I’m excited to tell you that I’m working with a new home stager! Her name is Jo Potvin of Design to Market home staging. She will work with you to give your listing the special boost it needs to sell.

I strongly recommend staging your home before we list. Especially if you are selling a vacant home. Jo can help clients de-clutter, rearrange and redecorate to give homes that perfessional edge.

Please read my Q&A with Jo. She provided a lot of helpful info about her business. Don’t assume home staging is too expensive for you, either. There are many different options.

What is the importance of staging in today’s tough housing market?

With the many options available to buyers in the market today it is critical to stage your home. Two reasons… pictures on the web tell an important story and must stand up to the virtual shopping process most buyers go through. It is critical that you make the “shopping list” of prospective buyers based on the story the MLS photos tell. We know this, and our staging efforts are focused not only on the appearance on site but also for the photos. Secondly, when you get a showing it is critical that you put your best foot forward to make the list of “finalists” —  homes that appear to need work or that do not present the “WOW factor” can be passed over for their better prepared competition.

Explain briefly your process when you come in to stage a home for sale.

An initial consultation starts the process. With owner-occupied homes, we tour the home inside and out and room by room, and put together a “To-do” list. The list can be the DIY-ers roadmap or it can uncover the task at hand and help the seller decide the pieces they will do on their own as well as those items they will hire us to accomplish. With vacant homes we visit the home and prepare a quote for bringing in furnishings.

What is just an average cost range for your staging services?

Range can be as low as the $175 for a consultation and can also be in the thousands if paint, carpet, repairs, and other upgrades are needed. Our focus is to identify those things that are must-do”s and to help the homeowner determine what they can do based on their budget and their goals in selling the home.

Who benefits most from staging (what type of seller?) What types of homes benefit from staging?

I rarely find a home that does not benefit from the process. It is tough when you live in a home to see it through the eyes of others. Often our recommendations are met with a comment by the homeowner that they were shocked they had overlooked something we had highlighted that turned out to be a potentially important issue in showing the home. Most price ranges also benefit. We work in homes and condos ranging from $100,000 to $1,000,000 and up.

Why is it important to hire a professional instead of staging a home yourself?

We have a team of professional interior designers that are focused on a goal of making the home appealing to as many tastes as possible. A homeowner designs their home based on their specific style and taste. This may not be as broadly appealing as they might think. Also, it is important to have frank and open feedback from a third party that will tell you what they see and not what you want to hear.

Related...

• March 22, 2010 -- Cincinnati MLS Home Search:
  Find and Save Homes
• April 20, 2009 -- Quotes from the Experts: The Housing Market
• April 8, 2009 -- Why should I use a CRS to buy or sell my Cincinnati home?
• March 26, 2009 -- BUYERS: Questions to ask your Realtor