing requirements they have met.

Real Estate Board is a non profit organization representing local real estate agents/brokers and salespeople, which provides services to its members and maintains and operates the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) in the community. In Kingston, Ontario the Board is Kingston Area Real Estate Association (KAREA). On their website at http://www.karea.ca/ you can find a complete listing of all members and offices in the Board. As well they have some good links to community resources including Kingston stats at http://creastats.crea.ca/king/. If you don’t know how to find your local board website try the CREA site at http://www.crea.ca/.

Multiple Listing Service is a marketing database set up by a group of cooperating real estate brokers. In Canada, you may be familiar with a portion of the MLS data which is presented to the public on www.realtor.ca.

A Realtor® can act for buyers or sellers, but here I am just going to discuss your requirements as a seller.

What should you be looking for in a Realtor®?
- licensed in your Board
- good track record
- trustworthy
- good references
- personality you can trust and work comfortably with
- access to Multiple Listing Service
- marketing capabilities
- works with your type of property and in your neighbourhood

How do you get names of possible candidates?
- referrals from friends, family and neighbours
- lawn signs in your neighbourhood
- print ads for homes like yours
- attending neighbourhood open houses
- internet listings for homes in your area
- internet searches
- yellow pages or other media

Some further considerations:
Don’t just judge by their website, although if they don’t have one I would ask them how they manage to be competitive without it.
You can check with your local real estate board to find names and also to ensure they are licensed.
Attending open houses is a good way to find out what various agents are like without any commitment. However, you may find the top agents do not do many open houses themselves.

How do you go about selecting a Realtor®?
- assemble short list of 3-5
- book interviews (let them know you will be interviewing others)
- conduct interviews and take notes
- check references
- make a selection and give each a courtesy call to let them know your decision.

Next week I will be posting a blog with my list of eleven interview questions.

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In the Kingston, Ontario region, you can call upon Martha Stanton-Smith of Rearrangements Home Staging for all your home staging needs. Visit the Rearrangements website at http://rearrangements.ca. Be sure to download your free Special Report “Get Off The Home Selling Roller Coaster: 5 Reasons Houses Don’t Sell and What You Can Do About Them.”

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2012-2013 Color Trends

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Benjamin Moore 2012 color of the year, wythe blue (HC-143), evokes sea and sky, being a somewhat greenish version of blue. Blue is a color which physically calms and symbolizes trust and commitment. The Benjamin Moore website says:

“It’s a beautiful, calming hue that has an element of heritage and offers grounding rootedness, providing comfort and stability.”

Pantone’s Color of the Year is 17-1463 Tangerine Tango.

“Sophisticated but at the same time dramatic and seductive, Tangerine Tango is an orange with a lot of depth to it,”

said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®.

“Reminiscent of the radiant shadings of a sunset, Tangerine Tango marries the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy.”

Besides it’s place in fashion, Tangerine Tango can be use in home accessories or even a lively accent wall. Check out their press release on Pantone’s website.

Debbie Zimmer, color expert at the Paint Quality Institute predicts:

“Native plants and flowers, oceans and lakes, and rocks and minerals are the sources of inspiration for the paint colors that will be ‘in’ next year.” “If you’re thinking about repainting your home interior, look to the great American outdoors.”

As well Zimmer predicts patterned paint taking centre stage as well as the classic black and white combination. For exteriors she says:

“You’ll see more shutters that are painted just a shade darker than the siding,”

From Jackie Jordan, director of color marketing at Sherwin Williams, quoted by Jamie Goldberg on Gold Notes Blog, comes this:

“Forget the expected tone-on-tone pairings. At Sherwin-Williams, we drew inspiration from fashion-forward color-washing and ombré dyeing techniques to experiment with color values and hues within color families to create four vibrant palettes. The colors also embrace the sustainable landscape ― which has become an enduring influence on all aspects of décor and design.”

Style at Home website reports that according to CIL Paints, a “blushy, lively, juicy red” colour is where it’s at for 2012. CIL’s shade of the year is Tea Dance (10YR 21/436). According to Alison Goldman from CIL:

“This hue is like a chameleon because it’s reassuring or edgy, soft or bright, depending on what it’s paired with.”

When mixing and matching with other colours, Alison says it pairs well with warm neutrals for a softer look, or with lemonade yellow for a more modern vibe.

Sico’s 2012-2013 palette is “full of take-charge optimism”, dominated by various tones of red, green and neutrals. The Sico website shows examples.

