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THE DAILY CAMERA
(BOULDER, COLORADO)
August 6, 2003 - Business Section
By Katie Ford, Camera Business Writer
Woman dresses homes for sale
Special touches may help add appeal in competitive market
When trying to sell his car, Erie resident Jerry Kerr said he
doesn't just wash down the car, he takes it in to be fully detailed
inside and out.
So the decision to redecorate his home before trying to sell it
seemed logical, he said.
"Let's face it, in a tough market it's important to show the
house in the best possible way," Kerr said.
Kerr and his wife, Joan, hired Marjorie Van Name's Erie-based business
Dress Your Home For Sale, Real Estate Enhancement Services to "stage"
their home.
After a few hours of consultation and examination, Van Name recommended
the Kerrs remove some of their furniture to unclutter certain rooms,
add flowers in certain areas, take down many of the family pictures
on the walls and remove items from closets to make them appear more
spacious.
"She came in and showed us some things we didn't think of,"
Kerr said.
Van Name started her business in February after helping friends
redecorate their homes. She said "staging" is common in
areas where it's a buyer's market, such as California. Broomfield
real estate agent Lori Grunewald said she hadn't heard of businesses
that "stage" homes, but she'd like to work with one.
To sell a home in this market, it needs to look better than the
rest of the homes in that price range, Grunewald said.
Many of her clients have decided to remodel, adding new appliances
and carpet, for example, to compete with other homes in their price
bracket, Grunewald said.
Andy Burnett, a real estate agent in the Denver metro area, pays
for Van Name's service for all his clients.
"I say tongue in cheek that I'm doing it so they can be mad
at her and not me," he said. Burnett said that small detail
changes can make a big difference in a buyer's impression of a home,
such as folding sheets in the linen closet more neatly or adding
more plants to a room.
"In a market like this with high inventory (staging) is becoming
more popular." Burnett said. He said Van Name's service helped
him sell one Lafayette home in three days at a record price.
Buyers are emotional, he said, and want to feel that they could
move right into the house they're looking at.
Sellers are often so familiar with their homes that they can't
see what changes will help, Burnett said. Van Name can give them
a fresh opinion of their home, he said.
Van Name said she typically spends about two hours examining a
home and she then provides the seller with a detailed report on
the changes she recommends. She charges $80.00 per hour.
Broomfield real estate agent Joan Pallone said businesses like
Van Name's are driven by the change in the market. The more inventory
there is the more sellers will need to compete, she said.
"I see a lot of those brochures (for staging companies) again
which we haven't seen since the 80's," Pallone said.
Dress Your Home For Sale can be reached at 303.926.1110
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