Mini Staging Lesson Three
Knowing where to begin

One of the puzzling things about preparing a home for the market is deciding what to do first. But it’s actually very simple. Start where buyers start, at the curb.

The longer you can keep buyers engaged in your house before they encounter problems the more likely they will be to buy it. If buyers like what they see when they pull up to the curb they’ll be more interested in seeing the interior of your home. Likewise, if they like the first rooms they enter, they’ll be eager to view the rest of your home.

However if you lose them at the start of the showing it’s very difficult to get them back. A weedy front yard, trim that needs painting, or torn screens will immediately reduce your chance of a sale by curbing buyers’ enthusiasm to see the interior. You want your dingy, living room walls that buyers see as soon as they enter your home, are much more of a problem than a spare room that needs painting and a kitchen that’s caught in a 50’s time warp is more important than the paneling lining the basement stairs. In other words, prioritize your projects according to what your perspective buyers will see first.

My advice—start by making the changes that are quickly and easily done, that way your sense of accomplishment will carry you through the more difficult tasks that remain. Then, starting with the front yard, work your way through your house doing the 3rs in the order you think the house will be shown. That way if you have showings at any point before you’ve finished your preparations, you’ll show potential buyers the best your home has to offer. The time, money, and effort you spend making a good first impression will increase your chances for sale.

Diane Keyes
This Sold House

Mini Staging Lesson One
How to Make the Big Decisions

You’re thinking about moving.  You’ve watched the news, you’ve read the papers, you know the real estate market is tough.  You’re wondering what you need to do to get your home ready to sell.

The current generation of home buyers is fussy.  With work, family, and the frantic pace of daily life, these folks aren’t interested in building sweat equity or getting a better price because a house needs work.  They’ve grown up with the instant gratification of TV, the Internet, and fast food. They expect more and they don’t want to wait for it.  Buyers want to move in and get back to business.

I’d like to be able to give you better news, but I can’t help you sell your home if I don’t tell you the truth.  Today’s buyers want their homes “in turnkey condition” as it’s now called by the real estate industry.

What does that mean to the home seller?  It means if you’re considering putting your home on the market “as is” you can expect a long listing time, a lower sale price and it may mean no offers at all.

So if you’re serious about selling your home, if it’s dirty—clean it, if it’s broken—fix it, and if it’s dated (even if it’s in good condition) get rid of it.  I call this approach the 3rs of home selling—remove, repair, and restore.

And if there is a larger improvement you’ve been wondering if you should do—do it.  Most homeowners know intuitively what needs to be done, they just talk themselves out of it by saying it’s too expensive, too much work, or takes too much time.   From years of experience, I can tell you if you’re thinking something may be a problem, chances are potential buyers will think so too.

For example, you may be wondering if you should replace your carpeting.  It could be worn, stained, or it might even be in good condition but several years old.  You’re thinking it would be less work for you and more fun for the new owners if you offered a carpeting allowance and let the new owners replace it themselves.

That is perfectly reasonable but, although I agree with you, that approach no longer works with today’s home buyers.  If you want to sell your home today, you need to market to today’s buyers and they expect their homes to be turnkey ready.

Do yourself a favor.  Put in new inexpensive, neutral colored carpet, or it’s very likely your home will linger on the market much longer costing you even more in time, effort and money.

Diane Keyes
This Sold House