All the world is a stage and everyone wants the spotlight on their house when it's for sale. Staging is one of the newer services provided in the real estate industry. Years ago this service was considered frivolous, but not anymore. Real estate agents have known for some time that cleaning the house, decluttering, de-personalizing, and generally dressing the home in its Sunday best gives the home an edge in the market. The Twin Cities today has many months of inventory on the market and a high ratio of available houses to number of buyers. This makes staging an even more important part of marketing. Staging is rapidly becoming a "must have" instead of a "want"!
In a buyer's market anything that gives an edge to the seller's home, that makes it stand out from the crowd, is key to getting the buyers' attention and potentially getting the sale. In my tour of homes this weekend, two thirds of the homes appeared to be staged and of those two were definitely vacant. The staged homes were so nicely presented that it was hard to tell they were vacant until one opened closets and kitchen cupboards.
The amenities offered in all 6 homes were comparable: granite countertops, updated kitchens, hardwood floors, newer carpet, updated baths, vaulted ceilings, open spaces, and professional landscaping. The two that were not staged appeared drab by comparison. One had a beautiful kitchen but sticky granite countertops and weedy flower gardens. One had too much "stuff"! Attractive "stuff", but "stuff" nevertheless. The buyer couldn't see the house because "stuff" was in the way! Dirty countertop house was flat out rejected. It felt used. Note the word "felt". The "stuff" house felt closed in. Hmmm.
Buyers have to feel comfortable in the home. They don't always consciously see dirty countertops, windows, dusty screens, scuffed walls, or fingerprints. But those things do register. The subliminal message is "This house is not well maintained." In like manner, too many tschakas prevent the buyer from visualizing their "stuff" in the house. Don't get me wrong on decorations. There is a balance where removal of too much makes the house feel sterile like a hospital.
To see some really good before and after pictures of staging, check out Craig Schiller's site. I was impressed and wish he was in the Twin Cities area. I'd hire him in a heartbeat! His blog also has some great "do it yourself" ideas for the DIY crowd!
(c) Bonnie Erickson 2006
Comments