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Quick, Look at the ceiling!

By
Home Stager with Design To Market LLC

Home staging cincinnati

It's quiz time...what did 3 homes priced at $125,000, $225,000, and over $1,000,000 all have in common?  They were homes that had damaged ceilings caused by a long ago leaky roof that had been repaired.  And, they were on the market with showings occurring on a regular basis!

It sounds impossible to think a homeowner would not see this as they prepare to put their home on the market but it happens and it is fairly common.  Think about it.  You are writing a letter that you have worked on for several hours.  You are finished and you ask 3 people to read it for errors.  They all point to a glaring mistake and you cannot believe it.  Well, the same principle applies in your home.  If you are going to have a successful sale, you should spend the money for a professional stager to find these things for you.  It is not that the writer of the letter was incapable of putting forth a well written letter, it was that they had looked at it too long and the problems faded away.  

The job of a good stager is to see those things that you have lived with and that you might be likely to overlook.  So, my advice is to spend the money on a professional stager and let them walk around your home looking for problems.  Better they find it than the next prospective buyer that loved your home until the moment they found the ceiling damage that scared them away! 

Design To Market has been staging homes in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky since 2004 (and we have seen lots of stained ceilings!).  For more information about our Cincinnati  and Northern Kentucky home staging services please call us at 513-265-0952 or visit our website at www.designtomarketllc.com .

 

Comments (10)

Michelle Minch
Moving Mountains Design Home Staging, Pasadena, CA - Los Angeles, CA
Home Staging Los Angeles and Orange County, CA

Hi Jo: You are absolutely correct. Many home sellers either can't see the flaws in their home or they are hoping no one else will notice the obvious. An experienced professional home stager will be able to tell them what needs to be done to get their home in top selling condition. BTW, I found this post on Twitter. Hey, it does work!

Dec 11, 2008 04:32 PM
Maureen Bray Portland OR Home Stager ~ Room Solutions Staging
Room Solutions Staging, Portland OR - Portland, OR
"Staging Consultations that Sell Portland Homes"

Jo ~ Isn't it amazing how sellers don't "see" what potential buyers will notice?  That's why they really need to consult with a professional stager, preferably prior to listing.  For a relatively small cost it's an incredible bargain.  Those stains on the ceiling could be a real deal-killer!

Dec 11, 2008 04:36 PM
Michele Hess
Simply Staged Inc. - Rockford, IL
Home Stager Rockford - Simply Staged Inc

Just recently had this same experience Jo.  Repair had been made, but never repainted.  Important detail not to be overlooked when selling - complete repairs!

Dec 11, 2008 08:10 PM
Jo Potvin
Design To Market LLC - Cincinnati, OH
Home Staging Cincinnati - Design To Market

Michelle,  thakns for watching Twitter for me!  I haven't spent much time Twittering!

Dec 12, 2008 09:57 AM
Kathy Nielsen
http://atlantahomestaging.net - Marietta, GA
Atlanta Georgia Home Stager

Great post, Jo.  And you're right; a professional home stager uses the buyers-eye when viewing a home and will make recommendations based on what they see.

Kathy

Dec 13, 2008 12:40 AM
Ginger Foust
Certified Staging Professional - Oakhurst, CA
Home Stager Oakhurst CA, Dream Interior Redesign & Staging

I know that it happens to most of us...this comment from the seller's or their agent, "uh we were hoping that no one would notice"  It's our job to notice and I too am very surprised at what people think that can GET BY with.   

Dec 13, 2008 12:37 PM
Jo Potvin
Design To Market LLC - Cincinnati, OH
Home Staging Cincinnati - Design To Market

we recoenly completed a consultation where the stained ceiling situation came up.  the seller was truly thankful to have this uncovered and immediately worked to remedy the situation.  Yet again, it takes anotehr pair of eyes!

Dec 16, 2008 01:33 PM
Margaret Oscilia
Creative Concepts-Home Staging and Contracting, Salem Oregon - Salem, OR
Home Stager, Salem Oregon

Once we walk past things for a couple of years, we really don't "see" it anymore . . . a perfect example of why a staging consultation is worth it's weight in gold!  By pointing this out and getting it repaired before the house is on the market, the buyers avoid all kinds of questions and doubts about the quality of the home! Great post.

Dec 16, 2008 10:28 PM
Patricia Ebrahimi
SHOW SMART! HOME STAGING & Color Consultant - Rockville, MD
Home Staging the Washington DC Area from Rockville MD

So true Jo.  I even had a seller who bemoaned that he had had a leak long ago and fixed it.  The ceiling, however, had not been fixed.  It had a glaring crack in the popcorn, and he didn't think it worth addressing.  Fortunately, I prevailed.  He fixed it, but unfortunately didn't change the popcorn.  Oh well...one battle at a time lol!

Dec 19, 2008 11:12 AM
Michelle Finnamore
Toronto GTA, Alliston, Newmarket - Vaughan, ON
Preparing your property for sale

So true. It is the norm for homeowners to ignore what is an obvious problem for most people.

Dec 19, 2008 07:14 PM