According to the 2017 National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) Profile of Home Staging, 77 percent of buyers’ agents say that staging makes it easier for buyers to “visualize” a property as their future home, and 49 percent of buyers’ agents say staging increased the dollar value offered on their listings.
With numbers as heavy as that, it’s no wonder most agents pay such close attention to staging. As a new agent, and if you’re looking to focus on listings, it’s important to keep up-to-date on staging trends. It’s time to turn to the weekend. Just an hour or two of every weekend can boost your knowledge of the latest in staging. Below are a few ways you can stay on top:
Visit home stores. Ever noticed how home stores and departments of large retail stores naturally stage their products into built-out rooms? Once a month, head to the mall and visit as many staged settings as you can, taking notes of color patterns, layouts and design schemes.
Read up on trends. Spend Saturday morning with a cup of coffee browsing home staging and design blogs. Take notes on any trends you like and implement them into your staging routine.
Take a class. Is there a home design, flower-arranging or feng shui class you can drop into? Browse the internet or newspaper for listings and check out a couple of courses each month.
Practice. There’s no better place to practice staging than at home. One weekend a month, pick a room in your house to re-stage. Move the furniture, declutter and add fresh flowers and step back to examine your work. Bonus: Your home will be sleeker with its freshly staged look.
Don’t let home staging intimidate you! Just a few hours a weekend can amp up your stage game and boost your sales.
Zoe Eisenberg is RISMedia’s senior content editor. RISMedia is the residential real estate industry’s definitive source for news and information. Email Zoe your real estate news ideas at zoe@rismedia.com.
