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Staging Your Home For Sale? Make Sure You Price It To Sell Too

Reblogger
Real Estate Broker/Owner with 3:16 team REALTY ~ Locally-owned Prosper TX Real Estate Co. #9001154

I thought it's interesting to re-blog Cindy's post about Staging and the effects of Staging from HGTV. It has made my statement easier when presenting the idea.

However, I'd want sellers to know.....

There's no amount of staging one can do if the house is priced incorrectly (in this case, higher than what it's worth). No buyer will pay more than market value even if it was a "model"/ staged home.

I consider staging as part of the home preparation. I dont want to over glorify that word letting sellers think by "staging", they can get the world. It's just incorrect.

 

Original content by Cindy Jones

Yesterday with 30 minutes to unwind I Staging Your Home For Salehappened to turn on HGTV just as the show "Get It Sold" came on the air.  Having stayed out of the debate on whether home staging makes the difference between a sale or not, I decided to pay close attention to the episode to see if it would change my mind.

If you haven't caught the show before the premise is to take a home that has been on the market for awhile, have a stager come in to declutter, paint, rearrange and a Realtor® come in and provide pricing advice.  Okay note the second part of the equation...a Realtor® comes in to evaluate and provide pricing advice.  Each time I've caught this show and yesterday was no exception, the price adjustment was DOWN not UP.  Though the home now looked better the Realtors® suggested a price decrease to get the home sold.

It is also amazing what they can do for $1000.  They glossed over the fact the home needed drywall repair where a huge mirror had been attached to the wall.  Likely the cost to repair the drywall would have been 1/2 the budget.  The owners can paint a room or two leaving the stager to make the home shine with the right furniture and decluttering.   I'm sure there are homes that sell quickly after staging.  Perhaps it takes a third party, other than a Realtor® to help convince sellers to understand the value of a clean and de-cluttered home but the idea that a home will sell for more money after staging just doesn't hold up.  Especially when the Realtor® is dropping the price while the stager is doing their magic.

If a home is properly priced and properly "staged" when it first goes on the market then it will get offers.  If a home is overpriced, no matter how great it looks it will sit.  I'm a fan of staging for the right reasons.  I'm not a fan of saying that it will generate more money for the seller, especially when a price reduction without staging might have had the same result.  Oh and by the way when HGTV has showcased Northern Virginia homes I've often found them in the MLS.  Not all of the final claims made by the owners or the show hosts hold up in the tax records...I'm just saying.


 

 

 

 

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If you are interested in learning more about the Northern Virginia Real Estate market including Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax and Prince William Counties give Cindy Jones a call at 703-346-2213.  No hassle, no pressure just straight talk about the local real estate market from a no nonsense point of view.

 

Check out www.varealestatetalk.com and www.cjrealtygroup.com for more information.

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Comments (15)

MichelleCherie Carr Crowe .Just Call. 408-252-8900
Get Results Team...Just Call (408) 252-8900! . DRE #00901962 . Licensed to Sell since 1985 . Altas Realty - San Jose, CA
Family Helping Families Buy & Sell Homes 40+ Years

Yes, the correct price makes a HUGE difference in results. Presentation only goes so far.

Aug 06, 2011 08:01 PM
Bill Gassett
RE/MAX Executive Realty - Hopkinton, MA
Metrowest Massachusetts Real Estate

It is funny how much is made of staging today. Cindy is right on the money. The best presented home in the world is probably not going to sell if it is overpriced.

Aug 07, 2011 12:11 AM
Susan Morrison
RE/MAX Executive Realty - Franklin, MA

Good morning, Loreena- it's always about the price- and if it's priced right and staged, you'll get top dollar.

Aug 07, 2011 12:33 AM
Harry F. D'Elia III
WEDO Real Estate and Beyond, LLC - Phoenix, AZ
Investor , Mentor, GRI, Radio, CIPS, REOs, ABR

I only stage homes that are priced over $250,000. Hey, this is just my practice and it does work.

