Y'all, staging is SOOOOOOO important, not to mention professional photography when listing your home for sale. Not every realtor utilizes these marketing options, but I would suggest in your search for the perfect realtor, that you ask these 2 questions...Do you use a professional photographer? Do you have any staging services that you can recommend?
Staging is probably one if the most under utilized marketing tools in the real estate biz. Its important to remember that home buying is an emotional purchase. It's all about the feeling they get when they are looking at your home. You MUST create that emotion. The buyer needs to be able to see themselves living there.
In a study done by Proctor and Gamble, the most important factors for the buyers first impression of a homes interior are these:
*35% Cleanliness, clutter, & odor
*21% Decor
*16% Condition & Lighting
*15% Floor plan
*13% rooms
TAKE NOTE THAT 72% of home buyer's first impressions and feelings can be controlled BY THE SELLER with the use of effective home staging. That should be a HUGE revelation to you guys as sellers! Home staging paired with professional photography will put you ahead of the game right off the bat!
I have been guilty in the past of taking my own photos. I am NEVER satisfied with them. I am about to show you a home I listed...you might remember it from the "Weeping Willow Tree House" blog. I took those photos myself. They weren't terrible but they weren't great either. The home is vacant and its so hard to make a vacant home look homey ya know.
So after a couple months my seller and I had a conversation about staging and professional photography. She was on board. Two of my favorite people then enter this scenario. My go to real estate photographer Bryan Ladd and one of my very best friends Angelina McDonald, who stages, redesigns, and paints homes and furniture etc. Both amazingly talented individuals. I will give you links to their websites shortly.
Originally I loved this little home anyway. But after this transformation I was BLOWN AWAY!!! Its amazing what staging and professional photography can do! Are you ready for this! Here we go!
Before and After Photos
The first picture isn't terrible but the lighting captured by Bryan in the second photo is just much more appealing to the eye.
This kitchen transformation is just amazing! I want to cook in this kitchen! So much more warm and homey than before. So here's just a little about the talented lady behind all this. Angelina lives in Livingston, TN. She has been refinishing furniture and redesigning homes for quite some time now. God has given her an amazing talent and I love that she has been able to use this gift for so many different people. She truly loves being able to do what she does and I am proud to be able to call her my friend! Check out some of Angelina's other projects on her Facebook business page, The Painted Door. Here's the link. https://www.facebook.com/anglinadawnmcdonald/
Amazing. I think I may have used that word a few times already but this is just how I feel about this. This living room just oozes a fresh and airy feeling. Definitely a place I could call home.
Before the bathroom and laundry were just eh. It's hard to get over the difference some fresh paint and decor can make and it makes it much easier for you to determine what you would want for this bathroom if you were looking to purchase this home.
And last but definitely not least and probably the most dramatic difference is this awesome bedroom. Just wow!
After looking at these photos it should be easy to see the benefits of staging and professional photography. It simply works. This home is currently for sale. It is priced at the VERY affordable price of $64,900.
Go check out my friends Bryan Ladd at www.bryanladdphotography.com and Angelina McDonald at https://www.facebook.com/anglinadawnmcdonald/
See the complete listing of this adorable Farmhouse here: https://www.primerealtyandauction.com/default.asp?content=expanded&search_content=office_listings&this_format=0&mls_number=189247&page=3&sortby=2&sort_dir=desc