The Villa model home at The Hill at Whitemarsh was an appropriate setting for a group of homeowners considering listing their homes. Owners whose children are grown and gone are eager to leave older houses and yards sized for raising families. More internet savvy than the generation before them they are looking for a marketing edge to boost their odds in today’s slow real estate market. They came to the model home last week to learn the science behind staging a house for sale from local author, Starr C. Osborne of Tailored Transitions in Philadelphia.
Hearing the strategy and the psychology of staging your home was very interesting to this group of active adults who would rather travel than worry about maintenance on a house that has grown too large. Moving to a community like The Hill at Whitemarsh where the villas and cottages are scaled to fit their vision for the future makes sense because of the service, staff and included maintenance. Starr Osborne understands their vision from helping many resituate themselves into a new environment, much like the model Villa she designed for The Hill at Whitemarsh.
Accomplishing a house sale in today’s market requires more strategy than ever before. A tactical marketing approach, staging is thinking smart by thinking about your potential buyer first. Home Staging That Works- Sell Your Home in Less Time for More Money is the name of Starr Osborne’s new book, full of insight and useful information that will make a difference.
Long gone are the days when a home was simply a shelter from the elements. A home now reflects not only the socioeconomic status of its owners, but also their lifestyle, preferences, and priorities. “How we live in our homes has become a visual mission statement,” notes Starr C. Osborne, a leading expert in the art and booming business of staging a home for sale. As she knows from experience, what sells a home is its image—an image that communicates the compelling message to prospective buyers: “We’re buying the dream of the life that we want.”
There were examples of Osborne’s staging techniques present in The Hill at Whitemarsh Villa where the group met. She pointed them out and explained to the prospective sellers how to package their home to make the best possible first impression on the ideal buyer. As she demonstrates, step-by-step, room-by-room, anyone can learn how to give their home a professional-quality strategic makeover. The payoff? Staging clearly boosts sales prices—91 percent of real estate agents advise their clients to have their homes staged before attempting to sell them according to a nationwide HomeGain® survey.
Osborne focuses first on helping sellers identify and understand their target buyer, with specific chapters devoted to what each generation, from visually sophisticated Gen Yers to comfort-craving Baby Boomers, wants. Then, she shows sellers how to present their home in a way that appeals to their potential buyers’ desires and tastes, rather than their own.
Starting with the front door, HOME STAGING THAT WORKS offers guidance and clear instructions on the dizzying choices sellers confront over the entire house—what to keep, replace, update, relocate, repair, paint, and dump; what to showcase and what to camouflage. Among the truly valuable home-transformation tips and tactics, readers will learn how to:
· Create curb appeal and attract Internet shoppers.
· Make their home look big, no matter its size, and bright, warm, and welcoming.
· Project a consistent, appealing message in every room of the house.
· De-clutter and pre-pack simultaneously.
· Create a beautifully clean home and fix whatever needs fixing without spending a fortune.
· Master the emotional and visual balance that makes a home feel “right.”
· Maximize the impressive and positive effects of lighting, color, furnishings, and décor.
· Keep their home sale-ready—without being afraid to live in it.
Packed with insider secrets, bulleted “must-do” lists, real-home examples, and Before and After photos illuminating the difference staging makes, HOME STAGING THAT WORKS gives sellers a serious edge in capturing the best possible buyer for a home they can leave with pride.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Starr C. Osborne is the owner and founder of Tailored Transitions, Philadelphia’s premiere home staging, moving-management, and design company. Their diverse work with realtors, developers, and private clients has included The Bank Building, Parc Rittenhouse, The Residences at Wood Norten, The Hill at Whitemarsh, Independence Seaport Museum, and Natural Lands Trust. Her work has been featured in USA Today, The Real Estate Professional, Philadelphia Style Magazine, and The Philadelphia Inquirer. She lives in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.