Elongated days on the market make many relocated sellers leery they won't be able to carry the house indefinitely and choose to rent it while on the market for financial security instead of leaving it vacant.
Sellers should however, think twice and where professional stagers come in to expedite offers!
Tenants can sometimes sabotage the condition of a house for showings...stale mate a sale and therefore recommend that listing agents/brokers encourage any clients considering renting their empty properties for sale to first try a staging company. Ideally, one that waives fees till closing as an added benefit, especially for financially strapped homeowners who have already moved and have double housing expenses.
If this can't be done, than sellers should include a routine (weekly) cleaning clause in the lease (at tenants' expense) or hire a property manager (small fee) to handle basic maintenance because first impressions are key to successful showings and ultimately a SALE.
Professional Home Stagers are needed more than ever... but fewer sellers can afford up front fees!
So for sellers who would benefit from but can't afford a stager's up front costs, listing agents/brokers should seek, request and encourage their local Professional Staging Companies to waive the cost/fees until closing as an important feature of the services and marketing tools they offer consumers.
Today, it's more important than ever for properties to stand out amongst the competition with the vast inventory of listings in these tough economic times. Not only are home-sellers upside down and can't sell their property in a timing manner but more and more have to rely on renting to avoid foreclosure due to relocation or job loss.
Several hundred dollars towards appearance can net sellers several thousand in additional proceeds!
In this economy, many sellers can't even properly maintain a property let alone purchase high end furniture and the latest designer trends. So valuable tools such as staging are a wonderful alternative and key to an excellent marketing strategy. However, financially out of reach for many sellers who can't afford the hundreds or thousands of dollars in "upfront" fees/costs of most professional staging companies.
Home Stagers willing to be paid at closing are definitely needed!!
There is a wonderful (market share) opportunity for those offering a "pay at closing" option as the vast majority of stagers charge upfront and so many sellers today miss out on this valuable service because they simple can't afford to do that.
A property's condition "post" tenant is an unknown factor, so why not try Staging before Renting!
Kris Fox
Boston & North Shore
kris@nextlevelrealty.com
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