Often when Staging a home for a single woman/mom, I suggest that they add some men's clothing to the Master bedroom closet. Either borrow some slightly off season items from a friend or family member, or buy some inexpensive items at a thrift store. When only women's clothing is in the Master closet it can signal that either the husband has already relocated or the husband has left the home due to death or divorce - all of those situations infer to a buyer that the seller could be in a stressful situation and NEED to sell. Even more worrisome, it potentially advertises that the single woman is easy prey for a robbery or burgulary or worse.
This week I was Staging a would-be FSBO (For Sale By Owner) for a single mom. I went over my suggestion for adding men's clothing to the closet and a thought struck me. If she were listing with an agent, would she have more security?
Think about the process - a FSBO takes all calls from potential buyers him/herself and also handles all showings. Who knows who could be calling? If the home were listed with an agent, the agent would handle all phone calls and showings. Therefore the agent would add a layer of security since they often pre-qualify buyers or the showing agent has. Either way the agent would have personal data on all potential buyers therefore making them less likely to commit a crime since they could more easily be found?
As a former single mom I am often aware of the need to protect these families. I am curious what other agents and Stagers think about this?
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