Aug 07, 2011 02:08 AM
Brenda Mullen
RE/MAX Associates - San Antonio, TX
Your San Antonio TX Real Estate Agent!!

I think if you have the entire package...staging can make a home look terrific and prepare it for the market.  However, I 100% agree with you that a home that is overpriced will not sell no matter how much staging (and marketing) is done.

Aug 07, 2011 02:25 AM
Connie Goodrich
Keller Williams Realty - McKinney, TX
CRS ABR (McKinney Realtor)Texas

It starts with being neat and tidy - a well made bed - a pillow to pop a color, rearranging furniture to open the flow, unblock a view or fireplace.  Simple things that don't even cost a dime but just a little change of habits to tidy up sometimes does the trick.

Aug 07, 2011 02:48 AM
Sally Weatherley
EXIT STAGE RIGHT - Vancouver, BC
Vancouver Home Staging, Home Stager Vancouver, B.C

Loreena - Thanks for the reblog.  I think Stagers are just as frustrated when a house is over-priced.  Where staging really works wonders is when the home is priced correctly.  If buyers compare the home we've staged with other correctly priced homes that haven't been staged, chances are that they will buy the staged home, because it's beautifully presented.

Aug 07, 2011 03:45 AM
Susan Morrison
RE/MAX Executive Realty - Franklin, MA

Loreena-this was a great reblog- pricing is the most important factor-

Aug 07, 2011 05:47 AM
Joe Kenny
Realty Executive Midwest - Darien, IL
Better Than Your Average Joe

Loeena, great re-post and I couldn't agree more about price.  I do have a great stager that works for me but only if the home is priced well.  Have a great Sunday.

Aug 07, 2011 07:14 AM
Justin Dibbs
Fairway Independent Mortgage - Ashburn, VA
Mortgage Advisor

I have seen/shown a couple of the HGTV houses here in my area.  All the satging did was get the hold sold fast, not for above market price.

Aug 07, 2011 08:59 AM
Wendy Tomm
Beyond the Walls - East St Paul, MB
CCSP, RESA-PRO, BBB - Wpg Realtors

Thanks for your blog.  I am with you on staging works hand in hand with a realtor who prices the home for the proper market conditions.

Aug 07, 2011 09:33 AM
Kathy Burke
Sensational Home Staging~~Danville, CA - Danville, CA
S.F. East Bay Home Staging

I 100% agree with Sally that stagers too are frustrated when the home is over priced....we are part of the team that is working towards a SALE!  I also get a bit frustrated with what HGTV shows as done for less than $1,000....really unrealistic expectations setting for many a staging job!

Aug 07, 2011 10:15 AM
Cindy Jones
Integrity Real Estate Group - Woodbridge, VA
Pentagon, Fort Belvoir & Quantico Real Estate News

Loreena thank you for the re-blog. I just saw another stagers post suggesting that a staged home will sell 78% faster than a non-staged home AND that it will sell for more money.  I hope some day to see statistics that will back up these claims.

Aug 07, 2011 11:27 AM
Maureen Bray Portland OR Home Stager ~ Room Solutions Staging
Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR - Portland, OR
"Staging Consultations that Sell Portland Homes"

Staging works best when the home is PRICED RIGHT so that buyers can compare it to other comparably-priced homes.  No amount of good staging will overcome an overpriced home -- but professional staging can make a home look its very best. The problem with many HGTV shows is that the cost they quote only includes materials -- purchased at a steep discount -- and they don't include the cost of labor in the fees quoted (since the labor is provided free of charge by the production company). 

As a professional home stager, I never claim that staging will help a home sell for more money -- only that it will help it sell faster (and it does, in our experience).

Aug 07, 2011 11:45 AM
Joy Daniels
Joy Daniels Real Estate Group, Ltd. - Harrisburg, PA

It is definitely a combination of location, condition and price to match the location and condition!

Aug 08, 2011 12:59 PM