What Are Comments That Make Home Stagers Pause?
Where would we be without clients? When I was a home stager, I was blessed to work with some of the sweetest homeowners and agents. I loved helping alleviate some of the stress sellers felt as they placed the For Sale sign in their yard.
However, there were times when I had to stop and say nothing and move on. You know what I’m talking about…some of the comments that made you think that this job may be harder than you thought.
This...........................or.............this???
Here are a few comments that often made me wince and wonder why I was even there.
-I had a professional designer when I moved in, so it doesn’t need staging. It may have been beautifully designed, but interior design is for the owner's specific taste or preferences. Staging hopes to appeal to a broader base of buyers.
-I want to wait and see what happens. If it doesn’t sell in a month, then I’ll consider staging it. Wasted time on the market, and you would have lost some of the real buyers.
-We thought we could cover up the chipped and cracked tile with little rugs. This then begs the question…What else is the seller covering up???
-Why should we paint? The new owners will want to choose their own color. This is last century thinking. Bold colors may make buyers scroll past your listing without giving it a second look. Some buyers may not have the extra time or budget to paint after they move in.
-We just painted the walls, so please don’t hang any art or mirrors.
This is easy to understand. A seller I worked with would not allow us to hang anything on the walls because he had just had them painted.
Leaving out well-placed artwork or mirrors on the walls is like offering a cake with no frosting.
-I’m not spending another dime on this house. Understandably, a seller wants to invest in their new home and not in a home they’re leaving; however, this can work against them.
However, you have to look at it as maximizing the investment you already have in the home.
-If a buyer doesn’t like what they see, they don’t have to buy the house. Even large companies are constantly adjusting their marketing, making their products more appealing to the public.
-I’ll just put what we edit in the garage or spare room. Buyers need to see your space. A room or garage full of boxes, bags, and extra furniture can distract the buyer.
-We’ll light candles when the home is being shown. No one will know we have dogs. Ask any agent…any odor other than CLEAN is bad. Candles present a safety hazard. And…buyers and their agents are aware of candles and baked cookies used to “sweeten the deal.”
I loved working with sellers as they prepared their homes for sale.
These comments weren’t roadblocks, just cautionary signs.
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