Sellers, you are selling your House, not your Home!

In the past seller's market properties could sell without too much attention to presentation and staging.  Hindsight, this might have affected the time on the market and the price.  Agents like myself, who entered into the business during the sellers market would often enable our seller's attitude "I'm not going to change the way I'm living".  I'm pretty easy going, I could still sell the home and I did.

If you drive around, it doesn't take much looking to see the increase of the number of homes on the market.  Most of the news tell of doom and gloom in the housing market.  However, if priced right and presented well, homes are selling.  All it takes is the proper marketing strategy.  

I am a realist, which is probably why it has taken me a while to believe in staging and that it works.  It works to sell the home and it works to obtain a respectable price.  I do believe that the staging strategy has to match the property being sold.  I live in a modest country cape - gold rim tea cups on the table is not going to "cut it".      

For most sellers, at least the ones I work with, selling their home is an emotional time.  Someone reminded me the other day that when you put your home on the market, you need to stop thinking of it as your home and think of it as a "house".  You take your home with you, home is the memories.  I still call my parents place home and it's 600 miles away and I haven't lived there for over 15 years!   You sell the house, hopefully meeting your time frame and obtaining the best possible price. 

You can see some great photos from homes currently on the market.  Looking closely, the rooms appear "clean" and that they are displaying their hobbies and lives.  I'm sure these homes hold many great memories. Unfortunately, they are not presenting the product being sold very well.   

If you are serious about selling your house, you have to remove the home from it before putting it on the market.  It is the first step to making life easier for you and for your agent.   I can only speak for myself, I don't ask or even recommend that my sellers put a lot of money into "presenting" their house - as many can't afford to.  As an agent, I can advice you on the basics and/or recommend a reasonably priced consultation. 

Stay tuned for more from your recently converted "agent"!