You may think that home staging is just cleaning, reducing clutter, fixing things, painting, and putting your house on the market.
Those things are all important and are all things you can do to help save money in preparing your house for sale.
You can also clean your yard, put things away, trim your trees and shrubs, and repair things. Get a fresh welcome mat for the door.
So why bother hiring a home stager when you can do all those things yourself?
There are a lot of decisions to be made that can make or cost you money. Do you have the confidence you know the right answers to the following questions?
What paint colors should you use for a higher sales price?
Who is your target market based on a variety of factors related to the real estate market?
How should your home look compared to others in a similar price range so you can outshine the competition?
What do buyers in a different age group than you really want and what will attract them to connect with your house?
What repairs and upgrades will give you a good return on your investment and which ones will just cost you the money you will never get back.
What things can you do to emotionally connect with buyers, without looking like you are trying to do that?
Will your furniture and current decor really work for staging and attracting buyers or do you just think so because you are not seeing things objectively?
Is your furniture perfectly arranged to highlight the space and best features of the house?
Can you get furniture, art, and more for staging if needed, without having to buy it? After all, you are moving. Who wants to buy more stuff.
Do you know good, reliable tradespeople to do the work needed for you in a timely manner for your home sale?
If your answer is no, it is really worth it for you to hire a professional home stager. They want to make sure you get the most for your home sale!
Sell Your House Faster and For More
Check out my online home staging services. For in-person consultations or staging, call for a custom quote. Click on the pictures to learn more.
Beyond Aesthetics: How Stunning Designs Boost Your Rental Income
Do You Think Just Having a Pretty Face Won’t Cut It?
Many say that beauty is only skin deep, but in the rental business, a stunning first impression is invaluable. An attractive property lures customers in, setting the stage for a deeper connection. While maintaining them requires more than just aesthetics, it’s that initial allure that opens the door to potential success
What is a Pretty Face?
What do I mean by a ‘pretty face’? It’s your presentation – the outward appearance of your product, the energy it radiates, and the emotional connection it establishes with your customers. It’s the factor that determines whether they’ll get to know, like, and trust you and embrace what you’re offering. Simply put, it can’t just be good; it needs to be nothing short of amazing.”
Vacation Rental Edesign and Energy Art by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design
It needs to provide a sense of expansion….giving the person something better than they have now so their life will feel better in your space.
Vacation Rental Edesign and Energy Art by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design
You can do that with home staging, decorating, Interior Design. It really all is the same thing, it is just the focus of who you are trying to please and how you do it that is different.
Vacation Rental Edesign and Energy Art by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design
Unlocking Wealth: The Potential of Real Estate Investments
Many people believe that investing in real estate can yield a significant return on their investment. Some choose to renovate their properties and sell them for a substantial profit. In these situations, home staging serves as the ‘pretty face’ that creates a sense of improved living, connecting with buyers and ensuring a swift and lucrative sale
Vacation Rental Edesign and Energy Art by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design
Some buy real estate with the intent of making money off short or long-term rentals. In this case, the key to success is not to have vacancies but to fully book your rentals as much as possible.
If you are renting apartments or houses that are unfurnished, photos of vacant spaces are not your friend. People do not emotionally connect to empty rooms. Home staging can be a great way to show the possibilities, how the rental can actually look and be used, and the wonderful life you will have if you only rent this place! Great photos of a beautifully staged rental are a wonderful marketing tool.
Maximizing Rental Profits: The Role of Home Staging in Real Estate Investments”
If you’re offering furnished rentals, it’s wise to collaborate with a professional stager or designer for decor selection and setup. A tastefully curated rental not only commands a higher price but also attracts more tenants and the right tenants for you.
For those venturing into short-term vacation rentals or running a Bed & Breakfast, a well-staged or designed space is essential. It’s the first impression online leading to bookings, and it ensures guests have a pleasant experience during their stay. Engage a professional to enhance aesthetics, produce captivating marketing images, attract your ideal guests, and guarantee their satisfaction throughout their visit.
