Katrina Maes - The Australian Guide to Home Staging

IN order to make the information in this book easy to apply, I have divided it into five parts. Each part reflects a stage (excuse the pun) in the staging process. If you dont understand and/or undertake each of the parts of the process in the order in which they are presented, you are breaking my rules and you wont be allowed to play the game. Well, actually, I have no way of enforcing that, but I can tell you that its much easier to win if you dont put the cart before the horse. How do I know? Because I have tried to do Part Four before I had completed Part Three and it just doesnt work! I went round in circles and performed the same tasks three times instead of one.

PART ONE is all about deciding if you believe this staging stuff really works. Lets face it, you could pick up the phone this very minute and list your property for sale. You would save yourself a bit of time and effort. After all, a house should sell itself, shouldnt it? No! Let me assure you, to get the very best out of anything, the very best effort is required.

PART TWO is doing the preparation. Have you seen a professional house painter in action? All the prep (pulling hooks out, patching, sanding and filling) can take as long as painting the entire room. Any good painter will tell you that its not worth painting at all if the prep work is not done properly. Its similar with staging. If you dont know who is likely to buy your home, or how much you should spend in preparation for sale, then its going to be easy to have the wrong focus and make decisions that take you away from your goal of selling fast for more.

PART THREE is possibly the least favourite but when it has been completed it can be the most liberating. When cars are for sale, every square millimetre is detailed, sometimes using cotton buds. Why do we go to so much trouble? Because the car comes up like new and buyers respond to sparkling cars. So why should selling a house be any different? In fact, shouldnt closer attention be paid to detailing the house? The higher price tag suggests that it should be. If you are tempted, like me, to skip some of this process, then be assured, if this is the only part you do in the staging process you will still add thousands of dollars to your sale price. The best thing is that this part can be done virtually for free.

PART FOUR is all about story-telling. Do you know a great story-teller? Someone who has you hanging off his or her every word? And you follow the story effortlessly without letting your mind wander off? Dressing your home for sale (the story-telling about your property) has huge power to lure house-hunters into believing that your property is the most tempting destination in their quest for their dream home.

PART FIVE is where we do a little trouble-shooting. Perhaps you have had your house on the market for some time. What can you do to turn the sale around, grab buyers attention and get the property sold? Also, we look at strategies to prepare and list your property quickly with the least amount of heartache. Then, most importantly, we show how to manage the finished, staged home until that exciting climax when SOLD is stuck on the sign out the front.

Scattered within each of these five parts you will find the following two reoccurring components.

BEHIND THE NEXT DOOR

One of the most interesting parts of my job is that I never know who is Behind the Next Door. There is only one thing for certain, each story and circumstance is unique. There are always challenges to overcome when selling. From each Behind-the-Next-Door segment you will gain insights into a particular real-life story. Importantly youll see how challenges have been resolved. There is almost always an opportunity to take control of even the most difficult situations and benefit financially when all is said and done.

MONEY MATTERS

Have you ever been curious about the actual dollar results of selling a property? That is, what people really walk away with. After each Behind-the-Next-Door segment comes the related Money Matters section, where I retell the story, only this time the process is represented in dollars. You will be amazed to find that after home staging, ordinary home-owners sell for an amount 5 per cent to 10 per cent higher than market expectations.

You can learn so much from photos. I know I certainly do. For this reason youll find references to photos online and in the picture section of the book. These photos give you a greater idea of end results and of course show a dramatic contrast with the before photos. Dont underestimate the value of these photos. Analyse the changes and youll be well on the way to understanding the finer details that capture a buyers attention.

IT is said correctly that moving house is one of the most stressful things you can do. I agree. Another stressful thing that is right up there is writing a book. It wasnt until I started writing and realised just how far I had ventured outside my comfort zone that I felt the full support of family and friends. There are so many people I need to thank. Thank you to you all:

• An Australian home staging book would still be a fuzzy idea in my head if it wasnt for you, Lesley Williams. Thank you for your enthusiasm and gentle prodding. The long hours I have spent typing at my computer would amount to nothing if not for your tireless work and expertise. Thank you!
• I once made a comment to a best-selling author and entrepreneur who I had only just met: I dont know how you do it, I marvelled. I hadnt really expected a response because I assumed it would be well beyond me! Would you like to know how? was his gracious reply. To which I quickly replied, Yes. He then said, I surround myself with people smarter than me. Wow, an unexpected but strangely logical answer. I then did something very smart, I asked if he would consider being my mentor. Now, years later, Steve McKnight is still my mentor and he and his wife Julie are treasured friends. Thank you for your wisdom, encouragement and friendship.
• How do I begin to thank my clients? Even though I have changed some names and locations, your stories, facts and figures have not changed. Without your candidness and willingness to share your journeys, much of this book would be just a bunch of well thought-out theories. Instead, your experience serves to encourage and inspire those who find themselves where you recently were, preparing to sell their property.
• A big thank you to countless real estate agents and real estate professionals whom I have met over the years. It is not unlike me to bombard agents with questions such as, What was the reaction to this? or ,What is normal for this time of the year? or Did you get specific feedback regarding? It is through your generosity, giving your time and sharing your expertise, that my ideas have been modified, adapted, refined and then tried once more.
• I would like to thank those I have mentored when starting their own home staging businesses. Combined brainstorming has uncovered some less obvious gems of wisdom that were inspired by experiences working on properties all over Australia.
• My Thesaurus has just told me that in place of the word muse I could use inspiration, creative stimulus and afflatus. All these words perfectly describe my Mum and my two sisters. Your love and encouragement have been invaluable and your creativity could give Martha Stewart a run for her money. Thank you for your unconditional support and endless supply of inspired ideas. And, of course, to my Dad who never fails to be interested in tomorrows staging assignment.
• I would like to thank the most important people in my life, my handsome husband Theo and our treasured son Zeke. Your great support has lifted, encouraged and challenged me. Over the last few months while I have been writing again you have both given much and received little. That will now change.