How Important is Staging, Really?

Stagaing a home for sale is a huge part of the process of putting your house on the market.  There are several shows on TV these days that go into detail about neutralizing the home, decluttering the home, and showing off the spaces within the home.  Many people still are not believers in the power of staging.

Last month, I met with a nice couple and did a walk through of their home. The house was very nice. It was clean and orderly, and it was in good condition. However, even clean, orderly, and good condition don't mean "ready for sale".  I walked them through each and every room.  They made a list of things that needed to be done, and we set a deadline of the end of the month.

Things to get done included getting rid of wallpaper, replacing the carpet in a couple of rooms, replacing some trim around the floors, removing some furniture and decorations, and trimming the trees and landscaping.  The first and last items are very important and probably the most overlooked by home owners.  The trees and landscaping are the first impression. If they can't see the house because everything is overgrown or looking ugly, they might not even walk into your house.  Staging the outside makes them want to come in.

Once inside, you might think wallpaper is a simple thing to change and that people can look past it and paint themselves, but most buyers can't stand wallpaper and think it's a hassel to get rid of. It's actually very simple, I've done it myself, so go ahead and deal with it so buyers don't have to use it as a reason to count up the cost$ it's going to take them to make it their home.

(I wish I took a pic from the same angle as above, but you get the idea.)

The outcome with this listing? FULL priced offer in under 48 hours!  When I say full priced, I mean full priced with no closing costs asked for by the buyer! You can't get much better than that... except if it was received in under 24 hours!  Happy sellers, happy buyers... that's what I strive for.

**Are You Packed Yet?**

Donna Harris, REALTOR®
RE/MAX Austin Skyline
www.DonnaHomes.com
Donna@DonnaHomes.com
austin-texas-homes-for-sale.com

Austin TX Real Estate and the surrounding areas of Lakeway, Bee Cave, West Lake Hills, CedarPark, Round Rock, Spicewood, Circle-C, Steiner Ranch, and everywhere in between... Hill Country Austin TX Real Estate and beyond. Whether you're buying or selling an Austin home, I'll be with you every step of the way. 

For real time Austin TX listings,click here.

** Multi-Million Dollar Producer Year after Year **
** Platinum Top 50 Finalist 2011 out of almost 9000 agents in Austin TX**
** Five-Star Professional 2011 & 2012 **
** RE/MAX 100% Club **

Copyright© 2012 By Donna Harris, All Rights Reserved. You may re-blog with links back to this post.
* How Important is Staging, Really? * was first published on donnahomesblog.com.