Vacation Rental Edesign and Energy Art by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design
The Key to Making Money on Rentals
The secret to rental success, be it short or long-term, lies in presenting your property at its finest through captivating marketing photos. Attracting a steady stream of customers, thereby eliminating vacancies, is paramount. Moreover, ensuring the happiness of your customers, leading to glowing reviews, is essential.
Let the charm of your property be your key to profitability.
Let that pretty face make you lots of money.
Vacation Rental Edesign and Energy Art by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design
Ready to Update Your Rental for More Profits?
Ready to pivot and elevate your business? Think about where you might stand a year from now without taking decisive action.
Leverage my vacation rental design, home staging or Interior Design expertise to maximize your rental returns. With hands-on experience owning a Bed & Breakfast, I specialize in refining vacation rentals, enhancing their appeal, and increasing profitability.
Benefit from my Edesign Services, producing stunning visuals like the ones showcased in this blog, spotlighting the potential of your vacant rental spaces.
Why Hire a Professional Home Stager?
Why hire a professional home stager?
There are lots of simple things homeowners can do on their own to decorate their homes to sell. They can get rid of clutter, repaint, clean or put out fresh flowers. So why hire a home stager?
Home Staging by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design.
Many homeowners are unsure of what paint colors to choose or where to move the clutter. The process of selling a home can be completely overwhelming. They often lack real estate knowledge about their local markets and how homes in their price range should look.
A home stager has the ability to look at a home with a fresh pair of eyes. They view the home as a highly critical buyer would see it. Home staging expert Debra Gould provides five examples of how a professional home stager can benefit you:
A home stager knows what’s needed to create the right environment quickly and at the lowest cost.
A home stager knows what homes in different price ranges look like and what’s selling. They will give homeowners suggestions that their real estate agent may be afraid to offer because the agent does not want to risk losing the listing.
A home stager is not emotionally attached to any of the home’s contents, which means that they can see the home in a way that someone who has been living there for years simply cannot. Using their fresh vision, they recommend the optimal way to rearrange existing furniture, art and accessories.
A home stager can quickly choose new paint colors, flooring, tiles, countertops or any number of finishes. They have a ready source of painters, cleaners, handymen, off-site storage and a myriad of other services that may be needed on short notice.
A home stager can bring in replacement furniture, accessories and art if what is there isn’t appropriate for the home’s target market or the home is empty.
Home staging is not just for multimillion dollar homes. Even for modest homes, staging can have a dramatic effect on the selling price and the number of days spent on the market. For example, one of the homes Gould staged had previously been on the market for months with the best offer being $350,000. She spent 90 minutes with the owner rearranging the furniture, putting items in storage and telling him what needed to be cleaned. He sold the house the following week for $361,000!
How many other (legal) ways can you think of to invest $600 and get an $11,000 return on your investment the following week?
Home Staging by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design.
Internationally recognized home staging expert Debra Gould is president of Six Elements and creator of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program with over 4,000 students worldwide. Gould is the author of four home staging guides and offers a Directory of Home Stagers to help homeowners and real estate agents locate home stagers who will decorate homes to sell quickly and for top dollar. To learn more, visit www.stagingdivadirectoryofhomestagers.com
Home Staging by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design.
5 Massive Mistakes Homeowners Make When Hiring a Home Stager
When you decide to hire a home stager to decorate your property to sell faster and for more money, you need to make sure you’re investing in the right person. After all, you’re trusting someone with the sale of your largest asset–your home–so you have to be careful to put that trust in an experienced professional.
Having operated a successful home staging business since 2002, and having trained over 4,000 people worldwide about how to become a home stager, Staging Diva® Debra Gould is well aware of what a homeowner or real estate agent needs to look for when selecting an expert home stager. Here are the five biggest mistakes Gould says that homeowners make when looking for a home staging professional:
1. Focusing on price
The last thing you should be focused on is how much the home stager is charging. Saving a few hundred dollars in fees and getting bad advice will cost you thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars. You have a budget in mind, of course, but you stand to make a huge profit from effective home staging. That’s why you should consider hiring a home stager as an investment in the sale of your largest asset. For optimal results, invest in the highest quality stager you can find.
