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Oh that negative feedback! Staging in Burlington

By
Home Stager

Nobody wants negative feedback ... especially when they are selling their home.

As a Burlington Stager, my job is to help clients prevent negative feedback about their home. Sometimes, I'm called in because of the negative feedback and I address the issues. 

Issues of late:

  1. Unique features - metal spiral staircases. They took away from the feel of a family home. There wasn't much I could do about them. They are a unique feature that will be staying and only appeal to a family with older children. What I could do was recommend they be painted so that they looked well maintained. 
  2. Bedrooms on different floors. Buyers can have trouble seeing a house with half the bedrooms in the basement as a family home. My recommendation is to show them as a 'tween's room making sure there is that emotional tug of family. 
  3. Shower in need of repair. Often I see grout stained with mold. I recommend cleaning the grout or replacing it. Replacing shower heads is usually affordable. Inserts can be done but you can't just cover up the mold without dealing with it.
  4. Medicine cabinets with glass doors. Buyers don't want to see all that personal 'stuff'. I recommended frosting the glass. 
  5. Not enough light. This can be as simple as changing light bulbs. Sometimes it involves upgrading light fixtures or taking down window treatments.
  6. Needs work. This is not a good response. Fresh paint and minor repairs can go a long way to correcting this conversation. 
  7. Basement kitchen. This can be a plus or a minus. If the buyer wants an in-law suite or a rental it's a plus. If they are looking for a single family home it is an oddity. I suggest setting it up as if it is an entertainment center ready for the big game.
  8. Damaged carpeting. If the cat has shredded the carpet edge or you have a pet stain etc it's time to bite the bullet and replace the carpeting. 
  9. Neglected yards. Your yard can be another room to the buyer, especially in small homes. Weed that lawn, keep up the maintenance, show them how to enjoy it.
  10. Half finished areas. If you didn't want to finish an area, neither will the buyer. Tacked up drapes in front of a closet? Install doors or at least a rod to hang the curtains. Breaker box with a broken door in the 4th bedroom? Fix the door or use a piece of art on a piano hinge as the door but fix it. 
  11. Odors. This can be a big one. Food odors, pet odors, mold odors or damp odors .... no matter what kind they all have to be addressed. Avoid cooking spicy foods, remove the source of the pet odor, deal with the mold, use a dehumidifier in that basement. 

Remember, you are not there for viewings so your house is doing the talking not you. 

What is it saying to buyers?

 

Posted by

Retired Home Stager

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments(24)

Joan Whitebook
BHG The Masiello Group - Nashua, NH
Consumer Focused Real Estate Services

A great post.  Great tips and the odors are really a big one!

Aug 31, 2015 01:05 PM
Shirley Coomer
Keller Williams Realty Sonoran Living - Phoenix, AZ
Realtor, Keller Williams Realty, Phoenix Az

Good post.  A negative to one buyer is a positive to another.  Showing the questionable feature in a positive way to show case a listing.  As far as orders....never good.  Part of the conversation with a seller needs to be the impact of cooking, etc.  Buyers understand floor plans  may not work but odors turn off buyers from the minute they enter the house.

Aug 31, 2015 01:28 PM
Maureen Bray Portland OR Home Stager ~ Room Solutions Staging
Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR - Portland, OR
"Staging Consultations that Sell Portland Homes"

One of the best things about being a stager is that when we hear this type of feedback from our clients, we know many effective ways to improve the situation to make their home more appealing to potential buyers.  Usually it takes a professional, neutral eye to notice, and then advise, on the best fix.

Aug 31, 2015 03:12 PM
Gita Bantwal
RE/MAX Centre Realtors - Warwick, PA
REALTOR,ABR,CRS,SRES,GRI - Bucks County & Philadel

Thank you for sharing. I hope home sellers will read this post. 

Aug 31, 2015 08:33 PM
Janice Ankrett
Burlington, ON
Staging Professional

Odors are the first thing you notice when you step in the door Joan Whitebook . The best scent is clean.

Yes they do Shirley Coomer . We have to consider cooking smells, pet smells, gym shoe smells and even air freshners. 

