Hey everyone, hope you are all doing well and enjoying a little bit of Spring fever. This is the time of year that I want to redo my whole house inside and out. A fresh coat of paint, scrub those windows, clean the exterior and everything else in between.
Wait a minute!! I am doing that, just not in my home, but in the homes of the clients that I have the privilege to Stage for the real estate market. Has it worked?? YOU BET!!
I have said this a million times. The sellers and realtors WHO BELIEVE in Home Staging and MAKE THE INVESTMENT in Staging their listings, WILL SELL THEIR HOME!! While many sellers just want to get their feet wet when it comes to staging their home, I find that the sellers that dive in HEAD FIRST and do ALL that is necessary to prepare their home for the competitive real estate market are selling their homes for FULL PRICE or OVER ASKING PRICE. While others who don't listen to our advice and do small changes and want to wait for a FEW OPEN HOUSES before they do the rest, are not selling and their prices have already been reduced.
WHY are so many still being so foolish?? I think the answer is that many realtors are advising their clients against it. I have spoken with many sellers who have told me that their realtor has advised them that they should wait before they enlist the help of a home stager because IF their house is priced right it will sell!! WHO AGREES WITH THAT?? Realtors, for those that still do not believe in Staging or still have not worked with a home stager, please consider doing so. You will greatly increase the value of your listings which will benefit both you and your clients.
In the past that may have been true because it was a SELLERS MARKET, but today that is just not the case and the BEST LOOKING HOMES STILL SELL FIRST!! Sellers you need to have a competitive edge over othe houses for sale in your area or price range. Buyers today want a turn key type home. They don't want to deal with ripping out wallpaper and painting over badly faux finished walls, cracks in ceilings, etc. A little bit of elbow grease could dramatically increase your chance of selling your home.
In the past 2 months I have staged many homes. I am happy to report that the sellers who listened to our advice SOLD right away and for FULL PRICE and one even sold for $36K over asking!! That is HUGE IN TODAY'S MARKET!! Now I will admit that it took a bit of convincing to these sellers because each of them had previously had their home on the market with other realtors and nothing ever happened. When one of the realtors that I am affiliated with took over the listing she strongly urged them to meet with us to discuss Staging their home. I can tell you that they are NOT SORRY they listened. They Staged, they Listed and THEY SOLD!!! Hmmm, sound familiar??
Don't wait to Stage your home, call ReStyled to Sell Home Staging NJ BEFORE you LIST and DEFINITELY BEFORE YOUR FIRST PRICE REDUCTION!!
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Hi Phyllis, you're absolutely right. I still don't understand the real estate agent mindset when it comes to staging or even cleaning a house. It seems that once they get the listing they forget. I've been staging high end houses in the area and it amazes me that the agent I'm working with won't even take a broom with him to sweep off a front entry. The very first thing a potential buyer sees, and its neglected. I'm still plugging away here trying to convince realtors the only way to earn that commission is to sell the house and staging can help that happen. Apparently they made enough money in the hot market that they can let their listings sit for months, hoping someone will come along and make an offer.
Terry Haugen - STAGE it RIGHT!