With staggering statistics of 77% of Homes Lost Value (Realtor.org 8-8-08) it only reinforces what Professional Home Stagers have been trying to convey to Realtors who have not "bought into" staging as part of their marketing...
If that house you are putting a sign in front of and placing on the MLS for the world to see isn't in tip top shape, look and feel...you are not only further jeopardizing what the seller can see in net equity you are cutting the potential for your commission too!
In the article Craig Schiller wrote several months ago Chipping Away at the "PRICE IS KING" Myth Too Many Realtors Rely On he conveyed that all to many Realtors rely on pricing as the only thing that will sell a property. Well I and I'm sure many of my Staging brothers and sisters say...If you don't want King of Price to plummet even farther, you better begin thinking of how that property is presented when it goes on the market!
I met with a homeowner for a consultation yesterday. The home is occupied, and they have had it listed since March of 2007!!!!! That is 16 months! The homeowner said she is anxious to move back to California... Before we met, I pulled the listing up on MLS. The landscaping looked neat and I saw plenty of little things from the pictures that easily could be "tweaked" , like rose colored walls in the dining room as well as the feeling of old because of dolls and doilies but I couldn't understand why it didn't sell. The price is absolutely right on and a little below what it should be for the market.
It became abundantly clear when I drove up and entered the home...First, I had a hard time figuring out which house was the one I was to visit as it did not look like the picture. All of the landscaping was now overgrown, weeds in the yard. I wish I had taken a picture. Here are a few of the interior photos that weren't on the listing...NOW I think it is clear why the house has not Sold:
This home is in a gorgeous gated community that attracts mostly retired folks ...so Priced right or not...in today's world no one wants to move into a home and have so much work to do! Paint, wallpaper...all gotta go. My pictures don't show the abundance of furniture and mismatch, a stagers keen eye for placement could make it look fabulous!
In the Realtors defense, she is the one who told the homeowner to call me I just wish it wasn't 16 months after the home was listed since the homeowner is anxious to move on!
My point...PRICE IS NOT ALWAYS KING and is falling without the Realtors help... It has to be a combination of both PRICE and being more Visually appealing than all the others that are available so the seller CAN get more equity and get to SOLD.
The house must speak to the buyer that all they need to do is bring their toothbrush and "jammies", because it looks brand new and ready to be lived in!
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