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What do you mean Stage my house? Setting up to sell faster!

By
Managing Real Estate Broker with Flexit Realty "Flexible Home Selling Solutions"

I just listed another home today.... I am happy for me....even happier for me it is priced right!

We were going through the comps as I was reviewing the home from the quick tour...in my mind.  This has been a bachelor pad....and a woman touch has never even entered the front door!

This guy had an arsenal of guns, twenty...maybe?!  Three cabinets of guns...oh sure they were locked in gun cabinets with glass front doors!  I want those out of the house....gone....I can see this being a burglars dream come true!  Slides in the back of the home in a small sub-division and glass gun cabinets...oh yeah they are gone!  A couple pistols, shot guns of all types, high power rifles with scopes...laser sights...I was in Vietnam in a recon unit....I understand this stuff and this is over kill....no pun intended!

Stacks of magazines, cloths in the corner....but the kitchen now that was a chefs delight.  This guy may work in tool and die but he like food and wanted to be a chef...so the kitchen is great.

Living room nice neutral colors but the traffic pattern...centered on the Big Screen TV...so if you had to walk a maze to get everyone a good viewing angle...OK with him.  Most women would have said....NO WAY!

The dining room...hummm how do you say...I can not believe you think like this.

As we are going through the listing agreement...I am mentioning we should have the home staged to maximize the features and benefits the home offers.  This should be done before the open house.   His response...."what is "STAGE" do you want me to build a stage in the living room?  I thought that might be to much...he said, I thought of it for my stereo system but bought the entertainment center don't you like it"?  You probably could have had a great shot for Candid Camera if you would have seen my face!  He looks at me and says..."What"?

So I explained the staging process to him.  I also explained the opportunity he had to sell faster with the home prepared, staged and priced correctly.  So we are going to get this done after the carpets are cleaned, some painting touch-up along with a pod to take the excess "man things" like the 3 work benches, (did I say 3 extra work benches beside the other 3?)  2.5 stall garage with one stall usable the other have benches, racks, air compressors etc.  If I could only find a one car owner that liked mechanical things.

We are nearing the end of the listing and I mention one more thing that has to go....the pellet stove in the dining area.  He looks at me like I shot him in the heart.  He says, "Do you know how much this saves on the heating bill"?  Nope but the wife of the buyer is not going to have that wood burner in her dining room for a minute....in fact she will not buy this home with it there....so do you want to sell?  He looks at me and says...OK I'll get it out of here.

This is a nice listing, the home is price right but there are some issues to prepare the home for sale.  Building that stage show it shows is one of them!

Selling or Buying in Michigan go to FlexIt Realty Website, Download over 30 Free Reports. www.FlexItRealty.com

Christopher Bonta
The Bean Group - Londonderry, NH
Realtor, Integrity and Honesty

Gary, your post made me laugh! I'm glad the guy was easy to work with and is going along with your suggestions. You really could have had your hands full, but it sounds as if you maneuvered your way through the situation!

 

Best of luck

Apr 27, 2008 12:49 PM
Cari Pilon
RE:STYLE Home Staging - Brighton, MI
RE:STYLE Home Staging
 I'm proud of you Gary for not mincing words and telling it like it is! I had to laugh when he mis-interpreted "Stage" to mean build a stage for his entertainment system - yikes! That just shows once again how far we have to go to educate the consumer on the value of staging! Great job!
Apr 28, 2008 02:44 AM
Morgan Schott, Staging Atlanta's West Side
Sweetwater Staging & Redesign - Douglasville, GA
Gary thank you so much for advocating for staging! It's good to know that our realtor partners actually "get it". Now we just need to work on the homeowners... Hilarious!
Apr 28, 2008 05:42 AM