Staged, Listed, and Sold (in 1.5 hours) in Heritage Landing, St Augustine, FL

When I decided to sell real estate here in St Johns, FL it was a tough decision. I felt that because of my extensive home staging background that it would be a niche I could fill. After all of these years, I still love seeing the difference that staging can make to the sale of a home, like this recent listing in Heritage Landing, St Augustine, FL.  

264 Silver Glen, Heritage Landing, St Augustine, FL

Heritage Landing is a great community here in St Johns County. It has a ridiculously good amenity center. St Johns schools are nearly all rated A+. But after the market crash in 2005-2006 home prices were decimated. Most of the existing home sales are short sales. They are all competing against new construction. This has meant that the resale market hasn't really bounced back in this community. As you know, short sales often try to compete based on the idea of who is priced better (ie lower). 

This particular seller, had their home on the market earlier in the year but gave up after low ball investor offers left them feeling like there simply was no point. While they had the money to make up the shortage, the numbers they were getting would have eaten a lot of what they worked for and put the dreams of building a new custom home in jeopardy. About a month after their listing expired they approached me to see what I thought they needed to do. They knew I was both a stager and an agent. I am actually the listing agent for the custom builder they want to work with and they loved the work that I had done in the model home. 

No so big changes yield high rewards for sellers

The truth is that their home was actually lovely. They had a lot of upgrades. Most of their furniture choices fit the home really well. What did not was the large sectional in the living room. It hid the fireplace and made the room feel crowded and small. Because I offer my home staging services free to my customers and personally own a significant amount of inventory, I had the perfect solution. We moved their bulky sectional into my storage units and replaced it with a sofa, chair, and coffee table. The husband's recliner we actually were able to fit into the room layout. 

The results are nothing less than spectacular. Still, to be effective we have to measure this in green, as in dollars. The end result has been that we decided to price the home for just over $25,000 more than it had been listed approximately one month ago. The seller received an acceptable offer within 1.5 hours of hitting the MLS. Measured on my scale, that's a successful stage. 

If you are ready to put your home on the market, put it in the hands of someone who knows how to properly merchandise and market it. Call me at 904-466-2093 for a free home evaluation. 

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