Professional home stagers expect to earn anywhere from $250 to $500 for the initial consultation. Beware of anyone willing to work for significantly less for doing work that you stand to make anywhere from $10,000 to $70,000 in profit from.
Rates will vary depending on your geographic location and the stager’s experience, but you shouldn’t hire someone just because he or she charges a ridiculously low rate. As with most things in life, you get what you pay for.
Home staging by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design
2. Looking for credentials
Another common mistake is to look for “credentials,” since none exist in the home staging field. There is no governing body or official organization ruling over the home staging industry. There are no official home staging accreditations or certifications in this completely unlicensed field. The letters you see after some home stagers’ names simply come from a particular home staging training company that pushes them as part of their marketing strategy. Instead of relying on unofficial credentials, look at testimonials from past clients, before and after photos, and real estate knowledge.
3. Hiring someone without looking at a website or portfolio
It is recommended that you work only with home stagers who have a presence on the Web. Because you’re hiring a professional in a visual field, you want to see how they express themselves through their biggest marketing piece: their website. As an alternative to building their own websites, many graduates of the Staging Diva Home Staging Training Program list their businesses in the Staging Diva Directory of Home Stagers at www.stagingdivadirectoryofhomestagers.com. These listings are like mini-websites, allowing potential clients to view online portfolios and learn more about home staging businesses in their area.
A professional portfolio full of before and after photos is a must. How else will you know what kind of results you can expect from a real estate stager? Because some companies provide ready-made portfolios to home stagers as part of their training programs, it’s important to ask questions about the photos that are presented as a home stager’s own work. If the stager can’t provide details about the property or you’ve seen the same shots on another stager’s website from the same “school” or training program, this should raise a red flag.
If you can’t find a particular home stager’s website or any online proof of their existence, you have to question how serious they are about their business. Alternatively, if they have a very unprofessional website, you have to wonder whether they’ll be capable of staging your home the way you expect from a professional.
4. Not looking for references or a proven track record
Read through the testimonials you’ll find on most home stagers’ websites. If there are none available (or they only provide initials and not full names), contact the stager and ask if they have any references. You shouldn’t hire someone to stage your property without hearing about others’ experiences with them.
Every stager has to start somewhere. If they haven’t staged a client’s home yet, they should at least be able to tell you about the many homes of their own that they’ve bought, staged and sold, and be able to provide the names of real estate agents they’ve worked with when selling these homes. The idea is to look for practical experience.
5. Neglecting to hire someone with real knowledge of the real estate market
You’re not looking for someone who just knows how to decorate. Make sure the home stager knows the local housing market. A home stager is as much a part of the real estate industry as a real estate agent, and they should have a good grasp of the market they’re in. If a stager doesn’t know how much homes usually sell for and how long they typically sit on the market, you should look for another stager in the area.
Because there isn’t an independent organization or association monitoring whether or not a home stager is operating professionally and providing a high-quality service, it’s buyer beware. If you avoid these five common mistakes as you search for the perfect expert home stager for your needs, you should be pleased with the professional you choose.
Happy “House Stager” Hunting!
Home staging by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design
Internationally recognized home staging expert Debra Gould is president of Six Elements and creator of the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program with over 4,000 students worldwide. Gould is the author of four home staging guides and offers a Directory of Home Stagers to help homeowners and real estate agents locate home stagers who will decorate homes to sell quickly and for top dollar. To learn more, visit www.stagingdivadirectoryofhomestagers.com
Ready to Sell Your House Faster and For More?
Get a home staging consultation today. For in person consultations or staging, call for a custom quote.
