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What's the value of pet odors, repairs and dated furniture? Pt 1

By
Home Stager with Hampton ReDesign, Home Staging and Redesign

How to drive the price of your home downThe best way to throw away money is to sell your house "as is".

"As is" used to be code for a home that had maintenance or repair issues the seller had no intention of repairing or addressing. The "as is" in the home remarks was also a carrot to any investor or buyer looking for a great deal. In exchange for making repairs, the buyer had the opportunity to make money and in turn equity.

Putting a home on the market today without preparing it by making repairs, updating, cleaning, and staging it for sale is like throwing money away.

When buyers walk into your home and they see clutter, dated furniture and smell pet odors they mentally deduct the value off your asking price. Buyers are not only comparing your home to resale properties in their price range but also to new homes. New homes that are shiny and lack the flaws of older homes. New homes that may be staged as model homes without the clutter of owners.

The best way to market your home is to present it as new not as is. Most existing homes have great features that new homes may not. More square footage, better floorplan, more mature landscaping. You get the idea.

A stinky dated home does not get top dollar!  Don't throw your equity (or next down payment) away. Show your home as new, not as is.

Wherever you live, there is a professional near by to help you sell your home. In Fort Worth TX you can contact Hampton Redesign, to help you show your home to it's full potential!

Posted by

Tessa Skeens

Interior Design, Real Estate Staging and Marketing Support 

M 817-891-9563  

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Comments(19)

Debbe Perry
Real Living Carolina Property - Morganton, NC
828.439.3084 Morganton/Lake James NC

Great post! I so agree that you might as well get the house show-ready, or price it as a "steal" and sell it "as is." I so understand that folks don't have lots of money to throw around on re-decorating, but maintenance and cleanliness are free or low cost: JUST DO IT!!

Jun 14, 2011 09:44 AM
Ron Marshall
Marshall Enterprises - Saint Michael, MN
Birdhouse Builder Extraordinaire

I have been in a ton of foreclosures that had those pesky pet odors.  And, the banks never pay to clean them.  I wonder why?

Jun 14, 2011 09:47 AM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

Tessa- very well written and illustrated.  We don't sell houses the way we used to.. buyers want move-in ready homes.

Jun 14, 2011 09:54 AM
Annette Sievert
CB Valley Broker - Corvallis, OR
Corvallis, Oregon

If you put a price tag on the loss they will suffer from odors, dirt and clutter, things start to move. Appeal to the wallet and you get your tidy home. Or - walk away! I do not want listings I have to apologize for.

Jun 14, 2011 10:06 AM
Janice Sutton
1st Stage Property Transformations - Murrieta, CA
Home Stager - Temecula Murrieta

Great non-stinky blog!! Ahhhh the dreaded stinky pet odors that many Seller's are so use to they can't SMELL it!!  As I always say "If it smells...it won't sell!"

Jun 14, 2011 10:41 AM
Tessa Skeens
Hampton ReDesign, Home Staging and Redesign - Grand Junction, CO
Staging For Realtors, Builders & Investors

Debbe - I feel your pain! Sometimes it does cost money and I know it can be tough.  But there's no point in putting your house on the market without making the effort to clean it up!

Ron I staged a home that had a very strong dog odor - the realtor didn't smell it because she had dogs. I just think it's a no brainer to get rid of those smells and make the money back when you sell! Thanks for commenting.

Thank you Kathy! You are so right - everyone wants move in ready when they buy. Fixer uppers are only appealing to investors and those are few and far between these days.

Annette you've made a good point. I really don't want to stage a home that is dirty or needs repairs either.

Hi Janice! You said it girl. Non-stinky is the way to get top dollar!

Jun 14, 2011 03:11 PM
Shar Sitter
Rooms With Style - Minneapolis, MN
Home Staging and Redesign Minneapolis/ St. Paul, M

Smells of any kind are a sale killer Tessa but pet odors and cigarettes are the worst. Well.....musty basements are right up there too. LOL

Jun 14, 2011 03:58 PM
Kathy Nielsen
http://atlantahomestaging.net - Marietta, GA
Atlanta Georgia Home Stager

Love this post, Tessa.  The graphics are perfect and helps make an excellent point.

