BILL CHERRY, REALTORS  

PREPARING A HOME TO SELL IS NOW KNOWN AS STAGING

By Bill Cherry, Dallas Broker Realtor

My 43rd Year Representing Texans

Meet me on the web at www.billcherrybroker.com

            Some years ago, I was a principal in a Houston company that built garden apartments, sold them to JMB Realty in Chicago, and retained the contract with them to lease and manage the properties.  Things went well.  Apartment demand was so strong in those days that we were able to learn our trade without much risk.  As far as I was concerned, money was falling out of the skies into our laps.

            But then as the market approached saturation, leasing wasn't going as quickly as it had in the past.  So the question became, "What can we do to assure our units will be chosen over our competition by new residents?"  And that was when we discovered the importance of having professionally designed and furnished units as sales tools.

            A few years later, we decided to branch out into building single family subdivisions, townhouses and condominiums.  One of our developments was The Landing on Eagle Mountain Lake near DFW Airport. 

            We were slow in transferring what we had learned building apartments to those new venues, rationalizing that contrary to a lot of apartment renters, most of these prospective buyers knew how to furnish their residence - they had experience. 

            But you know, that just turned out to be horribly flawed judgment on our part, especially at The Landing.  We quickly learned that most people can't visualize the actual placement of furniture in a vacant room.  And they have no concept of the actual dimensions of things like washing machines, refrigerators, couches, etc.  So, again, we hired a professional to furnish our model units.  Then they began selling like hotcakes, as the expression goes.

            And this same concept holds true for resale homes.  You want it to shine far better than wherever they are living now.  The empty pizza box probably looks fine to them on the coffee table at THEIR house, but absolutely not at THIS house! 

            To quote fellow Realtor Barb Schwarz, "Buyers can only imagine what they see, not what it's going to be."  If a homeowner thinks the prospects aren't turned off by their maroon flocked wallpaper, boldly painted rooms, the pool table in the living room, heavily furnished rooms, stuffed to the brim closets, and the like, he is out of touch with reality.  Those things have to be changed before the house is put on the market. 

            It's called "staging" the home.

            Here's the reality of good staging vs. "as-is."  One study showed us that well-staged homes sell in an average of 42 days.  Those that aren't take more than 3 times as long.  And staged homes seem to also bring from 6 to 22 percent more in the selling price.

            So let's look at some of the most obvious areas that should be addressed when a home is being staged for the market.

The Drive Up Appeal

            Be sure the lawn is alive, well, plus always looks as if it were just cut.  Keep the flower beds weeded and covered with fresh mulch; the hedges and trees trimmed; attractive potted plants by the entrance.  Freshen up the paint or stain on the front door, or replace it with a fancier one.  If the door hardware looks worn, replace it.  Make sure the street gutters are clean and without weeds growing in them.  Keep children's toys, bicycles, trash cans and the like out of the yard.

What Is Seen the Minute the Front Door Is Opened

            First the foyer.  Make certain it doesn't have a coat tree full of coats, a table with keys and cards and today's mail on it.  If there's room, have fresh flowers, live plants there to welcome and impress your visitors.

            Next is what you see when you look from the foyer into the adjoining rooms.  You want to be sure that all clutter is off of the tables and floors and that they look straight.

The Comes the 25% Rule

            It's almost a given that every home that has been lived in for longer than a few months has too much furniture, accessories and clutter in it in the eyes of prospective buyers.  Remove all of the clutter and take out at least 25% of the furniture and accessories.

            In fact, apply the same rule to closets and cabinets.  You're going to have to pack up this stuff anyway when your house has been sold and you're moving to your next one.

The Garage

            And that gives us a natural transition to now address the garage.  Rent an off-site storage unit, and move to it the boxes you have packed, the furniture and accessories you have pared down, and all of the items other than cars and yard equipment that you store in the garage.  Every piece.  Repaint the garage walls and clean oil spots off of the floor.  Make certain there is plenty of light.

A House that Looks to Be Enjoyed Sells

            But don't take that to mean that having exercise equipment dominating a guest bedroom, the pool table as the focal point of what was supposed to be the living or dining room, children's art stuck to the refrigerator or thumb tacked to the bedroom wall.  If you want to see what is acceptable, next Sunday visit a few well-known builders' model homes. 

And the Fixer Up Itself

            Have all dripping facets and running toilets repaired.  Replace all toilet seats with brand new ones.  Have the carpets professionally cleaned.  Have a professional cleaning service take the house apart and put it back together again.  You want it sparkling - the windows, the baseboards, the slats on the blinds, the oven and the shades on the overhead light fixtures.  You want to be sure all lighting works and have proper and consistent light bulbs in them.

Odors Are the Main No-No

             Cigarette, cigar, pipe smell, the smell of pets and strong cooking odors often kill a prospect's interest before and above anything else.  They just can't seem to get past it.

             And to make matters worse, most homeowners who smoke and have pets and fry everything they eat, can't imagine what their home smells like to others.  After you've taken control of the smells, have a couple of neighbors come over and evaluate the results.

Finally, Rearrange the Furniture

            I don't know why this is important, it just is.  Take my word for it.  Rearrange the furniture and wall and table accessories in every room.  If you don't think you can do this well, get someone who has this talent to help you.

The Test

            It's entirely possible that you may not have all of this precisely right at first.  See how things go with the first few showings of your home.  Ask for and listen to what comments the agents have gotten from their clients.  If two or three of them object to the flowery yellow wallpaper in the guest bath, yank the stuff down and paint the walls a neutral shade or a very light pastel.  You get the idea.

Can't Do It, Don't Have the Time?

            There are professional stagers working in most cities like Dallas.  We'll be glad to give you the names of some to interview that we've had experience with.  They're work isn't expensive.  The risk is that after they've finished with your home, you may no longer want to sell it!

Copyright 2007 - William S. Cherry, Realtor

All rights reserved