News Video on Home Staging

This is a FAB news story by Matt Belander of KeloLand TV in North Dakota.
There's even a video of the article, just click on the title link above.

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Rebecca


It's called home staging, and it involves all of the simple things people can do to get the most money when selling their house.

"Our emphasis is really on the first rooms you come into," she said.

Kranz and her team of staging-specialists start by taking almost everything out of the house.

Decorating is kept to a tasteful minimum, and Kranz tries to use furniture and accessories the homeowner already has. The goal is to place just enough around to make the house look lived-in, but still allow room for the buyer to mentally move-in their own furniture as they tour the house. You don't want decoration to distract from what you are really trying to sell.

Many times, Kranz says she finds "less is more" is the best way to approach staging a home.

"In the bathrooms its really important to clean all of the surfaces, so you want to pick up all of the rugs because when you have rugs on the floor you can not see the floor and that eats-up the visual space," she said.

She says other style no-nos include toilet seat covers, busy wallpaper, family pictures, and brightly colored paint. The whole process of staging a house can take anywhere from a few hours to several days, depending on the size of the job, which also impacts the bill.

"Typically say a 2,500 square foot house will run anywhere from $250 to $1,000. It just depends on what the client wants us to do," Kranz said.

But the result is worth the price for many people: a professionally-styled home that's designed to sell.

Home staging is just starting to catch on in South Dakota. Kranz is one of two accredited staging professionals in the state. But she says more buyers and realtors are slowly learning about, and taking advantage of the service.

Matt Belanger
© 2006 KELOLAND TV. All Rights Reserved.

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