Why Buy Your Four Walls? Good question…. according to the Census Bureau the vacancy rate of properties is at its highest level in 40 years! Combine excessive inventory with the picky buyers of today’s market and it raises the question: How are you going to motivate buyers to buy your four walls over the four walls for sale down the block?
The Answer is simple: It is now more important than ever to have your vacant listings Staged ! Buying a home is an emotional decision and since vacant homes feel cold and empty they evoke vacant reactions from buyers. A Staged home feels warm and inviting and allows the buyers to connect emotionally to it.
Staging also helps to portray a lifestyle and buyers don’t just want to upgrade their home when they move, they want to upgrade their lifestyle as well. 90% of buyers cannot envision how they would live in the empty rooms. By Staging a vacant home, you give the buyer perspective of how their furniture would fill the space and you allow them to mentally move into the home. If they don’t mentally move in, they will never physically move in! A Staged home allows the buyer to imagine their new life in your listing.
Vacant homes don’t sell well in photographs and since 80% of buyers view potential homes online before going to see them in person – you absolutely have to capitalize on this opportunity to make a first impression. Buyers flip through pictures of a vacant home at record speed because the four walls and the floor look the same from room to room. Staging invites potential buyers to linger on the photos of your listing for a longer period of time and they will be more likely to come see the listing in person.
What is involved in Staging a vacant home? Staging a vacant home involves four very easy steps:
* Step One: Homestyling101 visits the property for a free estimate.
* Step Two: Homestyling101 generates a bid for the client within 24-48 hours of viewing the property. This bid includes the Staging Planning and Implementation Service Fee along with the cost of renting furniture and accessories as needed. (It usually benefits the client to have a Staging budget in mind so Homestyling101 can work the estimate to include the most crucial elements needed to Stage the property within that budget.)
* Step Three: Once the bid is accepted, contracts are signed.
* Step Four: Homestyling101 will begin to breathe new life into your vacant listing!
As you can see, Staging a vacant listing takes very little work on the part of the homeowner or the Realtor but it carries such great rewards when the property sells faster and for more money than if it had remained vacant!
What about the expense of Staging a vacant home? It is important to remember that a buyer’s perception is a buyer’s reality. If the buyer perceives that the home is worth more because of its appearance than they are willing to pay more! So when asked about the expense of Staging a vacant home for this reason and the reasons mentioned above, my answer is always the same- you simply can’t afford not to Stage it! And is the price of Staging worth it? Only if you want to sell your home!
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