After having a realtor friend take an Accredited Staging® Professional™ (ASP™) class, I chatted with her to determine the depth of the class.   She said things that made my ears tingle and my mind go a mile a minute.  As a self-taught designer, I'd always enjoyed preparing our own homes for sale, but I'd never had the opportunity to really learn if what I thought was the right thing to do was actually the case.  So . . . I prepared to attend a two-day class with others who were realtors or those going into the business full time.  

     An Accredited Staging® Professional is a dedicated professional who has studied and learned the proven, powerful techniques of staging homes.  Thirty of us formed a class and listened carefully as the instructor told us how interior design was wonderful for a home, but the preparation for home sales was entirely different.  Designers bring creature comforts to a house to make it into a home that holds our hearts, our families, our secrets, and possibly our desires.  It becomes a safe haven for each of us.  It embodies the treasured thought that there is truly no place like home.

     A staged home is prepared by Sellers teamed with their ASP agent to present the very best possible scenario for potential Buyers.  By removing family photos, individual trophies, personal trivia, and odd pieces of furniture, a home can be presented in the best possible form for potential Buyers.  By packing treasures safely away, our keepsakes are ready for a new environment, and our current haven becomes more appealing for a new owner.  

     After taking part in a two and a half hour reclamation of an existing home, it was truly ready for an open house.  The bones were brought to the forefront, excess belongings were packed, labeled, and moved to a safe area.  The experience was absolutely rewarding, and the education was unequaled!   I'm now officially prepared to offer our clients one more advantage by assisting them in fully preparing their homes for sale as an Accredited Staging® Professional™. 

What is an Accredited Staging® Professional™?

     It is a dedicated professional who has studied and learned the proven and powerful technique of staging homes.   Additionally, they have  successfully completed a detailed ASP course and passed a required thorough examination on preparing homes for sale.  Homes that are staged by an ASP  traditionally present themselves better than the competition by being clean, clutter-free, and ready to show to prospective Buyers.  An Accredited Staging® Professional™ is commited to the principles and practices of marketing properties as Staged Homes.
                         Quick Tips for Staging Your Home
                       Always look for a  Realtor who is also an Accredited Staging Professional 
                                                  to list, stage, market and sell your home.  
                                        And be sure you're ready to move. . . . so start packing!

     Before you show your home to any potential Buyers, be sure to clean relent-lessly -- make it shine.  Wash windows, oil doors, sweep patios and walkways, straighten the garage, and put a wreath on the front door (or matching wreaths if you have double doors.)  

     Then begin on the house itself.  Remove unnecessary objects from the  house. Eliminate clutter,  clear  hallways and rearrange furniture to allow easy mobility. Pack all unnecessary objects from countertops.  Clear the refrigerator fronts of messages, magnets, pictures, and so forth.  Keep decorative objects restricted to 1,3, or 5 items in a group.   

     Take down, reduce, or rearrange pictures and objects on the walls.  Take time to review the interior room by room with a hard eye -- if it needs painting, paint it.  If it needs to be tossed out or moved, do it.  If the carpet needs cleaning, shampoo it.  Don't wait for comments  concerning these items from Buyer's agents to tackle the problems.  Solve the problems before they become an issue that affects your price!

     Remember, a sparsely decorated home helps the Buyer to mentally "move in" with their own things.  Follow these general tips and your home home will look better than the competition.   And remember, homes that are staged really do sell faster and/or for a greater amount of money!  

                                   ASP™ is committed to the principles and practices of marketing properties as Staged® Homes.
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