Staging and Educating - Thank you for being open!

Last evening, my partner, Shelley Sadownyk, Organizing Queen, and I did a staging consultation with a woman in Edmonton. She found us through http://www.stagedhomes.com/ as she was conducting her research about selling properties. On a guess, I'd say she is about 60 - strong, independent, very lively - and so open to any information that will help her sell her house.

On a side note - meeting open minded people makes for the best conversations!

Anyway, Shelley and I proceeded with our usual review of the house, room by room, and we filled out the house specific report. The things we identified with this house - and remember she wants it to sell quickly - put her in a bit of a pickle. Here are the big ones:

1. The house smells like cigarette smoke.
2. The once white walls and ceiling have yellowed with the cigarette smoke.
3. The carpet is 15 years old, faded and blue.
4. There are A LOT of brass fixtures - lights, door hardware, taps, towel bars, etc.
5. There is a crack in the foundation which has been puttied.
6. There is a crack in the ceiling in the basement as the house continues to settle.
7. Some features are "off centre" - the fireplace, the light fixtures, the window over the sink in the bathroom...

We are not qualified as home inspectors but we did recommend that she get a home inspection done just so she can find peace in her mind that the cracks are not posing critical damage to the integrity of the structure.

Her time line was to get the house on the market in 2 weeks, and with these fix ups she will either be extending her time line in order to address them, or she'll be reflecting these issues in her price. Our recommendation to her?

"In this buyer's market, people have a huge selection of houses to see, and sellers have one chance to grab their attention and hope they fall in love with the house. A few factors play in to that - price and location to name a couple - but if they see the price and then see how much needs to be done to "fix it up" they may lose interest. Especially if a house down the road is move-in ready."

She had indicated she was interested in selling the house herself, but in this case, we were thinking an MLS listing will position her stronger and get the viewer traffic she wants. I carry a copy of my book The EasySell System everywhere I go. I think if people are thinking about selling their own property, they should really know what they're getting into, the commitment it takes, the time involved, and then they can make an informed decision if they want do it themselves, or pay a Realtor to do it.

She had these two huge vintage 1950's lamps that she was trying to get rid off, so I asked her if she would consider a trade - the lamps, which I thought were stunning, for the book. And she was so pleased!!! A real WIN/WIN.

Now she has all the information she needs to confidently move forward with putting her house up for sale - the Staging Report and our Checklist Summary so she has a plan, and the book so she can know ahead of time what's really involved in selling a house.