Here is a sneak peek at Benjamin Moore’s Nuance Color Pulse for 2013.
Benjamin Moore color experts consider color is like a living thing, evolving over time. As they look across various disciplines to see what is emerging, they noticed that along with new technologies people are using traditional designs, and even handcrafting.

“As we look to the future,” says Benjamin Moore’s Andrea Magno, “we find that our ideas are rooted in the past. What is new is in the details.”

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In the Kingston, Ontario region, you can call upon Martha Stanton-Smith of Rearrangements Home Staging for all your home staging needs. Visit the Rearrangements website at http://rearrangements.ca. Be sure to download your free Special Report “Get Off The Home Selling Roller Coaster: 5 Reasons Houses Don’t Sell and What You Can Do About Them.”

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10 Things to Banish to Storage When Selling Your Home

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collection of antiquities

Photo by Curious Expeditions

Most homeowners are a bit confused about which objects stay and which should go when preparing a home for staging to sell. Here are ten types of belongings you can safely remove as they will almost never be required for staging.

1. Scatter mats and small rugs.

(Small is anything less than 5 by 7 feet.) These visually cut up your spaces and make them appear smaller. They present a potential tripping hazard. They may make home buyers curious about the condition of the floor under them. Exceptions are rugs in entryways to soak up water from people’s boots as they enter. Generally use the biggest size that will fit, or at least large enough for several people to stand on at once.

2. Religious artwork, icons, shrines, cremated remains or artwork with specific cultural significance.

lf you use some of these items for religious practice, set them up in a freestanding cupboard or large armoire with doors which can be closed when the public are coming through.

3. Family portraits, diplomas and anything that identifies the occupants.

These items personalize the space and make it more difficult for buyers to imagine the home being theirs. They may be distracted into thinking about you and speculating why you are moving. And for safety reasons, be careful about anything which identifies children in the home.

4. Collections — more than three of the same thing.

This also includes paper back books, old records, and stacks of magazines. If you have a some built in bookshelves you can keep more than three hard cover books, however, you do not need any more than what will half fill your shelves.

5. Weapons.

This includes ceremonial or decorative weapons and replica weapons as well as the real thing. Even if they are locked in a proper gun cabinet, consider removing them from the premises altogether. Also, put anything which can be readily used as a weapon out of sight, for example, the block of knives sitting on your kitchen counter.

6. Dead things.

This includes examples of taxidermy – stuffed birds, animals and fish as well as antlers and pelts or fur rugs. Even if your potential buyers are not animal rights activists, these items may ‘creep them out.’ The exception to this would be if you are selling a hunting or fishing lodge where the availability of game is a main selling feature. It also includes dead or dried plants and flowers. If you have no green thumb, a few good quality, realistic and spotlessly clean silk plants or trees are acceptable.

7. Free standing furniture which does not define the purpose of the room or serve a specific function.

Common examples are free standing book shelves (unless the room is a library), curio cabinets, freestanding pantries and over-the-toilet storage cabinets. Extra chairs and side tables may also be candidates for elimination. It would be a very oversized room where you would need any of these items to fill up space for decorative reasons. In most homes less is more when it comes to staging for selling.

8. Old electronics.

Deep back televisions, huge speakers, large stereo units, record players, cassette tape players, 8 track tape or VCR players all say “dated.” Even 10 year old laptops won’t cut it with tech savy Generation X and Y buyers. If you upgrade now, the new versions are lighter to move and you can save the boxes they came in for safe packing.

9. Items on the top of upper kitchen cabinets or other built in cabinetry.

The only reason to have things up there when staging is if you intentionally want to draw the eye up to an architectural feature such as a vaulted ceiling. Otherwise they just highlight wasted space.

Dark curtains

Photo by J. G. Park

10. Window coverings.

Remove all draperies which block light, are dated and dirty or are highly taste-specific in design or color. What can be left are modern style blinds and shutters and simple, neutral drapes which can be fully pulled back off the window glass. Make sure whatever remains is clean, in perfect condition and of appropriate quality for your property. If you take down draperies, then also remove all the old style cord operated traverse rods, patch and touch up the walls. You may also consider removing vertical blinds which are no longer common in residential applications and tend to look dated. In winter, you can remove screens to lighten rooms and improve the view. Do label and store them carefully for the new owners.

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In the Kingston, Ontario region, you can call upon Martha Stanton-Smith of Rearrangements Home Staging for all your home staging needs. Visit the Rearrangements website at http://rearrangements.ca. Be sure to download your free Special Report “Get Off The Home Selling Roller Coaster: 5 Reasons Houses Don’t Sell and What You Can Do About Them.”

