The following is a true real estate story. You may find parts of it shocking and hard to believe but I assure you all facts have been triple checked by the proper authorities and every part of the story has been authenticated. Some of the names have been changed to protect the innocent or incompetent as the case may be.

Meet Bob (that is not his real name) he is the owner of a small home, on a busy street in a less than prestigious neighborhood in Anytown USA. Bob has decided to make a change and sell his home and relocate his growing family to Bettertown where the weather is nice and a family can be happy and prosper.

Bob contacted a local Realtor, Lois (not her real name either). She lists Bob's home, takes a few bad pics and holds a bunch of open houses. The feedback is terrible but Lois offers no advice. None, other than to tell the homeowner that the home does not show well. Bob wastes 8 months of his precious time while his house sits on the market rotting like old cheese in the back of the fridge. At the end of Bob's contract with Lois the realtor, he takes the home off the market. He decides to postpone his new life until the market improves. But when will that be????

Then Bob takes a trip to Bettertown, where the weather is nicer, and discovers there are people who devote their lives to making the real estate ugly ducklings into swans. These mavens of the real estate world are called HOME STAGERS. (I bet some of you mystery buffs are already trying to work out the ending.)

Bob comes home to Anytown and Googles local Home Stagers and can you guess who he found??? Yes, it is none other than Maureen Henry, (real name) your humble narrator. Bob, the home owner found one of my ACTIVE RAIN blogs about how to sell a home quickly for more money. We set up a time to meet, went through the entire home with a fine tooth comb and made a plan of action. Bob is that rare breed of handy, willing and able homeowner that will put in the work necessary to get his home ready for sale. He quickly completed the to do list and the home was soon staged.

As you can probably imagine by this point in time Bob was reluctant to list his home with a real estate agent again and decided to list his home as FSBO. I did not want to see Bob make another mistake in his real estate journey and tried to persuade him to list with an agent. I actually went so far as to send the homeowner FRANK LL0SA's blog entitled: Go FSBO! Save $20,000! Realtor Tells All!!.

I just received a letter from Bob today:

Dear Maureen,

We have had an accepted offer! You did an outstanding job with the staging.
Since we made the changes that you recommended the feedback that we have
received has been fantastic.That blog that you sent me regarding FSBO really
changed my mind and we decided to list with an agent. The new fabulous agent said the home looked fantastic and was in excellent show condition.
(and she is doing this for 21 years and is a top producer)

If I were asked the best way to sell your house I would say get your house
staged then find a great agent that specializes in your area. You want it shown
in the best light and as the owner you are probably not going to be able to do
this on you own. Rockland Home Staging and my new agent turned this home from
having no offers in 8 months to having 3 offers out of 12 showings and selling in
only a few weeks.

Also I would say that all Agents should suggest Home Staging to their
seller clients to ensure that the home is ready for sale. Nothing more frustrating as
a seller to receive negative feedback and not to know what needs to be done
or how to go about it. Realtors waste valuable time the longer a house
sits on the market and lower prices are the outcomes. I have gone to a number
of open houses hosted by agents and most were uninviting and unappealing,
they needed staging! (Editorial comment: Bob - from your lips to Gods Ears)

Thank you, I could not have done it without you!

Sincerely,

Bob the Homeowner

Here are a few before and after photos. After the initial consultation the homeowners did all the work themselves. They used the customized report that I gave as a blueprint to do the staging themselves. This just goes to show that home staging does not need to be expensive to have dramatic results. I went in when they were done and placed a few finishing touches where they were needed. These really were fantastic homeowners to work with. They were enthusiastic and embraced the process. I wish all my jobs could be as much fun and have the same favorable outcome.

If you liked the blog you will love the movie:

The moral of the story is with the right real estate team a faster more profitable sale will be the outcome. The home should be staged so it will show beautifully, photographed to showcase the property and listed with an outstanding agent that specialized in the area. When these three elements, staging, photography and listing agent are all aligned and in harmony success will be the final result.

You do not have to let the real estate industry steal any more of your life. This is a call to action - it is time to fight back!

If you live in Rockland County NY or the surrounding area call Rockland Home Staging - we will guide you through your real estate journey. (845)731-9510