This house was sitting languishing on the market for over a year. The Realtor had the listing the entire time - and was very frustrated at the lack of an offer. The Seller was not open to Staging - and so just sat on the market, month after month adjusting the price of the house as the only means of competing in a down market.
Finally - the Realtor decided to Stage the house - investing her own money to make it happen. God bless that Realtor. I am not a believer that the agent should have to pay for a vacant install, but in this case, the Realtor just wanted to get the house Sold. We worked with her tight budget and put key pieces in all major rooms to help the house look more updated and appealing.
We first advised painting out some areas that were distractions for buyers. This entrance to the family was pretty much what buyers first saw when they walked through the door. The Seller at first (who had moved out months prior) was reluctant to have the realtor's husband paint it - "I paid a lot of money for the gold gilded faux painting." You have moved out - remember? So the columns were painted.
We also removed the swags of burgundy fabric that shrouded all the windows. Some panels, some fringe, some sheer fabric - all burgundy, all old and dusty, all had to go. We also had some of the plastic fake fan fronds removed. What was underneath, although a little dated, was better than the plastic.
To minimize the pink and powder blue striped wall paper in the Master, the seller had put in pink and blue striped towels. Huh? (and notice MORE burgundy panel swags!) Those all disappeared for Staging.
We did light to moderate Staging in the key rooms . . . got rid of the pink flowers . . . Added chocolate brown or gold fabric to frame windows as needed. . .
Living room BEFORE:
Living Room AFTER:
Family Room BEFORE
Family Room AFTER:
Master Bedroom BEFORE: (Yes - more burgundy swags!)
Master Bedroom AFTER:
So there you have it - Staging helped to SELL this house that for a YEAR was overlooked. My only sad point to all this is that I wish the Seller and Realtor had decided to get it staged when it first came on the market. I estimate that because of lack of Staging, this house dropped $40K in price.
The investment in Staging was about $2,500 overall.
$40,000 or $2,500? Which is the better deal? You tell me!
In the short term, a Seller might think that Staging is not a good use of their money - because they think that their house will Sell quickly. Then over time, as PRICE becomes the only factor to bargain with in a declining market, the wisdom of Staging FIRST - comes back to haunt them.
Staging is the only service done in preparation of the house that brings measurable value. It helps a seller keep more of their equity and gets a house sold faster than the un-staged competition.
If only . . . well at least the house IS SOLD - it took 60 days to get a buyer even though immediately after the Staging, the neighbors were Raving about how good the house looked! New photos were taken, and the house had new LIFE as a product on the market. Our average DOM are at about 117.
Hopefully next time the seller will Stage first. Hopefully next time the Realtor will call us sooner than later. Gladly we have another Staging Success Story for We Stage Sacramento!
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We Stage Sacramento is your regional home staging expert resource for Vacant and Occupied Houses! Call us when you want to successfully Stage and SELL your listing or house! 1-888-WE-STAGE.
