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Plan before you SELL your Tulsa home - and get your Realtor's Advice

By
Real Estate Agent with Own Tulsa License #142914

I have two Tulsa homes for sale that are almost ready to go on the market. One Seller is a previous client, so she knew to expect "assignments" from me. The other Seller is a referral, so at our first meeting, I was faced with the difficult task of itemizing what they needed to do to prepare their Tulsa home for sale: paint this, re-carpet that.preparing Tulsa home for sale

Unless impossible from a financial standpoint, I like to get my Tulsa home for sale move-in ready. The inventory of homes is so high that Buyers will not spend a minute considering a home that has dingy carpet, hot pink walls or outdated curtains. When Buyers walk into your home, you want them to say, "Oh my gosh, this is perfect and I don't need to do a thing!"  Your Tulsa home for sale must "WOW" the Buyers in the first ten seconds, which is why your front lawn/garden and entry way are critical.

Tulsa home Buyers also must see themselves living in your home. They must feel comfortable that their furniture will fit in your living and dining rooms and that your closets are large enough for their home. Realtors don't ask you to empty 40% of your closets because we think you have nothing better to do - if your closet is crammed, the Buyer will think that there is not possibly enough room for their clothes. If your kitchen counters are cluttered with canisters, spices, toasters and mixers, Buyers will think that there is not enough counter space for them to prepare dinner.

Hiring a home stager for a consultation can pay off in the long run. We know that your favorite 20 year-old recliner is exactly where you want it to watch television, but is it making the room appear crowded? The National Association of Realtors reports that staged homes bring almost 7% more in price than homes that were not staged. So, while your furniture is arranged the way you want to LIVE, it may not be arranged in the best manner to attract a Buyer.

Yes, it's an inconvenience to store that toaster if you are use to keeping it out, but wouldn't you store it if it would decrease your days on market and increase the price you could get for your home? So, consult with your Realtor about what you need to do to prepare your home for market. Typically, fresh paint and new flooring will be the least expensive improvements that will immediately increase the value of your home.

Remember that in addition to selling homes, we work with Buyers. So, we know what turns Buyers on and what turns them off. Get your Tulsa home for sale 100% ready to sell before your Realtor puts that sign in your yard!

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Please visit my web site if you are shopping for Tulsa homes for sale or call 918-852-5036 for more information about Midtown Tulsa Real Estate. In addition to my advanced grasp of the internet to market your Tulsa home for sale, I include a home staging consultation with every listing AND professional photography - at no aditional cost to you!

Lori is a residential Realtor with eXp Realty serving the greater Tulsa area and specializing in downtown Tulsa and midtown Tulsa real estate.

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Maureen Bray Portland OR Home Stager ~ Room Solutions Staging
Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR - Portland, OR
"Staging Consultations that Sell Portland Homes"

Lori,

It's great to see that as a Realtor, you advocate staging before listing!  We do lots of home staging consultations now, and the results have been outstanding. Motivated sellers + a great agent + a professional stager = a quick sale in today's challenging market!  Thanks for the good tips for sellers.

Jun 25, 2009 01:25 PM
Allegra Dioguardi
Styled and Sold Home Staging and Staging Training - Westhampton Beach, NY
Home Staging & Training, Suffolk Co. Long Island

Lori,

I second Maureen. I just posted about a two hour consultation that I did with terrific results.

It takes a trained eye to see these things and I agree with everything you said.

Thank you!

Jun 27, 2009 10:04 AM
Lori Cain
Own Tulsa - Tulsa, OK
Midtown Tulsa Real Estate Top Producer

Thank you both for stopping by. I do not have that "trained eye." I took an 8-hour class on staging, and while I was very impressed with before/after photos, it is just something I don't have the knack for.

So, my question for you two is: are some listing Realtors picking up the expense of a staging consultation or do they always request that the Seller pay?