Interested in becoming a home stager? I recommend the Staging Diva Home Staging Training program!
Home Sellers, Build Your Home Selling Team! Part 1- Find a Home Stager
Ready to put your home on the market? Assemble a top-notch team to ensure a smooth and profitable sale. Your squad should include an expert home stager, a skilled real estate photographer, and a Realtor who excels in marketing and truly champions your interests.
Wondering how to pick the perfect team? Begin with your home stager. I recommend taking the initiative as a seller to make this selection. Choose the best in the business! For insights on why this matters, check out my blog post titled Why Hire a Professional Home Stager to find out more.
Considering selling your home? Proper home staging can significantly boost your final asking price. In fact, effective staging not only recovers its cost but often yields a profit! Additionally, you might be eligible to deduct staging expenses as advertising costs from your home sale taxes.
However, a word of caution: avoid Realtors offering staging services unless they’re professionally trained. Ineffective staging won’t produce the desired effect. An exceptional Realtor will likely suggest, and perhaps even cover, the cost of a professional home staging consultation.
Exercise caution if your Realtor offers to choose and fund the staging. While it sounds enticing and can lure clients, many just opt for the most affordable stager. Some might even inflate this cost for you. Remember, cheaper options can result in an unappealing presentation, leading to prolonged market time, several price cuts, and mounting monthly expenses.
Often, Realtors request “light staging” or “minor fluffing,” a minimalistic approach to make a property appear staged on a budget. This strategy, which might involve sparse furniture or sporadic décor, isn’t effective. Instead of a charming home, it renders the property peculiar both online and offline.
Your best bet? Personally hire a top-tier stager. This investment, done correctly, offers maximum returns.
For tips on hiring the best home stager, refer to my article, “Five Common Mistakes Homeowners Make When Hiring a Home Stager.
Learn More About Home Staging
Get Your Home Staging Consultation Today
Secure your online or in-person home staging consultation or service today. Click the images for more information. For comprehensive staging services, please call for a custom quote.
But guess what? It does not have to be so bad if you have a good plan, a good team to help you and you are prepared before you list. Then, it should be smooth sailing. A fast sale for the price you want is something to celebrate, not stress over.
Tips for a Stress-Free Sale Before You List
Stage It
I am sure you know by now that this is a no-brainer. Invest a little. Make a lot.
A stager can help you with all the rest of these tips as well. The fastest way to reduce stress is to be prepared and sell fast for a great price! Let them handle making the appeal to buyers while you get things packed and ready to move.
De-Clutter and Create Space
Your stager can recommend what things to keep out for staging and what to pack up.
Get rid of things you don’t use and are not moving to your next home.
Have a garage sale now, NOT after your house is listed. If you do it after listing it gives buyers the sense you are in a hurry to sell and they may make a lower offer.
Start packing things up for the move and put them in storage. Do not store it in your garage. That space is a selling point buyers are looking for. Let them see it….not a bunch of boxes.
Donate the things you don’t want and can’t sell to charity.
Create Curb Appeal and Outdoor Living Space
Your stager can recommend what things should be done to the exterior and yard to improve curb appeal.
Typically, this involves doing your yard work, trimming, trees and shrubs, putting everything away, a new welcome mat, and some flowers or art near the door.
Create outdoor living spaces with chairs, tables, and a BBQ grill in a beautiful spot in the yard or on the deck to show the possibilities.
Tips for Stress-Free Sale After You List
For all showings, keep all lights on so it is light and bright
Open all the curtains and let the light in.
Keep the toilet seats down
Turn off the TV
Make sure all beds are made, toys put away
Remove evidence of pets.
Bathrooms should have only clean towels and all personal items should be out of view and stored in baskets.
Remove your valuables from sight.
Create baskets or boxes for daily clutter and toys so you have a place to easily
Let there be Light- Home Staging by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design.
Turn off the TV.
Open windows for fresh air
Make sure all dishes are done or in the dishwasher.
