This is my column this week from the Arizona Republic (permanent link):
Web site demonstrates how much goes into staging a home for sale
Week after week, I hammer away on the idea that the only homes that will sell in our current market are the ones that are priced right, prepared right and presented right.
But here’s an unwelcome fact about the real estate market: Home-sellers can be bull-headed. I don’t know how many times I’ve had sellers tell me all about what is wrong with the other houses for sale in their neighborhood.
My answer? I agree. But we’re not talking about those houses. We’re talking about what it will take to sell the sellers’ house.
And that’s when I get to hear about all the improvements the sellers have made — some of which are actually worth what they think they’re worth.
But what I really want is for my sellers to look at their own home with the same critical eye they bring to the neighbors’ homes. It’s motes and beams, surely, but seeing your home through a buyer’s eyes is a very instructive exercise.
It’s fun for me, because one of the things I tell sellers is, “You know what’s wrong with this house. You know exactly what you would frown over — or your mother-in-law would frown over — if you were seeing this home for the first time. Those are the issues we need to address before we can try to sell this house.”
This is the threshold of staging, which entails a lot more, in most cases, than laying out a few decorator items. A home that is prepared for sale is in complete turn-key condition, with no obvious defects left uncorrected.
One of our listings in North Central Phoenix just sold. We made a before-and-after record of the staging process, so you can see what we’re aiming for. You can view this demonstration by clicking here.
Staging is all the rage right now, and preparation is only one part of a sound marketing plan. But staging is a wasted effort if the home is dirty or in palpable disrepair. Our slide show illustrates a more robust idea of home staging.
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Brett says:
You’re right on the money Greg. It is easier for sellers to judge what is wrong with their competition than to see what is wrong with their home.
December 10, 2007 — 10:22 am
Akanke says:
Greg,
Home Staging is gaining acceptance as a necessary feature of an agents real estate services portfolio.
As you correctly stated, “Buyers only see a home the way it is, rather than the way it could be”.
February 2, 2008 — 10:30 am