Home Matters In The News

Professional Home Stagers can boost sale price, reduce sale time - The Indianapolis Star
by Susan Brackney

Just five to seven minutes is all the average buyer will spend looking at your home, according to the National Association of Realtors. What's more, that the buyer will have made a definite decision about your listing in less than two minutes.

"Typically, it's within that first 90 seconds that they decide whether they want to continue the tour or leave. That's how critical first impressions are," said Linda Barnett, a professional home stager and owner of Home Matters. "Another statistic that has a big impact on our business is that only 5 percent of the population can truly walk into a space and visualize how it will be for them."

But if just 5 percent can look beyond your belongings, dated wallpaper or neglected landscaping to imagine the possibilities in your home, what about the remaining 95 percent? They are the reason Barnett and other professional home stagers are getting more calls from frustrated sellers looking to set their properties apart from the rest.

Staging basics

 What do home stagers do? In particular, they work to make your home's architectural features stand out. In Barnett's case, she offers both a la carte and full service staging options.

"I'm going to go in and help (the sellers) pre-pack", she said. "I'm going to go in and artfully arrange the place. I'm going to go in and put in the accessories if they don't have enough or, if they have too many things, move things around in the home. I do all the physical things that it's going to require to get each room to its full potential." Barnett also rents accent items and furnishings for the staging of vacant homes.

But is all that effort really worth it? Staged Homes, an accrediting body for home staging professionals, reports that staged homes sell in half the time it takes for non-staged Homes~ and the average increase in sale price for staged homes is 6.9 percent.

The first Accredited Staging Professional in Indianapolis, Barnett noted, "I see Realtors with the basic guidelines that they've always had about making sure that all the lights are on, making sure the curtains are open, making sure the dog bowl is put away. But we've specifically been trained to stage houses for the resale industry. It's not just decorating."

What to expect from a stager

Thinking of consulting a home stager? Expect to pay $150 to $200 for an initial consultation and detailed recommendations for improving your home's sales potential.

"During my consultations, I ask the homeowners to walk with me when I first look at the room in a home", Barnett explained. "I want to know what attracted them to buy that home to begin with, because that's what's going to attract the next one. They I give them specific recommendations on how they can actually modify or change the way something looks based on its appeal to their targeted market."

Most home stagers will then complete some or all of the necessary changes for an additional cost. But homeowners who'd rather save money can opt to do the recommended repainting, packing, furniture moving and other tasks on their own.

For some before-and-after home-staging examples, visit www.homemattersllc.com.



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Linda Barnett, Home Matters Professional Home Staging & Decoration-Redesign Service for occupied and vacant homes including Furniture rental,  Proudly serving the Central Indiana areas of Indianapolis, Carmel, Fishers, Zionsville, Avon, Brownsburg, Plainfield, Noblesville, Westfield and Greenwood.  Indiana's Premier Home Stager.