Many home owners are refusing to put money into preparing their home for sale in this market. They believe staging is like throwing money down the drain since home values have fallen and we're in the midst of a "buyers' market". Some may feel it's useless to try and compete with short sales and bank owned properties. So, they throw their hands up and say "just list it and we'll see how it goes". My response is always the same..."you can't afford NOT to showcase your home - ESPECIALLY in this market."
Staging is not about fluffing up the towels and throwing some fake fruit and props on the counter tops. True professional staging takes into account maintenance issues, depersonalization, fresh paint, minor improvements that sell, architectural featuring, organization, cleaning, traffic flow and the list goes on. Sure it takes some pre-planning, time and hard work to properly prepare a home for its market debut. But, believe me when I say it WILL pay off in the end! A professionally staged and photographed home is a home that gets more showings and more internet traffic.
With higher than average inventory levels in each market segment, buyers have elevated expectations and can be very choosy when selecting a home to purchase. Staging will certainly help sell a property
more quickly and may even contribute to getting a better offer. Why? Because staging helps potential buyers emotionally connect to a home. We've all walked into a home that shows well. You actually get a "feeling" that makes you want to stick around and see more. You start to imagine what it might be like to live there. Now contrast that with a short sale or REO property that is most likely vacant, brimming with necessary repairs, stark and cold (literally). In my Boise real estate practice, there is not an option of whether to stage or not stage. It's only a matter of figuring out the BEST WAY to stage for broad appeal.
So, again I say...let your pride of ownership shine! Invest a little time and money before you put that sign in the yard. Then sit back and reap the rewards of a job well done while the neighboring short sales and REO properties languish on the market and scramble for those unemotional low ball offers.
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