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Art or Neutral

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Real Estate Agent with Search Homes for Sale in Maryland at HelpShop.com


Light Switch from one of my favorite listings but no longer on the mls since it soldThe decorating was for your own enjoyment. You watched HGTV. You subscribed to trendy magazines. You liked what you saw. And you gave your home a makeover. As you see in this picture, the result is not neutral. Does it make sense to undo all this effort because you now want to sell?

There are two answers to this question. While you are living there, home is home. Once you want to sell, your home has become a product. Packaging your product for sale means knowing your customer. The easy answer is you want to create a framework for the potential buyer to imagine themselves living there. The model home look, is a sterile look. It is a hotel room that becomes yours when you unpack your bags. In most cases, this is your best choice. Take your fancy wall plate to your next home. Let the new buyers have the fun of subscribing to HGTV and starting where you started. The journey, not the destination, is where the value is created.

The second answer is a risky one. If you really know your customer, and if your decorating fits, then keep the look. Now you are selling a lifestyle. The rest of the staging advice still applies.

  • You don't want clutter.
  • You want clean.
  • Clear the counter tops.
  • Make sure your cabinets and closets are half empty.
  • Fix the neglected repairs.
  • Make sure there is lots of light.
  • Put away the photos.
  • Commit to the lifestyle staging.
  • Listen to feedback.
After every showing we try and get the buyers and agents opinion. Buyers aren't always organized enough, or ready to share their thoughts. But, we ask the showing agents what their opinion was too. With the feedback we get, then we can make changes, or stay the course. Selling the lifestyle like this is great if you can pull it off. But if the feedback tells us were wrong about our buyer. Then we need to adjust.

You only need one buyer to sell a house. Marketing, however, plays the percentages. You need enough people in the market to like what they see before one will buy.

If you have a house to sell, then before you invest money into making big changes. Give us a call. Let's discuss what the best course of action is. Don't paint all your walls white. Let your home get the benefit of hiring a stager. We like to hire a stager for at least the plan consultation. Then depending on the circumstances, we can hire the stager to implement the plan, or follow the plan DIY. In the current market with so much inventory, you need an edge to get a sale.

We look forward to hearing from you.

 

Comments(2)

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Maggie Baumbach
Search Homes for Sale in Maryland at HelpShop.com - Reisterstown, MD

I like the thought that it is the journey, that really is the fun part, and if you leave your canvas ready for someone else's input then they can enjoy the journey too.  Also it is very important to listen to the feedback. Try not to get defensive, they just ran through the house in 15-20 minutes and that was their first impression. Listen to feedback even if is seems crazy, there might be a grain of sane in there somewhere that will help to get the most money possible in the current market.  Pretty cool wall plate, I would take it with me!

Dec 08, 2008 03:19 PM
Peter Baumbach
Search Homes for Sale in Maryland at HelpShop.com - Owings Mills, MD

Maggie: First impressions are funny things. It says more about the buyer sometimes than it does the house.

Dec 08, 2008 04:05 PM