Home Staging with Refreshed & Refined

“Your home is a story of who you are and a collection of what you love.”

If that rings true with you then hearing your real estate agent recommend hiring a home stager probably makes you feel uneasy. However, home staging is business… not personal, and there are many reasons you hire a professional to stage your home.

We’re excited to share with you the inside scoop on staging from our conversation with Pamela Stumpf from Refreshed & Refined!

What is home staging?

Professional home staging is marketing your home to sell by appealing to the largest number of people. It’s important to note that there is a difference between staging and decorating a home. You stage your home to sell and decorate your home to live in.

What are the benefits to home staging?

Statistics show that the most significant benefit to home staging is that investing in a professional home stager will help sell your home faster and for a better price. The reason being…more and more people are looking online before going to any open houses. When a home has been professionally staged people will notice your listing online because the pictures are aesthetically pleasing.  They show the rooms to their full potential, highlight the beautiful features of the home and stand out as a result. Viewers need to be able to look at your home and feel like they’re walking into their own home not yours. Refreshed & Refined says, “It helps people to envision themselves in the home.”

How does home staging affect time on the market?

When your home has been professionally staged; open houses are better attended, there are more online views and generally more agents are interested in showing it because the house is so well presented. When buyers tour professionally staged homes they have the chance to see the full potential of the home, rooms are more spacious with excess furniture removed, furniture is placed to allow for was of flow and personal items have been removed, allowing people to envision their lives in that home.

How does staging affect sale prices?

Perception is everything and professional home staging could be the reason your house sells for more. When certain areas of your home are not up to date or there are too many distractions, these can take away from the beautiful features of a home. Pamela noted, “Staging doesn’t just include furniture and throw pillows… staging consultations also include items like making recommendations for replacing light fixtures, updating bathrooms and kitchens and refreshing rooms with new paint colours.  These updates will provide you with the best return on your investment.”

When these recommendations are put in place it adds value for potential buyers who are making a mental checklist of all the things that need to be done to the house. When the “to do list” for potential buyers becomes too large, their experience becomes about what they have to do instead of embracing the value of the home.

How much does staging cost?

When we asked Pamela this question she said, “Instead of using the word ‘cost’ I prefer to use the term ‘investment’, as this is money that you will get back in the sale of your home.” In your life you generally invest in your wardrobe, car and other things for your future. This is the biggest asset most people have and the one thing you want to invest in to get the largest return on your investment. Think Property Brothers, or Love It or List It, they’re putting in the work that needs to be done to maximize the return.

Additionally, think about what you’re paying for in operating costs for your home/condo. The longer your home stays on the market the longer you are carrying those operating costs. Investing in staging your home reduces the chance of carrying over operating expenses and mortgages. Of course market conditions alter the extent to which staging can help to sell your home, however it does contribute to getting your house off the market sooner.

Professional vs. DIY Staging

For those of you who are keen “DIY-ers” you’re likely not interested in paying for a professional. Think about this, a professional stager has been trained with a technical eye to determine things that you just don’t think about. For example; what is the correct height for a lamp, how high or low a chandelier is hung, where the furniture is placed or how big an area rug should be.

This professional eye alters the look and feel of a room, bringing scale and symmetry to a space and appealing to a larger segment of potential home buyers.

As a homeowner you are emotionally invested in your home and it can be extremely difficult to be objective. By allowing someone who doesn’t have an emotional connection into the home enables them to provide honest feedback that will help sell your home. “Any recommendation I make has nothing to do with your personal style. I am a stranger coming into your home and asking you to change the look and feel from what you are used to.  It’s very important to me that I earn the trust of my clients before making recommendations. This makes it easier for them to understand when they can actually see the difference my recommendations make” says Pamela.

About Refreshed & Refined

Refreshed and Refined was born from the idea that within staging and redesign, there is no one size fits all. Pamela’s client centric processes bring a refreshing take on maximizing the full potential of your home… whether you are selling or simply refreshing your home for your future in it.

Pamela is a Certified UltimateStager™ and a member of RESA™ (Real Estate Staging Association), a not for profit organization that educates both real estate agents and home stagers on the importance of creating industry standards and following a professional code of ethics.

How can you get you started with Refreshed & Refined? 

• Staging
• Staging concierge
• Downsizing support
• Personal organizing
• Space “Refreshed/ReDesign”
  • Window treatment (Lutron)
  • Space planning
  • Colour Consulations
  • Kitchen and Bathroom Redesign
• Seasonal decorating/take down