“Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” Unfortunately, many people are clinging to the hope that our economy will return to pre-recession business. We’re uncomfortable with the competitive marketplace in which we are working, and we’d like for our jobs to get easier. The truth is, however, our current economic state has become the marketplace’s new “normal.” The quiet and comfortable surroundings of our “Kansas” home are long gone. But there is a “yellow brick road” we can follow to a better business – professional real estate home staging.
According to the National Association of Realtors® “Existing-home sales declined in July from an upwardly revised June pace but are notably higher than a year ago. Monthly gains in the Northeast and Midwest were offset by declines in the West and South.” Some regions have improved home sale conditions, while others have a continued instability.
The report asserts that while there appears to be a decline in the rate of sales in a short term monthly perspective, the rate is an optimistic increase in comparison to the 2010 average for the same month. “Completed transactions that include single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, fell 3.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.67 million in July from 4.84 million in June, but are 21.0 percent above the 3.86 million unit pace in July 2010, which was a cyclical low immediately following the expiration of the home buyer tax credit.”
The real estate market’s tug and pull is a result of numerous factors. U.S. buyers are compelled to purchase homes because of low interest rates, but mortgage loans are difficult to secure with today’s banks only offering credit to the most highly qualified candidates.
So, when it feels like the sky is full of looming Wizard of Oz monkeys, and all you hear is a taunting loud voice of negative economic news coming from behind a big curtain, buck up. There are ways to battle the difficult marketplace. Through real estate staging, sellers can transform their property into an attractive and marketable product for sale. This is the new normal – competitive real estate home sales.
Just like merchandising products in a retail store, proper home staging techniques will display the product that is your home in a way which will strategically position it for sale. Through the use of professional staging techniques such as furniture positioning, color stratification, organization, and more, any property can be set apart from the competition. Despite the slow flow of qualified prospective home buyers, property gets a distinct marketing advantage. Many factors sell a home, location, price, size, condition and the missing piece of the puzzle is staging. Selling real estate is serious business; it is serious time to invest time and money to maximize opportunity. What are you waiting for? Take a stroll down your yellow brick road to success in today’s marketplace.
