Selling in today’s market? If so, be prepared to compete in a price war and a beauty contest. Your home is competing against all the other listings in your price range, including all the privately owned homes as well as new construction.

In order to compete with other properties, it’s critical to not only clean and repair your property but also use every tool available to present your home in the most attractive way. Model homes are professionally decorated and many times the cost to decorate the home exceeds the cost of the physical structure itself. Staging professionals are different than interior decorators in that they are not decorating to your personal taste but appealing to the broadest range of purchasers. Barb Schwarz, who founded the International Association of Professional Home Stagers says the goal is to show potential buyers a dwelling that’s both tasteful and impersonal enough for them to “mentally move in.” Professional staging can cost a few hundred dollars for a consultation only to a few thousand dollars for accenting a typical home (including materials and the stager’s fees), to several thousand dollars to furnish a large vacant home. Since you never have a second chance to make a great first impression, the beauty factor could be the difference between your home selling or not selling at all.

We have actually teamed up with a professional staging company to offer a special opportunity for our listing clients. You can view the special here: http://www.yostrealtygroup.com/agent_files/staging%20Flyer.pdf