Real estate agents have always known that “depersonalizing” a house can play an important role in a sale since a key component of selling a house is helping a potential buyer envision themselves living there. Now, however, depersonalization is taking on an entirely character as sellers must not only remove their personality from a home on the market, but also make the property in question really shine in the buyer’s eyes. This can mean doing simple things like taking down family portraits and removing highly customized décor, but it also may require updates to appliances to make the home appear as trendy and “high end” as possible, even if the property is not a luxury property.
“It’s mostly likely the shiny apple that’s going to get picked,” explains Colleen Sprague, a broker in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. She adds that given that buyers have lots and lots of choices these days, a house really has to stand out[1]. Other brokers and realtors emphasize decorating changes like taking down wallpaper (“huge,” says one pro), painting rooms in warm, neutral colors and removing clutter at all costs. Carpet, like wallpaper, should often be removed if there is hardwood underneath or at least changed so that it is consistent in color and texture throughout the house.
Interestingly, in addition to making changes that will impact the physical appearance of the house when buyers visit in person, many experts also now stage houses with virtual tours in mind. When you take pictures of a video of a property to display on mind, try to view them with an objective eye, as if you had not seen the house in person. It may be necessary to arrange furniture for the video to allow for a smooth transition or to make a room look warmer and more appealing, even if you rearrange that furniture right back once you are done. Photos and video should be high quality in order to attract buyers.
Traditionally, real estate investors have often worried less about staging than conventional sellers. However, in today’s competitive market more investors are using this technique to increase the perceived value of their properties or to attract retail buyers as well as other investors. How are you staging your properties – or are you – in order to attract buyers?
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[1] http://www.kansascity.com/2011/04/21/2816118/polish-up-home-to-make-it-shine.html
Hello:
A family owned townhome sold above asking price, ONE WEEK AFTER LISTING in November, 2009. The empty, extensively remodeled, townhome right next door to us took over a year and a half to sell. Both townhomes had great curb appeal and the same configeration. What was the difference between us and them? STAGING!! Among the comments we received from buyers and agents alike were: “There’s no clutter”, “I like the colors”, “The furniture is so well arranged.” I can see myself living here.”, “Everything is so neat!”, “This place shows so well”, “It’s the best place we’ve seen, so far”. I will say that we even overrode the selling agent when it came to the garage. He said, “Oh, buyers don’t look in garages too much. I wouldn’t worry about it.” We did worry about it and made sure that it was clean and in order. Sure enough, people did look inside the garage, especially the women. Also, we made sure that the clothes closets were not only neat and orderly but also that the FLOORS of the closets were completely free of footwear. We put it inside boxes and stacked them on the above shelf. Shoes on the floor of a closet absorb light and can make the closet appear smaller. We noticed that a clothes closet floor clear of shoes makes the closet appear bigger and more spacious. With our other closets, cabinetry and drawers: we made sure that our linen closets were neat everything folded; like fabrics and like colored stacks. We re-organized our kitchen cabinets and cupboards making sure they presented that they could store many items, yet in a neat and orderly fashion. Lastly, even though the furniture was not included in the sale, we made sure that the hard surfaces (even in the bedrooms) were repaired, touched up, clean and, if needed, washed down. Walls and carpets were clean and free of marks. The clothing inside the drawers was neatly folded and organized and that our upholstered pieces looked fresh and smelled fresh. Yes, sounds like a lot of work. However, the buyer psychology is that attention to obvious, typical details and also to what is in drawers and behind doors, suggests care of other, hidden, more important details - electrical, mechanical, plumbing, HVAC, etc. And I Repeat: SOLD ABOVE ASKING PRICE AFTER LISTING FOR ONE WEEK IN NOVEMBER, 2009. In one of the worse markets. In California, yet. ‘Nuff Said.
DB