1. What is real estate enhancement?
2. How is real estate enhancement different than staging?
3. Will you rent furniture if the house is vacant?

1. How expensive is it to have this done?
2. Why should I pay someone to do this?
3. How is this different than what my realtor suggested I do?
4. I like how my house is decorated now. Why would I need to change it?
5. Can you do the enhancement using only the things I have in my house?
6. My home is very modest, isn’t this just for fancy houses?

1. What happens on the day of the enhancement?
2. What exactly would you do?
3. Do you paint or perform any of the maintenance that might be needed?

1. What do I have to do if I'm interested in this?
2. Are there before and after pictures I can look at?

Real estate enhancement is the process of visually preparing your home for the real estate market. The goal is to broaden the appeal of your property by arranging the house in a way that creates a warm, inviting environment. You want buyers to feel comfortable, encouraging them to linger and focus on the house rather than on its contents.  (top)

The two terms can be used interchangeably. The term that many realtors know, and that you often hear referred to on the TV programs, is "staging".

However, because "staging" sometimes refers to the process of renting furniture and using it to fill a house where the seller has already moved out, it is often clearer to use the term "real estate enhancement" when talking about the process of preparing a house for the market.

Preparing a house for the market is just as important when the seller is still living in their home. The process not only includes adding the final finishing touches, but also addresses underlying issues such as furniture placement, highlighting selling features, maximizing space and flow, and decluttering and depersonalizing the space.   (top)

Trying to furnish a vacant listing can be an expensive proposition, often out of reach for moderately priced homes. But that doesn't mean you are stuck with all or nothing. We are now offering a great way to add life and color to empty listings without requiring furniture rental with our latest service called Focal Point Staging. For more information, see "staging your vacant house" under Services.  (top)

Hiring a real estate enhancement specialist is an investment in helping you get the most from the sale of your home. Your house is a big investment, and you want to receive as much out of it as possible.

With that goal in mind, a several hundred-dollar investment can often mean a difference of thousands of dollars in the offer you receive. In addition, houses that have been enhanced tend to sell more quickly and at a better price. Pricing is based on size and how much stuff, starting from as little as $195.   (top)

A staging professional is trained to prepare houses that will show well to buyers. We know how to take the positive features of your home and emphasize them using furniture arrangement, art, lighting and accessories.

We can also help style the home to make it appealing to as wide a variety of buyers as possible. You never know which buyer will be THE buyer, so the broader the appeal, the more likely the house will attract the right attention.

Along with our expertise, we also bring objectivity. Sometimes it is difficult for you to see how your house looks to others and to know what kinds of changes are needed. When your house goes on display, the focus of the decorating has a different purpose than when you are decorating it to live in. We take advantage of that in ways you may never have considered. After all, just because something has ALWAYS gone there doesn't mean it's the best place to put it!  (top)

Your realtor has good suggestions and you should by all means take advantage of their knowledge and expertise. Staging and enhancement take your house one step further in helping to show it at its best. Your realtor most likely does not have the time (or the desire!) to do the hands on work to implement these kinds of changes that help your house stand out from the rest.   (top)

When you decorate your home, you do so in a way that personalizes the house and makes it your own. The opposite is true once your home goes on the real estate market. The goal then becomes to appeal to as many potential buyers as possible.

Part of that process is to neutralize and depersonalize the space to help buyers picture themselves in your house. This may mean having to live with things differently than you are used to, and perhaps not how you would personally have arranged them. You may also need to pack up and put away items that you enjoyed having out.

In addition, decorating for showing off your house is different than decorating it for how you live everyday. Even beautifully decorated homes can benefit from enhancement because how your furnishings are used is every bit as important as how beautiful they are.

Enhancement is also a good way to begin the letting go process of turning your "home" into a "house for sale". The good news about taking all these steps as part of the selling process is if all goes well, it won't be your home much longer and you will soon be packing it up anyway! Think of the process as your first step in preparing to transition from this home to the next.   (top)

While real estate enhancement is based on the philosophy of making the best use of what you already have, sometimes additional items need to be purchased. This may range from pillows, plants and accessories to help give a room an extra touch of color, to new towels or a welcome mat. When needed, we will request a budget to use for any necessary purchases.   (top)

Any size house is a candidate for the real estate enhancement process. The attention to detail and the finishing touches are often what makes a buyer choose one house over another. Considering the potential return on the sale of your house, this is a good investment no matter what the asking price.

A several hundred-dollar investment can often mean a difference of thousands of dollars in the offer you receive. And if your house has been on the market for a while, enhancing gives the house an updated look that may well catch the eye of buyers that couldn't see its potential before. Besides, isn't it worth giving it a try before dropping the asking price?  (top)

We don't just tell you what needs to happen, we actually do it. We take care of all the hands-on work of moving furniture, hanging art and arranging accessories and lighting. When we walk out the door, your house is ready to show.   (top)

We do whatever is necessary based on the specific needs of your house. That can be anything from relocating personal belongings, to arranging furniture and accessories. When we enhance a home, we have specific goals we are trying to achieve:

• It is important to neutralize and depersonalize the space as much as possible so that buyers can more easily picture themselves in your house. You don't want to distract them by drawing attention to you and your lifestyle, so prominently-displayed family photos, personal collections or any other distracting items need to be put away. You want potential buyers to remember you as the "house with the great family room", not the "one with the interesting art collection"...

• Furniture placement, lighting and accessories can be used to help draw the eye to the home's positive features. We make sure buyers can see them! For each room, the first thing you notice when you walk in is important in forming the buyer's impression. If it's not a selling feature of the room or the room as a whole, then the room is not being shown to its full potential.

• Buyers need to feel comfortable when they are in your house and not be negatively influenced by clutter, cleanliness issues, poor lighting or other distractions. You want them to stay and look at the rooms, and hopefully let them picture their belongings in the space. Is this a room that you would want to come in, sit down and spend time in? If not, don't make the buyer do all the work to figure out how great the space could be.

• Most importantly, it is imperative to create a great first impression. If they aren't impressed when they walk in the door, it is difficult to change their minds with the rest of the house no matter how great it looks.

Your realtor should provide guidance on what repairs or structural changes need to be made (such as painting, removing wallpaper, replacing worn or outdated carpet, updating plumbing or appliances). If you need to have this done, we request that it be completed before we do our work.   (top)

If you are in the St. Louis metropolitan area, you or your realtor can call us at 314-359-9127. Or if you prefer, you may also send us an email, and we will contact you. Working together with your realtor, we will determine how we can best meet your needs.

Those of you that live outside the St. Louis area can find a professional near you that is certified in Real Estate Enhancement by visiting the Realty Enhancement International member locator on the Realty Enhancement web site.   (top)