When selling their homes, sellers obviously want to get as much money as they can. While sellers set the price, they aren’t in charge of how much their homes are worth. A home appraisal determines the value of a home, which depends on the market, quality, and size of the house, and other factors. However, there are several ways that sellers can increase home appraisal value in San Antonio and Austin.

Since home sales typically involve banks and loans, lenders are often the party that requires the appraisal. Home Appraising Group says “commonly, appraisers are hired by mortgage lenders to estimate the value of a home involved in a loan transaction.”

In order to get the highest value for a home, sellers need to make it appealing to both the potential buyer and the appraiser. Here are four steps to take to maximize a home’s appraisal value in San Antonio and Austin.

1. Invest in Staging

Both the interior and exterior of a home play a very...

You know that BY Design staging sells your listings for more money and faster. But, your clients don't sell houses every day and might not be familiar with home staging. Here is your script to get them on board.

Zig Ziglar taught that every sale has 5 basic obstacles: 

• No Need
• No Money
• No Hurry
• No Desire
• No Trust

Let's take a look at each of those and explore some appropriate responses. This is your script for handling each situation.

No Need

The seller may say something along the lines of "I didn't stage my last house and it sold fine," or "My home was professionally decorated," or "It looks clean and open since it is vacant."

The market has changed and, thanks to HGTV, Pinterest, Houzz, etc, buyers now expect more. They want to be 'wow'ed.

Buyers stay in a vacant home an average of 5 minutes but will linger in a furnished home an average of 40 minutes. This is important because the National Association of Realtors says that the longer a buyer remains in a home, the...

Shhhhh... Don't tell anyone but we are going to let you in on some juicy trade secrets. This is classified information, normally known only to home staging industry experts. 

If you thought home staging was just a matter of placing some furniture in a room, think again. Staging is interior design, psychology, and marketing - all rolled into one. BY Design Home Staging knows the secret strategies to market a home and help sellers net the greatest profit on their real estate investment, whether those sellers are homeowners, builders, or investors. So here are 5 of our home staging tips for San Antonio and Austin revealed:

1. Hang a mirror in the entry hall. It looks beautiful, neutral, and reflects light into the space, but more importantly, buyers' first and last impression will be to literally 'see' themselves in this home. (PS: We recently shared this tip in a Redfin article – check it out here!)

2. Use matching nightstands,...

By Michele English - Lead Vacant Stager, BY Design Home Staging

As a stager, I think I get as excited about an offer on BY Design staged properties as the Realtors. Sometimes I literally jump up and down when a ‘challenging’ house is sold quickly due to artful staging.

This past month I had one of those staging experiences that made me wish I could do cartwheels! A staged home with at least 11 offers in less than 2 days and in a bidding war. What?

And it gets better… we staged the same property several years before and had 4 offers in the first 24 hours back then.

Read on to learn how YOU can get faster and higher offers on San Antonio real estate listings, just like this one!

About 5 years ago, BY Design Home Staging had the opportunity to ‘flip’ this house. After about six weeks of removing the floor and replacing it, sanding, scraping, painting (click here to find the BEST white paint color for your listing), and remodeling...

Did you know that millennials account for 25-40% of homebuyers in today's market (NAR)? These buyers have grown up with HGTV, Pinterest, Instagram, and IKEA. They are very style-conscious—even on their often limited budgets.

When staging in the trendy, millennial-friendly neighborhoods in San Antonio and Austin, BY Design Home Staging uses furniture and accessories that reflect popular styles. Read on to learn which trends to get rid of when selling a home in San Antonio or Austin. 

Don’t use ficus trees or English ivy. 

Everyone loves a good houseplant and the current trends are all about eco-friendly, healthy living. But those old ficus trees and English ivy pots are only collecting dust and reminding younger buyers of their grandma's house.

Ditch them for fresher alternatives. You can replace ivy with orchids and succulents, and ficus trees with olive and fiddle leaf fig trees. BY Design Home Staging's inventory features beautiful,...

COVID-19 has had a large influence on real estate trends in San Antonio, Austin, and the surrounding areas. Since the pandemic began, people have spent more time than ever before inside their homes. As you can imagine, homeowners are starting to realize that their current home does not suit their new lifestyle and needs.

As a Realtor or Builder, it is imperative that your listings meet all the current design trends so they will sell quickly and for high profits. With wish lists shifting, home staging is a must. BY Design Home Staging will transform your listing to have exactly what your target buyer is looking for! Here are some of the trends buyers are looking for due to the impact of COVID-19.

Stage Defined Spaces Inside the Home

Modern, open concept floor plans are scaling back while traditional designs are making a comeback. With the entire family working, playing, learning, and living under one roof, people are realizing that a clear...

Designers, home stagers, Realtors, and even social media influencers have gravitated in recent years towards white walls with accents of neutrals and charcoal. It’s a color scheme that is timeless and classic, yet fresh and crisp. But finding the perfect shade of white can be difficult. That's why we compiled a list of the 20 best white paint colors for your San Antonio listing.

We predict that the coronavirus pandemic will extend the lifespan of the white paint trend, as it creates a perception of being clean and disinfected. Balancing with the warmth and texture of organic materials, like baskets and wood, keeps white from feeling too sterile and clinical.

So what is our go-to white? We get asked all of the time to just name the one-size-fits-all paint selection for every situation. Clients will call requesting us to give them a color name over the phone. It can sometimes be an emergency. The painter is coming in the morning and they...

Should San Antonio home sellers wait out the holidays?

It happens every year around this time. We start getting calls asking, "Are the holidays a good time to sell a home? Should I take my house off the market until spring? Nobody is out looking at houses during the holidays - right?"

Our answer may really surprise you!

We know that there is so much else going on during this time of year. Lots of parties and family gatherings. Living in a home on the market can be a pain in any season, and more so during the holidays. So, if you (or your staging clients) are in no hurry to sell, it makes sense from a convenience standpoint to hold off until the festive season is past. On the other hand... 

There is a very good argument for keeping a home on the market during the holidays. The first of the year is a common time for new job starts, so the weeks leading up to that are a prime time for some house hunters. With the school break, families have an opportunity to...

Real Estate agents have a lot of costs up front and you don't get paid until the home closes. That wait for the commission payout at closing can be so painful! But, it doesn't have to be that way!

When the home is prepared for sale RIGHT the first time, it doesn't sit on the market. It SELLS!

So what does it mean to prepare a listing for sale?  We have created a step by step video (below) for you to share with your clients so that their home looks its very best for the MLS photos and for every showing. 

Need a specific custom consultation for your occupied listing or FREE bid for your vacant listing?  Call us today to get results for your clients!  210-722-1633  www.bydesignsa.com

Are you trying to do it all? Most agents know the statistics on how important home staging is, but some are trying to do it on their own.

We actually teach a CE class for realtors about home staging-- but being a Staging Design Agent does NOT mean that you should be a home stager AND a real estate agent. The fastest way to burn out and start dropping all those spinning plates is to try to do something that you can hire someone else to do better-- and in less time. 

To be a top producer, you need to be all in. You need to be an expert in your neighborhood. You need to be focused on building relationships and knowing the stats on homes. But, you DON'T also need to be a professional home stager. Trust us, it is a full-time job on its own!!  Call us at 210-722-1633 or request a bid here so that you can focus on what you do best: getting homes SOLD!