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Avoid that last minute panic attack.

By
Home Stager

 

Your house is on the market and you feel like you're living in a gold fish bowl.

If you are lucky, you are getting lots of calls for viewings.

It's not easy to live Staged but you know it will help sell your home quickly.

Maybe you have small children that keep making a mess. They do have to play.

You may be working outside the home and have to leave early every morning.

So how do you cope and avoid those last minute panic attacks?

 

As a Burlington Stager, I recommend making a list and checking it twice.

Then set aside a recycling bin or plastic storage bin.

Fill the bin with those last minute items that need to go out. It can hold things like your show towels and the breakable accents that the kids or cat might break if they were out full time.

Before you leave the house, take the list and the bin and go around doing those last minute things. Out come the show towels and in go the daily towels. Out go the accents for the table and in go those toys the kids didn't put away. Maybe there is an item on the counter that won't fit in the cupboards. In it goes.

Once you have completed your rounds, put the bin in the garage or even the trunk of your car

When you come home, reverse the process.

Leaving for work in the morning? Try to do some of the items before you go to bed. That will make the last minute chores simpler in the morning.

Don't forget to talk to your Realtor. You know how much time you will need to get the house ready before a viewing. Are you loading kids and a dog into the car? How long will it take to do the last minute list? Once you know how much time you need, call your Realtor and let them know.

No, it's not easy to live Staged, but it is doable.

So make that list and set aside that bin. You can do it!

 

Just remember that a Staged home has wider appeal to buyers. Staged homes sell as quickly as possible for the best price possible.  

Posted by

Retired Home Stager

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments (18)

Anna Dovger
Add Value Home Staging LLC, 281-704-6607 - The Woodlands, TX
Home Staging -The Woodlands, TX

Janice, more inconvenient the life is at the house that is on the market, faster it sells. I love your suggestion on last minute bin and timing your 'escape'. Suggested.

Jul 22, 2012 12:09 PM
Randy Mitchelson,APR
Marketing Advisor & Squeeze Mortgage - Bonita Springs, FL
First Impressions are made at First Click

 don't understand why home sellers, who are supposed to be eager to sell and who are hiring real estate professionals and paying them a commission to market and sell their home, get so hung up on not properly staging their house. Why are they so stubborn about removing family picutres, refrigerator magnets, neatening up their closets, etc.? Do they really want to sell their house or not?

 

Jul 22, 2012 12:13 PM
Phil Leng
Retired - Kirkland, WA
Phil Leng - Retired

Hi Janice,
It is hard to have a home for sale that you live in.
You give great advice for those in that situation.
Phil

Jul 22, 2012 12:23 PM
Malcolm Johnston
Century 21 Lanthorn Real Estate LTD., Trenton, Ontario - Trenton, ON
Trenton Real Estate

I've been to a few homes where things look neat and orderly, but as soon as I open a closet all kinds of things that were hastily thrown in come tumbling out.

Jul 22, 2012 10:45 PM
Janice Ankrett
Burlington, ON
Staging Professional

Thank you Anna! Glad you agree.

Jul 23, 2012 12:48 AM
Janice Ankrett
Burlington, ON
Staging Professional

Randy, I hear You! Sellers see their homes through their memories. They feel it's a great home and should just sell. It is our job to help them step back and see it as a product. Not always easy to do though.

Jul 23, 2012 12:50 AM
Janice Ankrett
Burlington, ON
Staging Professional

Thanks Phil! Selling definitely puts a dent in your lifestyle for awhile.

Jul 23, 2012 12:51 AM
Janice Ankrett
Burlington, ON
Staging Professional

Thanks Valerie. I always tell my clients to expect buyers to look inside appliances if they are included. Be prepared to be inspected on a daily basis ;).

Jul 23, 2012 12:54 AM
Janice Ankrett
Burlington, ON
Staging Professional

Malcolm, objects hitting the buyer in the head when they open a closet or cupboard is a no no LOL. That's why sorting and pre-packing are so important. Show the buyer how much the house holds comfortably.

Jul 23, 2012 12:57 AM
Peg Barcelo
Fluff My House! Home Staging Inc. 250.486.6369 - Summerland, BC
The FlufftasticStager from Summerland, BC

Janice, what great advice! I also recommend covered baskets, one for each child and one for mail/clutter etc. If they are stackable they can add a design element to the room, or they can just look neat and tidy because they have a lid...

Jul 23, 2012 02:05 AM
Bernice Dubon
RE/MAX First 403-607-9117 - Calgary, AB
Calgary Alberta Realtor

Good Post Janice,

Often, as Realtors for both Buyers and Sellers, we forget to take into account what it takes to live in a staged home, and what it takes to make it perfect every time someone wants to view the property.

Jul 24, 2012 02:31 AM
Janice Ankrett
Burlington, ON
Staging Professional

Peg, yes, covered decorative boxes can be a big help.

Jul 24, 2012 06:36 AM
Janice Ankrett
Burlington, ON
Staging Professional

Bernice, with a little team work between seller and Realtor things work out perfectly. The Realtor and their office know to give that seller enough time when they get a call for a viewing.

Jul 24, 2012 06:39 AM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

The bin is something I recommend to my clients too.  It's been very helpful to them.  As a panic/anxiety sufferer,  and someone who just sold a house, I know all too well how stressful this time can be.  As Anna said, though...the more inconvenient you make it...the faster it will sell!

Jul 24, 2012 10:30 AM
Gail Fabiani
Right at Home Realty Inc., Brokerage - Burlington, ON

Great ideas as always Janice.

Jul 27, 2012 06:27 AM
Janice Ankrett
Burlington, ON
Staging Professional

So true Sharon! I'm sure your recent experience helps you identify with your clients even more.

Jul 31, 2012 12:55 AM
Janice Ankrett
Burlington, ON
Staging Professional

Thanks Gail! We have to make the process as painless as possible LOL.

Jul 31, 2012 12:56 AM