Before & After
Today, many sellers have already moved on with their lives, leaving empty homes behind. While some may believe that an empty house is an improvement over lots of clutter, a vacant dwelling presents its own selling challenges.
“Buyers only know what they see, not the way it’s going to be,” says Barb Schwarz, the founder of home staging and CEO of Staged Homes, the company that trains home stagers and grants those who successfully complete the course the designation of Accredited Staging Professional (ASP™). Many people have a difficult time visualizing how they would furnish a vacant home, creating worry--about furniture placement and all kinds of decorating decisions. Vacant rooms also appear smaller than they actually are. At least in a lived-in home, buyers have an idea of how the current owner has chosen to use the space, and the furniture gives them a way to judge the spatial relationships. This is much less daunting than being faced with a totally blank canvas.
Even more importantly, first impressions play a large part in selling homes. When buyers walk into a home that looks bright, inviting and comfortable, they feel good. When most buyers walk into a vacant home, they feel somewhat at a loss, and a little “empty”. Usually the house appears cold and dark, since there is no ambient lighting to warm the spaces. All the buyer has to look at is the house, in its naked glory. Or, in most cases, revealing all its flaws, since there is nothing else to focus on or to divert the attention of the buyer. This can translate to a lower sale price, for several reasons. One of the most popular explanations is that buyers, already believing they can name their price in this saturated market, feel they can really take advantage of a seller whose home is vacant. To them it screams “desperation,” and they sense that the seller will be willing to take anything to get that monthly mortgage payment off their backs.
Purchasing a home is an emotional decision, to a large extent. That’s why someone (perhaps even you) says that they “fell in love” with the house they purchased. The Realtor mantra of “location, location, location” is still true. But it needs to be coupled with the stager’s mantra of “Emotion, emotion, emotion.”
The solution? Stage your empty house so that it looks warm, appealing and up to date! This need not cost a fortune. I will often shop a seller’s current home, if it’s not too far away, and choose what furnishings to bring back to the former (now vacant) residence to help the seller save on rental fees. Of course the furniture needs to be appropriate for staging—meaning neutral in style, sized to fit, and in good condition.
Vacant houses take twice as long to sell as lived-in houses. So, don’t leave your house empty, looking sad and lonely to potential buyers. Stage it to sell!
Kathi Presutti, ASP™
Owner and lead stager of RE:STYLE LLC
http://www.restylestaging.com/
810-333-5240
“Buyers only know what they see, not the way it’s going to be,” says Barb Schwarz, the founder of home staging and CEO of Staged Homes, the company that trains home stagers and grants those who successfully complete the course the designation of Accredited Staging Professional (ASP™). Many people have a difficult time visualizing how they would furnish a vacant home, creating worry--about furniture placement and all kinds of decorating decisions. Vacant rooms also appear smaller than they actually are. At least in a lived-in home, buyers have an idea of how the current owner has chosen to use the space, and the furniture gives them a way to judge the spatial relationships. This is much less daunting than being faced with a totally blank canvas.
Even more importantly, first impressions play a large part in selling homes. When buyers walk into a home that looks bright, inviting and comfortable, they feel good. When most buyers walk into a vacant home, they feel somewhat at a loss, and a little “empty”. Usually the house appears cold and dark, since there is no ambient lighting to warm the spaces. All the buyer has to look at is the house, in its naked glory. Or, in most cases, revealing all its flaws, since there is nothing else to focus on or to divert the attention of the buyer. This can translate to a lower sale price, for several reasons. One of the most popular explanations is that buyers, already believing they can name their price in this saturated market, feel they can really take advantage of a seller whose home is vacant. To them it screams “desperation,” and they sense that the seller will be willing to take anything to get that monthly mortgage payment off their backs.
Purchasing a home is an emotional decision, to a large extent. That’s why someone (perhaps even you) says that they “fell in love” with the house they purchased. The Realtor mantra of “location, location, location” is still true. But it needs to be coupled with the stager’s mantra of “Emotion, emotion, emotion.”
The solution? Stage your empty house so that it looks warm, appealing and up to date! This need not cost a fortune. I will often shop a seller’s current home, if it’s not too far away, and choose what furnishings to bring back to the former (now vacant) residence to help the seller save on rental fees. Of course the furniture needs to be appropriate for staging—meaning neutral in style, sized to fit, and in good condition.
Vacant houses take twice as long to sell as lived-in houses. So, don’t leave your house empty, looking sad and lonely to potential buyers. Stage it to sell!
Kathi Presutti, ASP™
Owner and lead stager of RE:STYLE LLC
http://www.restylestaging.com/
810-333-5240
Before & After
Before & After
This lakefront home was on the market for almost 2 years before the sellers listed it with Buckley Jolley. After a consultation with RE:STYLE, the client decided to go ahead with having RE:STYLE stage the house to sell! And sell it did, with the sellers accepting an offer just 49 days after the house was staged!
“We would like to thank Kathi for the exceptional job she did staging our home. The house was on the market for two years. In less than two months after the staging, it was sold. The buyer liked it so much they asked if the furniture was for sale.”
Robert and Stephanie K., Homeowners
Howell, MI
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