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A clean home is not a staged home.

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It starts the minute I walk into the house:

“I don’t want to get rid of my collections. They are important to me.”

“I don’t see why I need to stage my home in the first place!”

“Isn’t my house clean enough?”

While cleanliness may be next to godliness, it is not enough to close the deal and when I meet with that client for the first time, I strive to put them at ease and let them know that I am not their to judge them, but to help them. It’s not my job to comment on your collections or your personal “stuff.” I know how important those things are! I don’t offer a running commentary about how they live, how it could be better or how they have used their personal space. That’s your HOME! Of course it looks lived in! It’s supposed to! You live in it!

As a professional home stager, my job is to be the eyes of the buyer and to identify the areas that they are going to love as well as the ones that they won’t in order to “accentuate the positive” and “eliminate the negative” accordingly. Remember, when you put your “home” on the market, it becomes a “house” for sale and potential buyers cannot envision their future when they are too busy looking at your past. Home staging is more than a quick cleanup job or a decorating application, but rather a whole marketing strategy to help buyers envision themselves in your space.

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Of course I am going to emphasize the advantages of prepacking and eliminating some of the extraneous items from your living space so that it can be show ready in seconds. Why shouldn’t I? As a professional home stager, I know that a strong presentation can go a long way toward increasing your chances for a quicker sale with a better offer! By putting our clients at ease and using proven techniques to increase foot traffic, the team at Home Matters are ready to help you set the stage and move on to your next big dream!

We create stylish, warm and welcoming houses that captures the buyers’ attention from the moment they are introduced to the property.  We focus on the buyer demographics, the selling features, life style selling techniques and the strategic placement of furniture, art, and accessories that translates to a powerful marketing tool.  Contact us today.  317-209-9801 or at homemattersllc.com


Real Estate Speed Dating

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Did you know that the average homebuyer assesses the potential of a property within the first six seconds of the walk through?

It’s a little like Real Estate speed dating when you stop and think about it. When someone buys a home, they are entering a long-term relationship and they don’t want to make a mistake. They may have entered the fray with an open mind and only a vague idea of what they were looking for, but it doesn’t take long for their list of “faves” and “turn-offs” to grow exponentially. A few bad showings is all it takes for a home buyer to start eliminating abodes that have been on the scene too long, who appear needy or come with more baggage than they want to deal with.

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That’s why it is more important than ever for a home seller to highlight their home to the best of their ability. No one wants something that smacks of desperation and as a professional home stager; it is my goal to help your home make a first impression that will make a buyer want to know more. After all, they have seen the pictures. They are already attracted to the place. Now they want the house to reveal its secrets and discover how they fit into the space. Are we compatible? Am I comfortable here? Is this the place The One?

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Though I can do as little or as much as a home seller wants, when I work with a client, I like to focus on at least three spaces in order to give potential buyers a sense of what they are getting in a particular property. I want them to be excited about its potential and I want to Win them On Walk-in. After all, that’s the Home Matters WOW factor.

Are you ready to dress to impress? Home Matters is ready to help. As Central Indiana’s Premier Home Staging experts, I will help your home take buyers on the journey of anticipation rather than the tour of obligation.

We create stylish, warm and welcoming houses that captures the buyers’ attention from the moment they are introduced to the property.  We focus on the buyer demographics, the selling features, life style selling techniques and the strategic placement of furniture, art, and accessories that translates to a powerful marketing tool.  Contact us today.  317-209-9801 or at homemattersllc.com


You get what you pay for

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It’s no secret that everyone likes a bargain. We clip coupons, ask for discounts and send away for rebates when we can, but we also know that we tend to get what we pay for. When it comes to quality services, merchandise and expertise, cheaper isn’t necessarily better. Knock-offs tend not to last, quick often translates to careless and the inexpensive can end up costing you plenty.

This is especially true when it comes to home staging. So often I am contacted by home sellers who have engaged the services of “point and click” professionals who know how to strategically place furniture on the surface level, but fail to convey a lifestyle that helps buyers emotionally connect to a home. As they watch the price drop on their home and their listing remain on the market they wonder what went wrong, especially when they thought they were doing everything right.

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Here at Home Matters, we know that showcasing a home involves more than insuring that there is “something” in the room to give people a sense of the space. There is the psychology of the sale involved and we strive to make sure that the furnishings, art and colors help potential buyers feel at home from the moment they walk in the door.

