While searching through all my old staging photos the other day, I came across these pictures from eight years ago. The memory of working with this particular Realtor® and the story of this house flooded back. It’s worth sharing as an example of exactly how staging can help you sell your house faster.
The homeowners had already moved to their new house in another state and they knew the house didn’t show well enough to put on the market for top dollar. But they understood that if they invested a few dollars in the right areas, they could list at a higher price and possibly yield a better return at the closing table. Plus, they anticipated staging would help sell their house faster and save them both the holding costs and need to suffer through a price reduction.
At first they thought the poor condition of the hardwood floors in their newly vacant house was the most prominent problem. To fix this issue, they were willing to spend $8,000-9,000 to have the wood floors sanded and refinished. Even though sanding and refinishing would have given new life and beauty to the old, worn floors, it wouldn’t address all the other visual deficiencies. And while the house had a ton of positive assets, because it was completely vacant, many of those minor things appeared more glaringly obvious.
The Realtor® convinced the home sellers that staging the entire property and giving potential buyers something beautiful to look at in every room, instead of focusing only on the rustic hardwood floors, was a better use of funds.
You never want to conceal obvious defects in a home. But more importantly, it’s better to play-up the obvious and not so obvious assets in a home. Among these assets is the home’s lifestyle potential. People tend to only see what they see right in front of them; they don’t see what “could be.” Therefore, a stager “sets the stage,” so to speak, and shows buyers the full potential of a home through the placement of beautiful furniture, rugs and décor.
What many sellers and buyers don’t realize is that home buyers are buying more than simply a house; they’re buying the lifestyle the home represents. And when the house you’re selling is staged to represent an appealing and aspirational lifestyle, buyers get a “good feeling” they can’t explain. That’s when you’ll sell your house faster.
In the end, most home buyers purchase based on emotion, not on financial sense or calculations. So, if you want top dollar, don’t take shortcuts. Make the effort to present your home in its best light and stage your home properly.
Tracy Kay Griffin is a member of Express Homebuyers Design Team. She was the Series Designer for HGTV’s “Get It Sold,” a Guest Designer for HGTV’s ” My First Place” and the Lead Stager for Washington DC’s premier staging company, Red House Staging & Interiors.
If you don’t have the funds for proper staging to sell your house faster on the open market, and you’d prefer to sell your house as-is, call Express Homebuyers at (877) 804-5252 for a fast and fair offer. Find out how our easy 3-step process works.