Disturbing Trend? -- Kitchens Without Refrigerators

Disturbing Trend? -- Kitchens Without Refrigerators

When discussing the various components of marketing with my seller-clients, we touch on the three elements of a successful sale, pricing, packaging and promoting.  Each has its purpose, and each depends on the proper execution of the other two. While the bulk of the promoting responsibility rests on my shoulders, and pricing is a decision that requires some trust in my analytical work to suggest a viable target, packaging needs the active participation of the owner of the home.

Taking a short tour of a seller's home will reveal most of the maintenance and repair items that ought to be addressed before the home goes on the market.  To get top dollar for the home, all known maintenance and repairs have to be completed before the first showing.

The subject of doing what is not natural needs to be addressed.  Most folks' homes have been customized to their own personalities and lifestyles.  Some of the customization is good, but most is just perfect for the one family in the world that lives there now.  That's where the idea of changing from a place to live to a place to show buyers begins.  You just can't do everything you love doing in your home while it's on the market.  That means no deep frying, no pungent foodstuffs prepared, no pets running loose, etc.

I love showing homes full of clutter to my buyer clients because I know many buyers reject cluttered homes, and my clients can often get the home for less.  For the same reason, my sellers have to remove lots of stuff from their homes, and much of it is what makes their home their home.  There are all kinds of unnatural compromises made to sell products including houses, and the value of seeking and following the advice of a professional home stager cannot be overstated.

The stager may ask a seller to do some things that don't seem very natural.  Do them anyway.  Sales depend on good marketing, which depends on great packaging.  Check these photos of the fifteen 2011 NKBA Awards and count the refrigerators in the pictures.  It seems to me that, of these fifteen wonderful photos of the top kitchens in 2011, around ten of them don't appear to have a refrigerator.  Is that natural?

Although the stager will probably not ask you to remove your refrigerator,  the effects of moving, exchanging, accessorizing furniture can be dramatic.  If you're thinking about making a move in 2012 or sooner, call me to receive valuable information about the market and the best way to price, package, and promote the sale of your home.