Jun 27, 2009 10:24 AM
Allegra Dioguardi
Styled and Sold Home Staging and Staging Training - Westhampton Beach, NY
Home Staging & Training, Suffolk Co. Long Island

Lori,

I'm living in the Hamptons now and I have had Realtors refer me but the seller always pays.

When I lived in the DC Metro area I had a following of at least half a dozen agents who paid for a two hour consultation with me where I walked through with the seller and generated a punch list. The client could then take it from there or hire me themselves to do additional work. The agents who did this, swore by it. It's a tax deduction as well.

 

Jun 27, 2009 10:34 AM
Maureen Bray Portland OR Home Stager ~ Room Solutions Staging
Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR - Portland, OR
"Staging Consultations that Sell Portland Homes"

Lori -- Several local listing agents hire me to do a 2-hour consultation on all of their listings.  Sometimes homeowners contact me directly too and pay for the service.  Either way, it's such a cost-effective way of getting a home ready for the market!  We've had multiple examples of homes selling in less than a week lately, once the staging advice and tips were completed.

Jun 27, 2009 11:12 AM
Lori Cain
Own Tulsa - Tulsa, OK
Midtown Tulsa Real Estate Top Producer

Maureen & Allegra -- thank you for your quick reply.

I think until my Sellers get USE to the idea of staging, I would consider it a cost of selling and be happy to pay for a consultation prior to listing.

Allegra, I read your post you mentioned. Obviously the Realtor waiting to consult you until the property had been on the market for some time? How many Realtors can you get to bring their clients BACK to see a property they've already seen. That's why it's so important to do the staging PRIOR to putting the sign in the yard!

My two cents! 

Jun 27, 2009 11:17 AM
Allegra Dioguardi
Styled and Sold Home Staging and Staging Training - Westhampton Beach, NY
Home Staging & Training, Suffolk Co. Long Island

You're absolutely right Lori! Not to mention the fact the price had been reduced several times. The Realtor did have another broker open and fortunately had a good turn out.

Jun 27, 2009 11:22 AM
Lori Cain
Own Tulsa - Tulsa, OK
Midtown Tulsa Real Estate Top Producer

Zada,

I have no clue how to help you search for patio furniture. Good luck!

Jul 15, 2009 02:32 PM
Karen Crowson
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage - Rancho Bernardo, CA
Your Agent for Change

Lori,  thought I'd leave you a comment so you could see what's going on (but I have no idea why). Your blog was written today, but the comments are appearing as though they're from '09.  You might want to alert the powers that be.

Good topic though - I'm in the midst of this with 2 sellers right now.

Mar 09, 2011 01:14 AM
Keith Vermilyea
Boise Homes Realty brokered by Found It LLC - Boise, ID

Lori ~ I agree with your strategy 100%, pre-market prep makes all the difference in the world and a staging consultation is the icing on the cake. 

Mar 09, 2011 01:18 AM
Janet Jones
Just Your Style Interiors, LLC - Kihei, HI
Home Staging, Interior Redesign Kihei, Maui, Hawaii

Lori--I'm cheering all the way from Maui reading about your blog supporting staging before listing.  So much of the staging done here comes way after the fact when the listing is old.  Yes, and the thing about the "2009" dates on the comments is very weird. 

Mar 09, 2011 10:34 AM
Lori Cain
Own Tulsa - Tulsa, OK
Midtown Tulsa Real Estate Top Producer

Thank you all. I am revising some of my first posts to include better keywords, and I'm not sure how to do that without republishing.

But my selling strategy hasn't changed one bit since then!!

Mar 09, 2011 11:05 AM
Adam Malachi
A 2 Z Realty LLC - Castle Rock, CO
QSC,CDPE,CIPS,CNE,CRB,CRS,GRI,MRE,SFR

Great post!  And excellent strategy I do agree with you!

Thanks for sharing,

Adam

Mar 16, 2011 02:31 PM
Debbie Walsh
SHAHAR Management - Middletown, NY
Hudson Valley NY Real Estate 845.283-3036

Great post to re-post.  Very good advice Lori!

Mar 28, 2011 09:56 AM