These tips should help you sell fast and for more, so you can rest easy, sell without too much stress and move on to your next adventure.
Sell Your House Faster and For More
Check out my online home staging services. For in-person consultations or staging, call for a custom quote. Click on the pictures to learn more.
Interested in becoming a home stager? I recommend the Staging Diva Home Staging Training program!
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Prepping for Sale: Home Projects That Won’t Cost You a Pretty Penny
Now that your home is ready to sell, you’ll soon be receiving money as opposed to spending it, right? Well, to get your home in tip-top shape and really grab those buyers’ attention, you’ll need to spend a little to impress a lot. Before you start to panic, rest assured that there are many budget-friendly ways to get your home ready to sell that won’t cost you a pretty penny.
Consider Small Renovations
There are definitely several simple ways to get your home ready to sell, but there are a few more extensive renovation projects you can take on first to really add the wow factor, all without spending a ton. For example, you can remodel your kitchen on a small, budget-friendly scale by painting cabinets, adding new hardware, or updating appliances. Another area of your home to look into is something you use every single day – the floor. Many buyers have hardwood floors on their list of things they are looking for in a home, but if your budget isn’t flexible, replace the floors in public areas such as the kitchen and living room. Many major retailers like Home Depot have seasonal sales and promotions that can make flooring installation a definite possibility without your wallet taking a hit. Alternatively, you can seek out niche flooring distributors that offer daily specials and a more customized shopping experience.
Make It Clean and Clutter-Free
When a buyer views your home, they’ll be looking at everything, so it might be hard for them to imagine the space for what it truly is if the coffee table is covered in trinkets and closets are packed full. De-clutter the home to create the illusion of space and give buyers a chance to picture their life there, not yours. It won’t cost a thing, and it can speed up the sale. You’ll also get a head start on packing.
Once you’ve de-cluttered, you’ll need to complete a thorough house cleaning. That even means getting down to the nitty gritty like wiping down baseboards and giving your blinds a solid dusting. You’ll also want to make vacuuming a daily chore, preferably with a HEPA-filtered vacuum so you’re picking up pet dander and allergens. If you’re in the market for a new vacuum, look for deals on easily stored cordless models to help make this chore a breeze.
Stage on a Smaller Level
Hiring a professional to stage your home can be pricey, but there’s no need to dish out the dough when you can stage on a smaller level. Simple changes, such as adding a ceiling fan, updating window treatments, placing cheap throw pillows on furniture, or replacing your decorative bath towels with ones that are crisp white, can make a huge difference. The best part is that many of the changes can be made for under $100 if you shop around for deals at retailers like Bed Bath & Beyond. Just use Bed Bath & Beyond coupons and promo codes to find discounts online.
If you choose to do the staging yourself, every home can benefit from a home staging consultation with a pro to give you a great checklist of everything you can do yourself to get your home ready for the market.
Welcome Them In
The front door doesn’t seem too important at first glance, but it’s the first thing the buyer will see. Plus, painting the front door is a cheap way to give your home a polished look, and you can do it without the help of a professional painter by following along with a tutorial. Before you go out and buy a gallon of candy apple red paint, take note that the current trends are leaning more toward darker hues of gray and blue, or even black. According to MarketWatch, black doors are becoming popular and can add up to $6,000 in home value. And to save money on paint, make note of sales and coupons from companies like Sherwin Williams.
Channel Your Green Thumb
You’ve seen plenty of homes with beautiful landscaping, and perhaps your thumb even turned green with envy. However, if you live in a climate where the temperature is scorching hot, you might feel as if your landscaping options are limited. The key is to adapt to your climate, and this means using flowers and plants that are drought-tolerant, such as purple coneflower, autumn joy, manzanita, or coyote brush. Rather than revamp your entire yard, add color and greenery in areas that are sparse to save both time and money. Look for sales at nearby nurseries or home improvement stores to help stretch your dollar.
