I'm Just Going to List the Home and See How it Goes
As a professional home stager, I've heard this this statement from home owners and Realtors alike. They want to avoid investing in staging and they think if they have de-cluttered a little, set the table (ugh, no, you really don't have to set the table) and mowed the lawn... voila! They are good to go.
Sometimes that kind of gambling pays off, but let's face it, we're in a really tough real estate market. My biggest challenge is educating Realtors to make it a part of their first client meeting to address staging as part of how they do business. A home staging consultation includes a comprehensive list of "must dos" as well as a prioritizing list of "should dos" for the home owner to accomplish before any photos make their way to MLS. Getting a professional home stager in before listing gives the seller a completely objective secondary opinion on how their homes look to someone who has absolutely no emotional attachment to the property. It's also a wake-up call for most sellers.
So, when I hear that the sellers want to hold off on a consultation, or has had one and knows what needs to be done but don't want to spend any money on a house they're leaving, I know that decision will have repercussions (and not good ones).
If the home attracts little interest, no offers and sits on the market, the Realtor is going to want to do a price reduction. On top of that, once the sellers realize it's not going so well, they are going to want to revisit the idea of staging, which means a price reduction AND the costs associated with staging (ouch).
It's also important to consider that a home's busiest time on the market is the first few weeks after it's been listed for sale. That's when all the Realtors who have buyers waiting for homes in your area will bring them through. If the house doesn't impress them, they move on. The sellers may never get them back in the house, even if they stage it a month or six months later.
That is why it's so important to do all your repairs, neutralizing and de-cluttering before you home hits the hot sheets. It's not enough that a home is priced competitively, a property still has to show well to impress buyers. If the home's appearance - from the beginning - is great, buyers will justify the seller's listing price. Want the stats? The new Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) staging statistics were just released for 2010. Per the report, home staging decreased an owner-occupied home's time on the market by 78%. Staged occupied homes sell on average in 53 days versus 263 days for unstaged occupied properties.
It's hard to ask sellers to spend money on repairs and cosmetics and then ask them to take a beating on the price. But if they're going to sell smart they will have to execute staging. This is about getting the house sold at the maximum price the market will bear. If the sellers can't do this, they probably shouldn't sell.
Ann Alderson is a Professional Home Stager and Home Selling Strategist in the Tampa Bay area. Join her on Facebook at http://facebook.com/stagingsouthtampa and follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/annalderson
Sometimes that kind of gambling pays off, but let's face it, we're in a really tough real estate market. My biggest challenge is educating Realtors to make it a part of their first client meeting to address staging as part of how they do business. A home staging consultation includes a comprehensive list of "must dos" as well as a prioritizing list of "should dos" for the home owner to accomplish before any photos make their way to MLS. Getting a professional home stager in before listing gives the seller a completely objective secondary opinion on how their homes look to someone who has absolutely no emotional attachment to the property. It's also a wake-up call for most sellers.
So, when I hear that the sellers want to hold off on a consultation, or has had one and knows what needs to be done but don't want to spend any money on a house they're leaving, I know that decision will have repercussions (and not good ones).
If the home attracts little interest, no offers and sits on the market, the Realtor is going to want to do a price reduction. On top of that, once the sellers realize it's not going so well, they are going to want to revisit the idea of staging, which means a price reduction AND the costs associated with staging (ouch).
It's also important to consider that a home's busiest time on the market is the first few weeks after it's been listed for sale. That's when all the Realtors who have buyers waiting for homes in your area will bring them through. If the house doesn't impress them, they move on. The sellers may never get them back in the house, even if they stage it a month or six months later.
That is why it's so important to do all your repairs, neutralizing and de-cluttering before you home hits the hot sheets. It's not enough that a home is priced competitively, a property still has to show well to impress buyers. If the home's appearance - from the beginning - is great, buyers will justify the seller's listing price. Want the stats? The new Real Estate Staging Association (RESA) staging statistics were just released for 2010. Per the report, home staging decreased an owner-occupied home's time on the market by 78%. Staged occupied homes sell on average in 53 days versus 263 days for unstaged occupied properties.
It's hard to ask sellers to spend money on repairs and cosmetics and then ask them to take a beating on the price. But if they're going to sell smart they will have to execute staging. This is about getting the house sold at the maximum price the market will bear. If the sellers can't do this, they probably shouldn't sell.
Ann Alderson is a Professional Home Stager and Home Selling Strategist in the Tampa Bay area. Join her on Facebook at http://facebook.com/stagingsouthtampa and follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/annalderson
Posted by Ann Alderson's Staging Blog at 1/25/2011 3:46 PM 
Categories: house for sale, Home Staging, style, Tampa stager, Homes for Sale, Selling your house, house for sell, home for sell, showing your home, Home Stager, Ann Alderson, decorating, condo, Selling your home, Home Decorating, real estate, organization, decorating to sell, House for Sell, sell home, Selling Your Home, Decorating, Home for Sale, House for Sale, open house, reasons for selling, FSBO, home improvement, showing your house, Curb Appeal, sell fast, home staging, home for sale, Home for Sell:Selling Your House
Tags: home for sale Ann Alderson condo for sale home staging Tampa home stager Tampa decorate to sell sell home fast home staging tips curb appeal
Categories: house for sale, Home Staging, style, Tampa stager, Homes for Sale, Selling your house, house for sell, home for sell, showing your home, Home Stager, Ann Alderson, decorating, condo, Selling your home, Home Decorating, real estate, organization, decorating to sell, House for Sell, sell home, Selling Your Home, Decorating, Home for Sale, House for Sale, open house, reasons for selling, FSBO, home improvement, showing your house, Curb Appeal, sell fast, home staging, home for sale, Home for Sell:Selling Your House
Tags: home for sale Ann Alderson condo for sale home staging Tampa home stager Tampa decorate to sell sell home fast home staging tips curb appeal
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