If you either have to or decide to vacate your house while it is for sale, you have two choices.  You can leave the home empty and hope buyers can visualize their belongings in the rooms.  Or you can hire a professional Stager to bring in furniture/accessories in an attempt to make the home more appealing to buyers.  If you choose the later, you obviously want the cost to be offset by either a faster sale or higher price. 

Assuming you choose the second option, your desire to have the home maintained in pristine condition should be even higher.  You are now paying a mortgage plus a rental fee for the furniture.  However, you put all of this money at risk, if you don't either check on the home yourself or have someone do it for you.  

Luxury home buyers in Louisville should not have to cut through spider webs in the basement a la Indiana Jones in the opening scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark.  They should not have to overlook a multitude of dead insects in the kitchen and living room. Nor should they have to try to erase the memory of 2 dozen dead flies in the jacuzzi tub.  This really does not promote the emotions you are paying to obtain.

Now, one could argue that these are minor inconveniences that are easily remedied.  That the staging will help buyers focus on the positives and move on.  I might even agree.  But I promise you, when she finds a dead bat in the master shower, she heads for the door immediately.  She does not look at the furniture (or the entire upstairs for that matter) and your money is wasted. 

If you are looking for a Louisville real estate agent who would be more than happy to monitor you vacant home, please call 502-921-3989. 

As tempting as it is, I will not be showing a photo of said shower.  The above photo is courtesy of vladeb on Flickr.

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Erik Hitzelberger is a licensed REALTOR with RE/MAX Alliancein Louisville. If you need a Louisville Real Estate agent please email me or call 502.921.3989.

I specialize in the following areas of the Metro Louisville Area: Prospect, Middletown, Jeffersontown (J-Town), Fern Creek, Okolona, Shepherdsville, Mt Washington, Hillview, Brooks and Pewee Valley.  Click the following links to learn more about Louisville and Bullitt County Real Estateor to Search for Louisville Homes 

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