Selling your home doesn’t have to be expensive. There are small ways to get your home ready to sell, such as de-cluttering, upgrading the entryway, adding greenery, staging, and making small renovations. Making these changes will make a huge difference in the eyes of a buyer, not to mention a small one on your wallet.
Plan to do your home staging yourself but not sure where to start? Send me pictures of your house and I will give you a detailed checklist of everything you can do inside and out to prepare your house to sell fast, sell high and appeal to your target market. as well as tips for living in your for sale home and preparing for your photo shoot. Perfect if you will be living in the home while it is listed. If your home will be vacant, I can give recommendations for paint, upgrades and preparation for market. Learn more.
Prices subject to change without notice. This post may contain affiliate links.
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What is the Cheapest Way to Successfully Stage Your House? Get a Home Staging Consultation
How Much Does it Cost?
Usually the first question I get when a home owner or realtor calls about home staging is “How much does it cost?”
To get the best possible results from home staging, it is worth spending the money to hire a professional home stager with experience and great reviews. See my interview on Helpful Tips for Finding a Great Home Stager to learn what to look for.
Benefits of Home Staging
The benefits include getting the highest possible price for your home in the price range of similar houses, and selling fast so you save money by reducing owner expenses while on the market and losses from price reductions. Home staging always costs less than your first price reduction.
The Cost of Taking Shortcuts
Taking shortcuts such as hiring untrained stagers or realtors to stage your home because it is cheaper, listing first and staging later if it does not sell, using “Lite” or “Vignette” staging of minimal rooms or areas, or not staging at all will cost you more money in a lower final sales price or losses from price reductions as your home is on the market longer.
A better question might be, “How much does it cost not to professionally stage my home?” The higher initial investment will pay off and put more money in your pocket in the end.
What if You Can’t Invest in Home Staging?
Sometimes, however, a home seller is unable to make the full investment in home staging. What is the cheapest way to get results that can pay off in a higher sales price when the budget is tight? Here is my advice if you are going to be living in the home while it is on the market.
Get a home staging consultation with a professional stager, follow their advice, do the staging yourself, and have them do a final check-up before taking photos.
Every home, no matter how big or small, regardless of the price range or condition can benefit from a professional consultation.
Before Home Staging.After Home Staging by Northern Lights Home Staging and Design.-This Office/Catch all room turned into a bonus room or part of a Mother in Law Suite to help increase value.
What is involved in a professional home staging consultation?
The home stager will come to your house and walk through the interior and exterior. They will give you expert objective advice on:
How buyers will see your home and what changes you can make to get the highest final sales price. It is impossible for home sellers to see their own home objectively as a buyer seeing it for the first time will see it.
The most cost effective ways to market your property to your target buyer.
What things to repair, paint, update, remove, add, keep and re-arrange to highlight the best features of the home and downplay the flaws.
Paint and décor colors that appeal to buyers.
Working with the décor you have to highlight the homes features and will give you recommendations for purchases if needed for bedding, art, accessories, furniture rentals, etc.
Prioritizing the most important things to do if time or budget constraints exist.
Improving your curb appeal.
Trusted resources such as contractors, painters, and cleaners etc. to use.
How to live in your staged home and keep things looking great while it is on the market.
Most consultations last about 2 hours and cost an average of $300 providing a huge amount of value in just a few hours. Your home stager can come back for a check-up after you have done the work to do final adjustments before photos for an hourly fee. The check-up can add great value to make sure your furniture is properly arranged to highlight space, your bookshelves and accessories are styled to look great, your bedding is arranged perfectly, art is hung correctly and all the little things that will make the photos look wonderful and have buyers loving your house are done.
What if your house is Vacant?
A consultation can still provide great value in prioritizing the things to do to get the most bang for your buck. And it will be important….since there will be no furniture etc. to look at, buyers will be focusing on the flaws which will be more obvious. You are better off investing in a consultation or full staging than trying to do ”vignette” or “Lite staging”. These silly staging tricks where a couple rooms have minimal furniture or have small areas staged in an otherwise empty house look weird and distracting. Better to not waste money on that and leave it empty. During the home staging consultation, the stager can tell you what the most important things are you can do to get the best return on your investment with the money you have available to spend.
A great home stager will make all the difference in a successful home sale for you. Pick their brains! They want to help you!
Ready for your Home Staging Consultation?
Start with a home staging consultation, either in person or online. From there, you can take the information and stage it yourself, or we can work together or I can do it all for you. Whether you will be living in the home while it is for sale or it will be a vacant property that needs everything, I can help.
Some other services you may find helpful are a color consultation if your staging consultation highlights the need for re-painting the interior or exterior. Virtual staging is an option if in person staging will not work for your vacant property. And vacation rental staging can help you increase your income, bookings and attract your ideal customer.
The right paint colors can help you sell for more. The wrong colors can decrease your sales price. Get this report, normally valued at $5 for free when you sign up to receive monthly color, design and staging tips.
Free Home Staging Workshop-Sell Your House in any Market Fast and For More with Home Staging
Join us for a free home staging workshop on March 12, 5:45-6:45 pm at 12*100 Cpffee and Communitas in Anchorage located at 12100 Old Seward Highway.
Thinking of selling your house? Stop by for coffee and learn how to sell quickly and for top dollar in any market with home staging. Potentially increase your selling price up to 20% and sell 79% faster. Learn what you can do yourself, and how a home stager can help you. Learn how and why home staging works and how to find a great home stager. Find out about the process and what it costs.
Your home is probably your greatest investment. Home selling is a stressful process. Make sure you get the most for your home and learn the tools to sell fast, reduce stress and costs.
Mary Ann Benoit with Northern Lights Home Staging & Design – Not The Usual Success Story
We hope you enjoy this article and podcast on Anchorage Advice Givers about Mary Ann Benoit and Northern Lights Home Staging and Design. Learn about what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur and to start your own home staging and design business.
Mary Ann, the foremost home stager in south-central Alaska, provides an award winning, versatile, and unique one-stop shop for home staging, Interior Design, Edesign and color consulting for homes and vacation rental properties.
Learn more about Mary Ann on her About Me page or see her full biography here.
View the full video interview with Mary Ann here.
Meet Mary Ann Benoit, Owner of Northern Lights Home Staging and Design, and Arctic Paradise B&B. Mary Ann was/is an artist and a scientist before she became an entrepreneur. She has been an artist since childhood and today she designs and sells one of a kind jewelry and stained glass. Mary Ann is also a performing artist in both music and dance. As a scientist, she pursued a career as a wildlife biologist for the last 30+ years based on her love for animals.
Mary Ann became an entrepreneur in 2001 in addition to her work as a biologist and artist. Her first business was Arctic Paradise Bed & Breakfast, Jewelry and Stained Glass in Seward, Alaska, The business continues to run smoothly and is very successful. Her second and current business is the Northern Lights Home Staging and Design.
What does Northern Lights Home Staging and Design offer?
In simple terms, home staging is decorating and preparing a home to sell. Staging helps buyers to get connected with home emotionally so they see themselves living there, which helps the home sell faster and for more money.
Challenging factor:
Some homeowners and realtors worry about spending money on staging because they think of it as a cost, rather than an investment which will help them sell their home faster (saving them money) and for more money. Staging increases the value of the house generally 1-20% and usually only requires 0.5% to1% of the home’s value to complete the staging process. Cutting costs through partial staging or not having it done by a professional affects the end result and hurts the home seller.
Love for the business:
She loves to see “the magic happen” when she transforms the house so beautifully during staging. This gives her a lot of personal satisfaction and appeals to her creative spirit. Some home owners don’t want to move after seeing their beautifully staged home! Mary Ann loves it when homeowners and buyers love the way the house looks.
Mary Ann Benoit is the President of Northern Lights Home Staging and Design at northernlightsstaging.com.
