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NEVER TOO LATE TO STAGE!

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with Carlson Properties 325-721-2429 0528582

I got a call from my daughter asking plaintively,  Can you help my friend?   I feel so bad for her.  She has a cute house built in 2006 and she confided in me that the house has now been on the market with a Realtor for 356 days and ONLY six showings!   Is there anything she can do?   Of course, there's always something to do!  The two variables that an owner has complete control over are the price and the condition.   The easiest and the simplest to do FIRST is to enhance the condition with home staging.  

The way buyers evaluate a  home on the Internet is through the photos and the simplest place to start is to see if the photos can be enhanced.   With buyers making decisions based on the photos that they see, one needs to evaluate the photos and take new ones if they don't showcase your home. 

After viewing the current MLS photos, here are some of the suggestions (ten of them) I discussed with the owner to enhance the marketing of her home.  

1.  Trim the front bushes to open up the view of the front door.

2.  Showcase the Fireplace.  Remove the small decor pieces and replace with one painting over the fireplace proportionate to the wall space.  Pull the couch out to create cozier conversation group around the fireplace. 

3.  Living Room  - Use a smaller area rug to showcase the hardwood floors.

4. Dining Room - Remove 2 of the six chairs to showcase size of room. If you have a round table somewhere, change out the rectangular table with a round table.  

5.   Living Room - Create a conversation group inside the photo with at least two easy chairs and a small table and a lamp.              

6.  Include a Master Bedroom Photo.

8.  Show one of the bedrooms as a child's room with a twin bed in it.   A blowup mattress can make a bed.

9.  Pull the office desk to the middle of the room and remove everything else that does not relate to being an office.

10. Get a patio umbrella table for the Flagstone Patio and surround with pots of colorful flowers.

As you can see there is plenty a homeowner can do with little  to no investment.  I will keep you posted as to the success of this one.  

This is an abbreviated example of a professional home staging consultation.  I also do written consultations that contain complete step-by-step directions for each room.  FOR YOUR HOME STAGING CONSULTATION,  CALL 325-721-2429.

Here's a before and after of a living room that I helped another homeowner.

This is the living before enhancement with furniture rearrangement and a rug and curtains were changed out! HERE"S BEFORE:

 AFTER!

Posted by

Staged LogoAsp Logo

Beverly Carlson,  REALTOR, GRI, ASP, IAHSP, RESA

Broker

Carlson Properties           

Abilene, Texas

325-721-2429

To See Abilene's Staged Homes, go to www.stagedhomes.com

Comments (7)

Linda D. Pufford
Stage with Divine Style - Home Staging - Novato, CA
ASPM, Marin/Sonoma Home Stager

Beverly,

Great tips for anyone!!!  I hope it all works out for your daughters friend.

Jun 06, 2009 05:12 PM
Beverly Carlson
Carlson Properties 325-721-2429 - Abilene, TX
Abilene's Staging Realtor

Thanks Linda,  You're right the some of the tried and true Staging Tips work every time! 

Jun 07, 2009 07:18 AM
Debra Valentine
Designing Details ~ Staging & Design, LLC - Bountiful, UT
Utah Home Staging for, Bountiful, Salt Lake & Surrounding Areas

Your suggestions are great ones Beverly! They are the issues that are very common for most households. Keep us posted on the progress of the home.

Jun 08, 2009 06:22 AM
Beverly Carlson
Carlson Properties 325-721-2429 - Abilene, TX
Abilene's Staging Realtor

Debra,  you are so right that staging issues seem to be common themes in homes.  I will keep you posted.  Beverly

Jun 08, 2009 06:47 AM
Michele Rose
Rose-Colored Staging - Mount Holly Township, NJ
Burlington County Home Staging & Redesign

Great tips Beverly and I love the before and after!  My heart really goes out to people who have been trying to get their home sold for so long. 

Jun 09, 2009 07:40 PM
Beverly Carlson
Carlson Properties 325-721-2429 - Abilene, TX
Abilene's Staging Realtor

Michelle, I agree with you that  the tips are great!  One of the great joys of my  life is being able to help sellers in such a rsults oriented way.  A current statistic from the www.stagedhomes.com site is that 95 percent of staged homes sell in under 37 days compared to about six months for the national market.

Jun 10, 2009 12:52 AM
Patty Hill, Broker Associate
Local Homes and Land, Inc - Summerville, SC
Local Homes and Land, Inc

Beverly,  great tips!  Keep us posted on the results!

Jun 12, 2009 09:26 AM