Ever had to turn an "Okay" listing to an "OH WOW!" listing?
I had a frustrated seller call me recently. He and his wife had their home for sale for a vey long time with no offers and very little traffic. He was looking into hiring me for the job as his listing was due to expire with the last realtor. I was wondering myself why it had not sold since by the exterior appearance it seemed to be an attractive home in a gorgeous wooded setting in popular Forest Hills area, Grand Rapids, MI. The price seemed within the realm and it had plenty to offer for the money.
As I entered the home I quickly figured out what was an obvious problem. The interior appearance-boooring...yawn, yawn. The views of the woods and wildlife from inside were amazing, but as I scoped out the interior views I was left unimpressed.
There definately was potential. The home had dramatic ceilings and interesting angles. It was just hard to see it through all of the white and grey haze. That was the big problem. The walls, were all painted white or blah light grey on the main level. This, coupled with the fact that it was vacant and there was nothing left inside for any kind of warmth.
It is sometimes hard to be honest with potential clients about their home because we want them to like us. We don't want to tell them that the home they have lived in and loved for many years needs some interior makeovers in order to produce a sale. A lot of the time it is a simple matter of paint and proper staging. That computes to an inexpensive way to create WOW factor to ultimately sell the home. There is an easy way to communicate this to the sellers by just saying "I don't mean any offense Mr and Mrs seller, but if you want to sell this home, these are the things that are neccessary." Taking along before and after pictures like the ones below can be helpful too.
When these kinds of changes are made, it usually makes all the difference in changing an active listing to a sold listing.
Here are some examples of some before and after shots of some homes where we added color to the walls:
Living Room Before Makeover Living Room After Paint Makeover:
Master Bedroom Before Makeover Master Bedroom After Paint Makeover
Before and after photos where we staged the home:
Living Room Before Home Staging Makeover Living Room After Home Staging Makeover
Dining Area Before Home Staging Makeover Dining Area After Home Staging Makeover
If you have a listing that has been sitting on the market for some time and you feel it is priced right but producing no offers or showings, you may want to take a second look at the interior and see what your potential buyers may or may not be seeing. Is it warm and inviting? Are the wall colors boring? or distracting? Is there too much stuff or not enough stuff to showcase your home? It may be time to try a little Dr 9021-0H Makeover. Keep the colors neutral. I like a sand color on the walls. If using a bold color, use it as an accent on one wall in the room. If your adding furnishings don't overdue. Less is often more, as they say.
It will definately be well worth the added effort and your clients will see the value of your expertiese in these areas. After all they want to see that SOLD sign in their yard.
Have Fun!
Sue Prins
Five Star Real Estate Professional
Visit me on my website at www.sueprins.com
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