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7 Steps to Organize Your Closets and Add Value to Your Home

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Organized Closet

Photo by Dan Budiac

One of the top things home buyers are looking for in their next home is ample storage space. That includes your closets. Anything you can do to make them look bigger and better will help you with your sale.

1. Remove everything you have not used for the past year and either throw it out, donate it or take it to a tailor to have it remade to suit your current size and style. Pack and send off-season clothing and specialty items that you won’t need for the next month or two into off-site storage.

2. Group like with like. Pants with pants, shirts with shirts, dresses with dresses, etc.

3. Within groups, hang or stack items by color. Put white with white, blue with blue and so on.

4. Hang all your garments facing the same direction and evenly spaced an inch or two apart. While you are at it, update your hangers. Invest in substantial looking matching hangers. I like wooden. Add proper specialty hangers for pants and skirts. Get rid of any flimsy plastic or wire hangers. Dry Cleaners willl often re-cycle the wire ones.

5. Contain small items in attractive bins or baskets. If you don’t have a shoe rack you can also use matching stackable boxes for the shoe collection. A uniform row of baskets on your closet shelf is easier to keep tidy than stacks of sweaters, and it is also less visually distracting.

6. Make your closet look bigger by painting the inside white and by storing as few items as possible on the floor. Aim to have the closet no more than two thirds full when showing your home for sale.

7. Consider adding value by installing a closet organizing system which will increase the amount which can be stored and improve perception of value. If the closet large enough, add some drawer units or a small dresser.

If you have lots of time for the organization project, here is a very comprehensive website that will tell everything you ever wanted to know about closet organization. http://personalorganizing.about.com/od/clothes/tp/Closet_Organization_Guide.htm

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In the Kingston, Ontario region, you can call upon Martha Stanton-Smith of Rearrangements Home Staging for all your home staging needs. Visit the Rearrangements website at http://rearrangements.ca. Be sure to download your free Special Report “Get Off The Home Selling Roller Coaster: 5 Reasons Houses Don’t Sell and What You Can Do About Them.”

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Five Reasons to De-Clutter Before Showing Your Home for Sale

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At an open house here in Kingston, a real estate agent with decades of experience said to me:

“The number one thing people want to see when they walk in is a tidy house.”

Immediately I wondered, what about being clean, or well maintained or neutral or even updated? I thought about it for quite awhile, but the agent was right. I just couldn’t rank those virtues over tidiness. You see it’s perception that counts and if clutter interferes, buyers won’t be at all confident about the other points.

Here are five reasons to de-clutter before selling your home.

1. A clutter free home gives an impression that it has been well maintained.

While the maintenance still needs to be completed, it is important to keep everything tidy as well. Otherwise your maintenance efforts will be overshadowed. Even buyers who might normally be flexible about doing a few little jobs will feel overwhelmed and stressed in the cluttered  environment.  They will begin imagining it as a place that needs a lot of work.

2. Clutter distracts buyers from seeing the good features of a house.

A potential buyer needs to be able to visualize his own belongings arranged in the place. But, how can he imagine his gourmet coffee machine on a counter loaded with your dishes and paraphernalia? Where will he see his dressers fitting into a bedroom lined with your bins, baskets and unmentionables? Most people have trouble visualizing; make it easy for them to imagine living there.

3. Clutter makes a home seem smaller.

The more spacious your house seems, the higher its perceived value. Space is a valuable commodity. Since a well-organized and tidy place seems larger, while an untidy and cluttered one seems smaller, you can add value to your house simply by tidying up. What an economical investment!

4. Clutter creates chaos and disharmony, making visitors feel uncomfortable.

The longer a viewer stays in a house the more likely he is to make an offer. Why then would you want to make him feel like he can’t wait to leave? An untidy house will probably make him want to bolt out the door as fast as possible.

5. Even if people live with a little of their own clutter, they don’t want to see yours. They aspire to better things.

You are selling lifestyle as much as real estate. Buyers want a lifestyle where it’s easy to keep their space tidy and organized, and where there is ample storage for their belongings.  They want a space where they will be proud to invite guests. They want a sanctuary where they will feel calm and relaxed. An orderly and clutter free home enhances this emotional aspect of the sale.

To sell your house for top dollar, tidiness is more than a virtue; it is a necessity. The trouble is, most of us are so used to our clutter, we no longer recognize it as clutter. We’ve learned to ignore things that are out of their places. Maybe we have accumulated so much that many things don’t even have places!