That's right Maureen Bray Portland OR Home Stager ~ Room Solutions Staging . We stagers can give sellers an objective view or their home to help them see it for the product it has become for buyers.

Thank you Gita Bantwal !

Aug 31, 2015 10:31 PM
Sally K. & David L. Hanson
EXP Realty 414-525-0563 - Brookfield, WI
WI Real Estate Agents - Luxury - Divorce

Bedrooms on different floors can be a huge positive...multi generational living at its best !

Aug 31, 2015 10:38 PM
Gloria Laughton Allston
COLDWELL BANKER RESIDENTIAL BROKERAGE - Princeton, NJ
Realtor(NJ)/Broker(NY)

Some very good points.

Aug 31, 2015 11:37 PM
Janice Ankrett
Burlington, ON
Staging Professional

Very true Sally K. & David L. Hanson . As stagers we have to help the home appeal to as many types of buyers as possible.

Thank you Gloria Laughton Allston .

Sep 01, 2015 12:09 AM
Dana Hollish Hill
Hollish Hill Group, JPAR Stellar Living - Bethesda, MD
REALTOR * Broker * Coach

Wow! That is a pretty good list. I know many buyers who would agree with you completely. 

Sep 01, 2015 05:01 AM
Dr. Paula McDonald
Beam & Branch Realty - Granbury, TX
Granbury, TX 936-203-0279

Excellent post.  All of these points are so spot on!  Great job!

Sep 01, 2015 05:50 AM
Janice Ankrett
Burlington, ON
Staging Professional

Thank you Dana Hollish Hill . In the past 10yrs, I've seen these issues again and again.

Thankyou Paula McDonald !

 

Sep 01, 2015 05:55 AM
Nancy Chenevey
The Chenevey Group - Ann Arbor, MI
"Showing You the Way Home"

The odors suggestion is ringing more than a few bells with me. Great post!

Sep 01, 2015 06:51 AM
Christine Faeth
The Faeth Team - Ann Arbor, MI
"Helping You Make the Right Move"

All good suggestions. the hard part is getting the client to listen to them! LOL

Sep 01, 2015 06:52 AM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

If they are willing to listen to the feedback and take action they are ahead of the game. The negative feedback could have been avoided in the first place had they had a staging consult PRIOR to listing!

Sep 01, 2015 07:06 AM
Kathleen Daniels, Probate & Trust Specialist
KD Realty - 408.972.1822 - San Jose, CA
Probate Real Estate Services

Janice, I really like your solution to the negative feedback. There are several that really resonate with me … love the tweens bedrooms in the basement.

Sep 01, 2015 07:37 AM
Janice Ankrett
Burlington, ON
Staging Professional

Nancy Chenevey we use our senses when we look at a house and our nose is one of the first to register.

Christine Faeth Many of my clients are Realtors that want the message delivered. I try to put it into the context of moving into selling mode. 

So true Sharon Tara ! I had a Realtor ask me if they should send me in before or after the client decluttered. I said the sooner the better! No use wasting time doing the wrong things. 

Thanks Kathleen Daniels ! That tweens solution has been useful many times.

 

 

Sep 01, 2015 08:32 AM
Christine Faeth
The Faeth Team - Ann Arbor, MI
"Helping You Make the Right Move"

Janice Ankrett Good way to look at it!

Sep 01, 2015 11:41 PM
Janice Ankrett
Burlington, ON
Staging Professional

Thanks Christine Faeth ! A Stager can really help a seller see their house as the product it has become and not just their home.

Sep 01, 2015 11:58 PM
Mery Fernandez Empire Network Realty Luxury Brokerage
Empire Network Realty INC. - Orlando, FL
The Rise of An Empire, Let's Build Yours!

Hello and congratulations on your featured blog post! Well done and hope to see you have many more featured post.

Sep 04, 2015 12:20 AM
Janice Ankrett
Burlington, ON
Staging Professional

Thank you so much Mery Fernandez Empire Network Realty Luxury Brokerage !

Sep 04, 2015 01:05 AM