What is a Real Estate Home Staging Report?

 

In this article we will see what the Home Staging report is in detail; In what process of the capture of the property  it is convenient to use it; how it is carried out and what advice youcan give to the owners of the same. In addition, we will teach you how to use it as a filter strategy to attract customers and some recommendations so you can forge a relationship of partners with the owner of the property. 

What is Home Staging?

Home Staging is a personalized report made by the real estate professional, in which it offers the owner specific recommendations to highlight the positive characteristics of a property, optimize its potential and disguise the negative qualities. 
To develop the strategy and make these suggestions, we work on good quality photographs of all environments. In this way,  the real estate agent will be able to analyze and design a sales strategy and suggest small remodeling or ways to present the property. 
The key to this report is that each advice is perfectly indicated and that it explains how each modification contributes to achieving the objective of selling at the best price and as quickly as possible. The recommendations and advice are usually based on small actions that lead to depersonalization and the arrangement or improvement of certain details. 
That is, instead of requiring the owner to invest a lot of money in reforms, it seeks to neutralize the environments with some basic modifications such as removing posters from the walls, hiding the dishes in poor condition or painting the walls with neutral colors. In this way, the property will be stripped of the personal interests of the owner, so that the property is more attractive to as many people as possible.
For example, if a house has religious decorations or flags of a football club, it is likely that many people dismiss it because not being fans of that team, or professing a different religion do not feel a connection to that property.
In short, this proposal is based on removing from the property the content that reflects the interests and tastes of the owner. To do this, it is invited to hide all political, religious, sports, belonging groups, musicals, and artists. Then, decorate it and set it with neutral colors that please most people. 
The plus of the report is that it can give another perspective to the owner, it serves to provide new knowledge. That is, the property when it looks more "neutral" will have more chances of being sold in a short time. On the other hand, if it is very personalized, it will not sell quickly and at a good price.
In addition, it allows you to put the owner on your side, so that the relationship is partners. That you see the Home Staging report as an added value. If between the two they become a team that "pulls" for the same side, there is a great opportunity to sell that property. 

How is the Home Staging report done?

During the appraisal process, in addition to carrying the folder with the necessary documentation, the  owner is approached  with the Home Staging report  with the specific advice for their property. 
Ideally, during the pre-appraisal process you take photographs of the house to analyze what should be changed about it. We recommend hiring a professional photographerwith good equipment to show the greatest potential of the property. 
Through the photographs, analyze the  sales strategy for the property. Define what will be the specific tips that you will indicate to the client for each environment.  List them, from the kitchen and laundry room to the rooms and the balcony or patio,according to the depersonalization criterion we named above. To then provide you with other more general tips that we will detail later.
Use the photographs as guides in the written report so you understand what needs to be changed, remodeled, or fixed on your property. For example, that in the living roomyou  pick up a specific painting and that you hide certain decorative objects. 
Sharpen your gaze as a seller to highlight the potential of the property. Not only do you signal what should be modified, in the case that you have a large patio or balcony,  advise the  owner to highlight that place in the house with plants, or to add a bench, or a table and chairs. 
Let's take as an example an artist property that has a mural of many colors in the kitchen. We are going to recommend the client to paint that mural white because in case a potential buyer is a person of simple tastes he will not be able to project that kitchen as his because of the painting. You will not  be able to feel identified with the house and  no matter how much it fits your needs and your budget, you will dismiss it for not feeling a connection. Finally, when you give the report, do not forget that the recommendations are communicated in the most respectful and pleasant way possible. So that the owner understands that it is not that you are against their personal tastes, but that it ispart of a sales strategy.
 
Home Staging Tips
 
The following tips can be applied in almost all properties. They are based on the main criterion that we named above: depersonalize the property to make it attractive to potential buyers.
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Living room / dining room

• Descluelga the decorations and  personal memories: plates, paintings and photos.
• Clean the entire surface  and vacuum curtains and carpets if any.  
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Rooms

• Depersonalize them, that is, that there is no poster of a music band, nor advertising of sports clubs.
• Haz the  bed, place the cushions correctly, it must be beautiful!. 
• Tidy up the cabinets. That they are not full of clothes and objects, because it gives the feeling that the property does not have enough storage space.
• Illuminate as much as possible. As much as it has good natural light, place 3 or 4 warm LED lamps.

Kitchen

• The fridge should not have any magnet, image or paper. It should also be clean, tidy and odorless inside.
• Empty the countertop. 
• Store kitchen instruments. Those who can't save themselves, they'd better shine. If they don't shine, replace them. 

Balcony/ terrace/ patio

• Place as many plants as possible. This green landscape is projected inside the house, giving a more pleasant view than just cement or earth. Of course, they must look good! They must be cared for, well watered and their leaves clean.
• Cut the grass. 
• If the size is sufficient, add a small table with chairs to  generate the feeling that it is another environment; or an outdoor armchair  so that the person feels the desire to relax in that place.

 
For all environments

• Paint all the walls white and if they already were, a hand to make them look shiny does not hurt.
• Clean all floors and surfaces.
• It smells good!  If you are going to show a property that has a rich smell and even a freshly baked bread or coffee will help generate the feeling of home.

Home Staging as a filter strategy

The report is not only to make the property more attractive and its sale faster, but it can be used as a client rating.  It allows you to see if the owner really wants to sell his house. 
For example, if of the ten tips that are made in Home Staging you do not want  to apply any, it shows that you do not want to sell. If you advise him  to remove the flag from his football club, he is offended, and he treats you as disrespectful, we recommend cutting off the relationship. It is not convenient for you to invest time, work and money in a property that the owner will not agree to sell at the time of negotiation.
Although it goes against the logic of the market, of having the largest number of properties in your portfolio, you should still reject the capture. It does not matter how many properties you have in your portfolio, but those that you can realize in a sale. If  you manage to quickly sell the few properties you have in your  portfolio, it means that you are an efficient and capable person in your work.  
Finally, it is important that you know that the report brings quality and professionalism to your work.  It is not necessary  that you take a Home Staging course, but apply these basic tips and criteria that we recommend so that you can sell the property faster. You should take advantage of this instance to meet the owner and be able to form a relationship of partners who seek to go towards the same horizon. 
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