Kathy

Jun 15, 2011 12:46 AM
Janet Jones
Just Your Style Interiors, LLC - Kihei, HI
Home Staging, Interior Redesign Kihei, Maui, Hawaii

Tessa--great post and I love how you illustrated the math.  Whenever a client says to me, "Let the next owner take care of that", this would be great to hand to them.

Jun 15, 2011 02:36 AM
Tessa Skeens
Hampton ReDesign, Home Staging and Redesign - Grand Junction, CO
Staging For Realtors, Builders & Investors

Hi Shar! Musty basements are one thing we don't usually have to deal with here in TX, but I remember what those are like! Fortunately smoke smells seem to be a thing of the past too. But odors of any kind smell like deferred maintenance or worse! Definite deal killer.

Thanks for your thoughts Kathy. I've had a sketch by my desk with this idea for weeks and finally got time to put it in a graphic! Sometimes a picture tells a story better than anything else right?

Great idea Janet. I'm getting ready to redo my consultation packet and maybe I'll add this to it! Thanks!!

Jun 15, 2011 02:57 AM
Ginger Foust
Certified Staging Professional - Oakhurst, CA
Home Stager Oakhurst CA, Dream Interior Redesign & Staging

Very well done Tessa.  Love everything about this post and the minus signs are oh so true. 

Suggested and put on facebook, thanks!

Jun 15, 2011 04:07 AM
Tessa Skeens
Hampton ReDesign, Home Staging and Redesign - Grand Junction, CO
Staging For Realtors, Builders & Investors

Hey Ginger! How are you... thanks for commenting. Had fun playing with Photoshop on this one. Appreciate the suggest!

Jun 15, 2011 11:39 AM
Kelli Wall
Coldwell Banker Taylor Real Estate - Idabel, OK
Realtor - Idabel,Oklahoma 74745

Tessa, if you could only drive this point home in my area! I market an older town where most of the time things are AS IS WHERE IS and updating is considered changing out the seasonal wreath on the front door!

Jun 15, 2011 11:42 AM
Tessa Skeens
Hampton ReDesign, Home Staging and Redesign - Grand Junction, CO
Staging For Realtors, Builders & Investors

LOL Kelli at the changing of the wreath! But not so funny when your advice falls on deaf ears I bet. I wonder how buyers feel about the dated decor and lack of updating? The thing is the average buyer now is in their early 30s and they watch HGTV and want the latest finishes and fixtures! Maybe you can drive home that point, that way it's not personal it's proactive.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jun 15, 2011 01:17 PM
Julia Maher
Nestings: Connecticut Home Staging and Model Homes - Fairfield, CT
Connecticut Home Stager

Tessa - super great graphic!!!  I've done a lot of consulting for estates that will be sold "as is".  The most I can do in these cases is advise them on what to edit out, how to re-arrange, and to CLEAN!

Jun 16, 2011 09:19 AM
Pamela Smith
Ventura County Home Staging - Thousand Oaks, CA

Tessa -- I love how you illustrated your points. This is a blog that every single seller should read before they consider putting their home on the market. And it will be what I think of the next time a homeowner tells me they're thinking of selling their property "as is".

Jun 16, 2011 01:03 PM
Tessa Skeens
Hampton ReDesign, Home Staging and Redesign - Grand Junction, CO
Staging For Realtors, Builders & Investors

Julia "as is" or estate sale always means a deal to me. It means the seller has decided to knock down the price instead of repairing etc. You definitely have your work cut out for you! Thanks for sharing.

Thank you Pamela, I appreciate your feedback! A marketing book I've been reading cites a U of T study that says people remember more of what they see than what they hear. Ain't that the truth!

Jun 17, 2011 02:10 AM
Marianne Cherico
Interiors by Marianne Cherico - Foxboro, MA
Home Stager -Massachusetts and Rhode Island

Tessa-This is sooo true!!! Love the visuals. Smart savvy sellers get this. Thanks for explaining it so well.

Mariann

Jun 17, 2011 12:45 PM
Tessa Skeens
Hampton ReDesign, Home Staging and Redesign - Grand Junction, CO
Staging For Realtors, Builders & Investors

Hi Marianne! Good to see you and thanks so much for your feedback. Stay tuned for a Part 2 with + signs!!

Jun 17, 2011 02:37 PM