If you are preparing your house for sale, find an impartial person to come through and point out to you what needs to be removed or stowed away. Perhaps you have a true friend that can be very blunt with you on this issue without fear of harming your friendship. If not, call a professional organizer or a professional home stager and learn what your clutter may be costing you.

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In the Kingston, Ontario region, you can call upon Martha Stanton-Smith of Rearrangements Home Staging for all your home staging needs. Visit the Rearrangements website at http://rearrangements.ca. Be sure to download your free Special Report “Get Off The Home Selling Roller Coaster: 5 Reasons Houses Don’t Sell and What You Can Do About Them.”

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Are Canadian Homes Overpriced by 25%?

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Since the high in 2006, US housing prices have fallen by 34% to a low earlier this year. In Ireland, they tumbled by 45% from a peak in 2007. However, in Canada and a few other countries, housing prices wobbled a bit and then continued to increase. This information comes from The Economist. In a Nov. 26, 2011 article they warned:

“As a result, many property markets are still looking uncomfortably overvalued.”

The Economist has tracked global housing prices since 1975. Two important indicators are the price-to-income ratio which measures affordability and the price-to-rent ratio which guages the benefits of home ownership. When these two are well above average, housing is considered to be overvalued. The Economist estimates this overvaluation currently at 25% in Canada and several other countries.
Opposing economists argue that lower interest rates and rising populations justify the higher prices. However these excuses were used in US and Ireland, but did not prevent the dramatic and devastating burst of their housing price bubbles.

A compounding concern is Canadians’ higher debt burdens in relation to our household income. It is even higher than the American ratio when their housing prices were at the 2006 peak. However, The Economist’s article offers one slim ray of hope.

“Prices do not necessarily need to drop sharply to return to fair value. Adjustment could come through higher rents and wages. With low inflation, however, it could take a decade or more before price ratios return to their long-run average in some countries.”

I think the current cautions to the Canadian public about our growing reliance on credit are good warnings. Are you taking any measures to restrict your personal debt? Or are you in good shape? Or do you feel like it is hopeless?

Read the full article in The Economist: http://www.economist.com/node/21540231.

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In the Kingston, Ontario region, you can call upon Martha Stanton-Smith of Rearrangements Home Staging for all your home staging needs. Visit the Rearrangements website at http://rearrangements.ca. Be sure to download your free Special Report “Get Off The Home Selling Roller Coaster: 5 Reasons Houses Don’t Sell and What You Can Do About Them.”

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Don’t Get Caught in the Divorce Sale Trap

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house split by divorce

 

Currently, it’s expected that 37.7% of all Canadian marriages will end in a divorce before the 30th anniversary. These breakups involve division of family assets and usually the home is the largest single asset to be dealt with.

Unfortunately, important decisions about sale of the home come at a time when the family is already stressed.  In order for each partner to get into the best position for a fresh individual start, it is important that the home is prepared and marketed to maximize proceeds. However, the couple may no longer be able to sit down to discuss what needs to be done — let alone work together on making it happen.

In this situation, lacking time, energy and motivation, the temptation may be to advertise the property for a quick sale  ‘as is’ which means cheap offers. In a slow economy, the home could actually be a financial burden and the temptation may be to allow the home to go into foreclosure.

An excellent solution is to rely on the services of a home staging company. The home stager is an impartial third party who can keep the focus on making the home attractive to potential buyers. The stager can manage the preparations allowing the stressed homeowner to handle other demands on their time.

The staging process neutralizes and depersonalizes the space to allow potential buyers to visualize themselves moving in. Besides making the home more welcoming to buyers, this process also helps with the ‘letting go’ process for the couple and other family members.

Buyers often can pick up on a ‘divorce’ sale from clues such as unfurnished rooms, off-track housekeeping or simply the negative energy in the home. Since buying decisions are based on emotion, this bad vibe can lead to low ball offers or no offers.  Staging rectifies this by creating a warm and welcoming feel and removing the divorce clues.

Best of all, home staging helps homes sell for the best price in fewer days on the market. When a divorce is involved, this is the best thing that could happen.

financing options when you divorceDownload a free report by Wells Fargo “Your Guide to Home Financing Options When You Divorce; Making Sound Decisions About One of Your Largest Assets.”

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In the Kingston, Ontario region, you can call upon Martha Stanton-Smith of Rearrangements Home Staging for all your home staging needs. Visit the Rearrangements website at http://rearrangements.ca. Be sure to download your free Special Report “Get Off The Home Selling Roller Coaster: 5 Reasons Houses Don’t Sell and What You Can Do About Them.”

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