Design To Sell (Faster) - NUVO

by Lori Lovely

If you're a frequent HGTV or A&E viewer, you might have seen Designed to Sell or Sell this House; where design professionals "stage" homes to help sell them quicker and for more money. The premise is that, with a little guidance, elbow grease and a small investment, the seller can create a better first impression that will appeal to a wider range of potential buyers.

Linda Barnett brought that concept to Indianapolis with Home Matters, LLC, the city's only full-service staging company. A former Realtor, Barnett completed a program sponsored by Staged Homes.com. Now an accredited staging professional and MIBOR affiliate member, she works with Realtors and home owners to package and present properties with a three-pronged goal: show better, sell faster, get top dollar.

According to Jeannette Fisher, author of Sell Your Home for Top Dollar, verified residential design psychology strategies contribute to an interior decorating scheme that elicits physiological responses to design details such as color, pattern, texture and furnishings. She contends that home buyers make their ultimate selection based on emotional reactions, not economics.

Homes do represent an emotional investment, and Barnett recognizes that accepting her advice can be difficult, but she urges detachment, explaining that decorating to sell a home differs from decorating to live in it. According to Designed to Sell. Ca, staged homes typically sell in half the time for more money.

It all begins with curb appeal. Fisher says most home searchers spend only three to four minutes looking at the average home, and often make up their minds within the first 15 seconds. First impressions can make or break a sale, so you have to impress potential buyers before they ever get out of their cars.

Barnett recommends standing across the street to take an objective look at your property. Trim over-grown shrubs, clean up the yard--no debris, no dead or unhealthy plants; paint the front door a warm, inviting color.

Inside, the keys are to de-clutter, de-personalize, clean, organize and rearrange. Anyone who's watched Design to Sell has heard British host Clive Pearse disparage "cluh-tah". Clutter is the biggest issue, Barnett says, whose motto is "reduce the clutter, not the price". Focus on the features, not the furnishings; you're selling your house, not your collectibles. Eliminating clutter and personal items opens up the space and gives it broader appeal, allowing prospective buyers to imagine themselves and their furnishings there. Conversely, a house shouldn't be too sparsely decorated. Barnett suggests "lifestyle accessories" such as greenery, but says to keep it simple.

Repairs and cleanliness may seem obvious but are too often overlooked.

"I'm not talking about running the vacuum around real quick," Barnett scolds. An in-depth, detailed cleaning is in order. And don't forget odors. Smoke, food and pet smells are buyer turn-offs. Barnett frequently recommends cleaning the carpets.

There's a lot of work involved, but Barnett assures skeptics it's worth it. For $150 she offers a consultation/evaluation with a detailed room-by-room checklist of suggested improvement to create maximum impact for little cost. Home owners can use that as a guide for doing the work themselves, or they can hire Barnett to do the staging. Her decorative, pulled-together touch includes re-arranging furniture to create good traffic flow and make the most of views, adjusting the lighting to show off your home's features and adding accessories as visual clues that induce a sense of home by creating a comfortable, attractive environment with color and softness.

Barnett says staging is more important than ever. "You're competing with new construction and other houses. You have to step up your game to sell quickly and get top dollar. You need to put your home in showcase condition".

For more information, log on to www.designed-2-sell.com, www.designedtosell.ca, homestagers.com, indianapolisrealtor.blogspot.com or www.homemattersllc.com.

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