Tour of Homes winds down this weekend

The Home Builders Association of the Greater Pee Dee’s Tour of Homes is winding down this weekend with two showings Saturday and Sunday.

There will be many homes on the tour with dynamic floor plans, innovative ideas and remarkable craftsmanship.

“It is not easy to sell your home these days, and staging is the essential first step,” said Vincent J. Kinsler, an interior design specialist with Haverty’s Furniture Co. “Staging can leave a lasting impression to a buyer that distinguishes your home from the one down the street. With the proper selected colors, furnishings and accessories, an interior designer can created a warm and inviting atmosphere that makes a house feel like a home.”

Despite rises in home prices for the third consecutive month in July, according to a report from the Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller home price index, there are still risks to the recovery of the national housing market because of increased unemployment and foreclosures.

“Staging could be the saving grace to a home owner or builder looking to sell in a saturated market,” Kinsler said.

For the past 15 years, Kinsler has been using this tool of staging a house with furniture and other decor, which is gaining popularity on television shows such as HGTV.

“Fewer than 20 percent of buyers can see beyond an empty room. Buyers need to see furniture to help them envision their own furnishings in the same place. Scale and symmetry are crucial in designing a room,” Kinsler said.

Check out the 25 homes that will be on the tour this weekend by visiting the Home Builders Association’s Web site at http://www.hbapeedee.com.

Kinsler will be on site at the 3001 Waterfowl Way location in Forest Lake Shores to answer any questions concerning staging or interior design.

Tour times will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Pick up tour books and maps at area restaurants, grocery stores and merchants.

Admission is free. Donations for the Manna House and the Florence Area Humane Society will be accepted at each tour home.

For more information, call the Home Builders Association at (843) 665-5885 or (843) 665-0411.