My best client is a REALTOR!

A full time agent helping buyers and sellers.

He came across some work I did on selling a short sale quickly and approached me with a plan:

He will buy properties at auction for investors he represents and I will sell them

 at a premium and I get a full 6% co-broke.  So, what's the catch?

I gotta fetch a premium!

One way I do that...STAGING.  The staging industry "claims" that a staged home will fetch a 7% higher sales price than a vacant home.  "So, that's how I'll fetch the premium," I thought to myself, "and I'll just keep knocking down 6%!"

THE BEFORE STORY:

After buying at auction, the home is listed at $288,500.00 with a $3,000 bonus to the selling agent.  The place goes nuts with activity but after 6 days, NO OFFERS!  The seller is fully convinced that a little work here and there will get more money...

He commits to "yummying" up the home to the tune of $18,000.00 for some touch up things.

The AFTER STORY:

The interior is painted, the baseboards are cleaned, granite tile is added to the kitchen and master bathroom counters, the tile and carpet are steam cleaned, the windows are professionally washed, sinks are changed, hall and bathroom lighting is changed, the exterior is power washed and the landscaping is touched up...

THE HOME IS READY FOR THE ICING ON THE CAKE...THE STAGING

Thanks to my stager's urging, I have accumulated almost 20 silk floor plants, artwork, pottery, glassware, silk desk plants, silk plants in styrofoam (for shelves), a fake TV, mirrors, towels, etc.  My garage literally looks like a jungle as I have almost 100 plant units alone.  She had me bring some stuff over and...

 In 4 days we had 6 contracts!!!  All of them OVER list price!!!!

In closing:  My seller would've taken a net of $285,500 before the staging.  Instead, he ended up with a sales price at $315,000 with huge earnest money, no contingencies and made an extra $12,000+ on the sale of the home that took only 5 days to go under contract.  I'm glad I met Brenda Tucker of Haverhill Staging.  She did a phenomenal job.  Enjoy the rest of the photos!

The photos in the column above on the right are the "Before" and the ones below are the "After"

AFTER: