The Rush is Loud...

The mathematical symbol for change (delta). It's the
 quintessential representation of the evolving real estate market.

As an interior designer and home stager, I have recently experienced a rush that may be accounted for by the recent turn of events economically in the US (or simply because it's spring). YES, things were hard recently. And, YES, prices and expectations were adjusted to meet those expectations. Nevertheless, realtors and selling homeowners have not adjusted to"the new norm".

Here are a few trends and recommendations that every homeowner and real estate agent should know to successfully navigate the evolving and recuperating real estate market.

1. Home staging works! Now more than ever home staging is a worthy investment, however pricing has changed! Here is why: with the new demand for home staging, inventory of rental and/or acquired staging assets had risen. It is a simple equation of supply and demand people!

Now that EVERYONE sees the value of staging, native home stagers are popular and have little or ZERO inventory. This means that the average price for their services is rising, since the supply and demand curve is in their favor.

Stagers are expected to meet expectations,
but costs are rising. We're drowning! (photo from Fanpop.com)

Lesson: expect to pay for staging! Yes, things are better, which means that you will have to put out a fair investment to get a fair return for staging.

2. The Basic Wage for Workers/Internships is Increasing! And rightly so! I want to hire help and have worthy people to help with my staging projects, but I also want to pay them a fair wage. This affects my bottom-line. Ask yourself, do you want to hire a shady stager that exploits humans or do you want a staging company that pays a fair wage to workers that have earned their stripes?

Overall, the landscape of home staging has changed to reflect the changing times. If you want to successfully sell your property, you must understand these changes and adjust your expectations.

Are you a real estate agent, homeowner or home stager? Let me know what you think!

I hope you enjoyed this post.

"The Rush is Loud", by God Lives Underwater (1998)