The tale of a Short Sale - Sold by a Realtor who believes in Staging

Series...So this is the Bathroom!

The Short Sale bathroom - drab to potential fab

This is a short sale listing I took this past month.  I know the lender will not give credit for repairs or clean up.  This one needs both, and more.  The a/c and dishwasher don't work, the disposal leaks.  The walls are dinged, corners chipped and the paint is dingy, carpet stained, pet odor and stains (eek clothes pins provided at the door) and it's dirty, debri, cobwebs, etc.

BUT I espouse to my clients, my collegues, everyone I have talked to in the last almost 20 years that EVERY home needs to be staged.  Perhaps the distressed properties need it more than any others.  SO, how much money am I the Realtor willing to invest in a property where the short sale may not be approved, I may not get any reimbursement ? (I'm going to create a presentation piece for the lender to show the results the staging brought them and see if they'll relent, I figure it's worth a try and that's another blog post.)

SO, having said all that This is the bathroom.  The mirror is delaminated and ordinarily we would probably paint the cabinets, polish the cabinets, and the room would it look better painted, yes?  But does staging better make it look like you MIGHT want to live here? 

More on the cost of all this and the other things in the rest of this series. 

- Terrylynn has been a Realtor in Contra Costa County for over 32 years.  She works with Diablo Realty in Walnut Creek and is consistently a top producer.  Terrylynn is a local expert, please contact her for any Real Estate needs, or with a question about the area.