We take the time to explain our methodology and to listen to our clients’ concerns. We are well aware that this is an investment and we welcome questions about our services, which are customized for everyone we work with. No two homes are exactly alike. Why should they be staged the same? We are Central Indiana’s premier home staging professionals and we prove it with sales. Our verifiable statistics show that on average, our staged homes typically sell in 32 days or less compared to un-staged or under-staged homes that endure numerous price reductions before they eventually sell.

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While bargains are great, there is money to be had by taking the time to make that one last investment in your house. Remember, you will pay for it one way or another, don’t let it be through price reductions. Call now and find out how we can help you move on to your next big dream and get the biggest bang for your buck!

We create stylish, warm and welcoming houses that captures the buyers’ attention from the moment they are introduced to the property.  We focus on the buyer demographics, the selling features, life style selling techniques and the strategic placement of furniture, art, and accessories that translates to a powerful marketing tool.  Contact us today.  317-209-9801 or at homemattersllc.com


The screen test

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Is your home ready for its close up? The four P’s of home selling will ensure that it will be. When you follow these simple strategies, you will create the most effective Real Estate public relations campaign.

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      Price: When you contact your agent, they will help determine the “going rate” for similar homes in your area and will work with you to find a price that fits the market and meets your needs.

2       Presentation: In order to ready your home for resale, contact a professional Home Stager, such as Home Matters for a consultation to help you with what to pre-pack, update, refresh, and refine as well as configure your home’s furnishings for maximizing your sales potential.

3       Photography: I can’t say enough about the importance of great photography when it comes to selling your home. It is a vital part of your marketing strategy and the key to getting potential buyers to schedule a walk through. Remember if they can’t fall in love with it online, they won’t find their way to your front door so make sure your photos keep them clicking and wanting to see more.

4       Promotion: Your home will appear in your agent’s listings, on social media and a host of other websites. Not only will it tell potential buyers the basics of your living space, it is also your chance to highlight what makes your house better than every other house on the market. Have you made major updates? Do you have a pool or other feature that may attract a buyer? This is where to mention it.

 

We live in a virtual world where one click can make or break the sale. Be sure that the merchandise presented looks as good as it can so that the walkthrough will only serve to confirm what they saw online. This is your home’s screen test; its audition to become your “former” residence and the location of someone’s next big dream!

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We create stylish, warm and welcoming houses that captures the buyers’ attention from the moment they are introduced to the property.  We focus on the buyer demographics, the selling features, life style selling techniques and the strategic placement of furniture, art, and accessories that translates to a powerful marketing tool.  Contact us today.  317-209-9801 or at homemattersllc.com


Fido and Fluffy – Pets when selling your home

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When you have your home readied for resale by a professional Home Stager and placed on the market by your Real Estate agent, it begins an inconvenient state of living for most families. It’s critical to the overall marketing of the home, but it’s hard to feel comfortable when half of your items have been boxed up and placed into storage or when furniture has been rearranged in a way that feels foreign.

The family members who may be the most inconvenienced during the selling period are our pets. After having the run of the house for years, Fido and Fluffy may resist being put in a cage during showings or having their food bowls relocated for the time being.

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As a professional Home Stager, clients often tell me that they simply can’t bear the thought of relegating their precious pets to a crate in the garage and are hesitant to remove all trace of their four-legged family members from the home. My question to them is, “How do you take your cat or dog to the vet, groomers, or even to the park without restraining them in some way?”

Look, I get it. I have pets myself and they are a part of my family, but when you are selling your home, its best to keep them out of sight and out of mind. Even if the potential buyer has pets of their own, they do not necessarily want to meet yours. One unwarranted jump, lick or (God forbid) bite could not only kill your chances for a sale, but could land you into a more uncomfortable situation than merely living in a staged home.

We all have to make sacrifices when selling our homes and that includes our furry friends as well. They will survive the home selling process and so will you. I promise!

We create stylish, warm and welcoming houses that captures the buyers’ attention from the moment they are introduced to the property.  We focus on the buyer demographics, the selling features, life style selling techniques and the strategic placement of furniture, art, and accessories that translates to a powerful marketing tool.  Contact us today.  317-209-9801 or at homemattersllc.com