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Sellers- Are you playing the Wait and See Game? 3 Reasons why you should Stage your house first!

Sellers- Are you playing the Wait and See Game before you Stage your house?  You know what I mean: "I'll put it on the market for a month and see what happens.  If it doesn't sell, then I might consider staging."

person waiting

Here are THREE REASONS why you should STAGE your house BEFORE you place that FOR SALE sign in your front yard!

 

1.  You can't sell a house if no one sees it!  And with more than 85% of Buyers beginning their search on the Internet, your MLS photos.... how you look can mean the difference between a Pass and a Viewing Appointment. Buyers are savvy enough to know that MLS listings with photos of nothing but exterior shots or photos of amenity areas and neighborhood entrances means the house probably wasn't "photo worthy".

group of people   Or, if you allowed photos of an interior that was, let us say, not very appealing, to be placed on the MLS or any other marketing avenues, then ask yourself... Do you really want to sell your house?  

    RESULT: Missed Opportunities for Appointments. 

2.  Once a Realtor (or Buyer)  has seen your house via a showing appointment or preview, that is how they will remember it.    

Yes, you can Stage it.  It's NEVER too late!  And, statistics show that you will have increased your chances for a quicker sale.  However what about the Buyers that have already seen your house, or the Realtors who saw your previously un-Staged home?  Will they return? 

     RESULT: Missed Opportunities with current Buyers and Realtors. 

3.  All things being equal, a Staged Home coupled with the right List Price typically will sell in a shorter amount of time, sometimes in less than 4-6 weeks!    

Ask yourself... Do you really enjoy making sure your house is model-home ready every day?  Isn't it worth the small investment in a Staging Consultation ?   In the time you've been waiting to see if your house would sell, and for less than the amount of your first Price Reduction, you could have staged your house. 

     RESULT: Taking advantage of every showing opportunity to sell your house!

 

 

Kathy Streib 
 
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Selling your house? Make your home the star of it's own show.

       house Lights! Camera! Action!  The first step Before you list your house!

In a series of posts I wrote last year on Preparing Your Home for Sale in Palm Beach County- What to do Before you list your house.  I talked about the importance of viewing your home as a commodity to be marketed.

taking a picture

One of the steps I suggested was to take photos of your house: the exterior (front and back) , front entry, and every room.  Stand in the entry and take a photo of the first thing a buyer will see.  Stand at the door to every room and take a photo.  I also take a photo from every corner of a room.  

Next, upload these photos to your computer, then sit down and take a good look. 

Like what you see?  This is the first view of what a potential buyer will see of your house.  Did you know that 87%+ of home buyers begin their search on the Internet?  The photos of your house will either grab the attention of a buyer, or not.

If your photos are: few or limited to exterior shots of the house or your community entry; or just don't show a very appealing house then chances are the buyer will "click" to the next listing.  That means No Showing Appointment!

No showings = No sale.

At a recent consultation ,  I'd given the Seller a "To Do" list of my suggestions.  There were some items, though, that I knew she was going to shoot down.   The clue was when she said "No way am I spending any  money on carpeting or paint!"   Because of her circumstances, I opted not to press her on this while I was there.  And, if I could get her to take on some of the items I suggested, then that might have to do.

However, (and this is where my "ah-ha" moment came in), after uploading and viewing the photos of her home, I did not like what I saw.  I knew that my job as a Professional Home Stager was to help her make her home as marketable and competitive as I could. 

 The next day I called her and I told her that after viewing online the photos of her house that I'd taken, I needed her to make a few more changes.  I explained that what I saw was what the buyers would see as well.   She got the message!

 Take a look:

Guest room before  Guest room After

This was the first room a buyer saw after entering the house and you could see a stain on the carpet.  Because she has 3 long haired cats I also felt that a new carpet and pad would help with any odors.

Master bedroom beforeMaster Bedroom after

There was still work do do with her cats etc. but painting over the symbol removed some of the distraction in the room. 

When selling your home, see it as others will.  Grab your camera and start shooting!

  

 

Kathy Streib 
 
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Room Service Home Staging