When I walk into a home that I've been asked to look at for staging, it's always a new and exciting challenge. My mind starts coming up with scenarios about all the stuff that could be done to make it look fabulous! So, I put my report together and recommend changes that could put this home out ahead of the market. Then the shoe drops and what was once a possiblity is now just a matter of what is the least we can do to get this house sold?
It's so frustrating when sellers won't do what needs to be done to make their house the best it can be. One that I've been working on is in an upscale neighborhood but is an older home. The owners have never painted the white walls. They re-did the flooring in the kitchen and bathrooms - with a blue-patterned vinyl stick-on tiles! It desparately needs the countertops upgraded and some of the cabinets could use a facelift.
Now, I understand that all of this will cost them a little bit of money. But, they want to know: can you just make it look nice so we can get it sold? Oh, and we want the going price for this market! I can certainly come in and make it look better with plants, artwork and some furniture. But the fact remains that people will notice that this home hasn't been upgraded and other ones in the area have.
A little bit of staging goes a long way to improve the emotional appeal of a home, but nothing will hide the fact about what the home really has to offer. Upgrades are important and a good home stager should recommend these. If the seller can't or won't do these then they will have to settle for less when the home finally does sell. Our job is to keep letting seller know from our experience what it takes for a house to sell quickly and for a good price!
For more information on what it takes to stage a home well, get my new ebook: Stage Your Home Yourself-Insiders Secrets That Will Get It SOLD! http://www.bit.ly/JmeYp
Or if you'd like a sample that includes the introduction and the table of contents, download it here: http://bit.ly/79ggbs
Let me know what you think!
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