Home sellers often balk at the cost of staging their home to sell. While we, as Realtors, see the Before and After transformations on a daily basis, it can be very difficult for sellers to imagine the end result and understand why it’s important.
To encourage you to read the entire article, I’m going to tell you end of the story now. With the relatively minor changes described here, this home had multiple offers and sold in 10 days at $12,000 above List price.
Over 94% of home buyers start the house-hunting process viewing the home’s photos online and only view the homes whose photos pass the muster but cameras are still not able to process the same amount of information as our eyes.
The living room in the Before photo had a maroon accent wall. While a very rich color to the eye, it appeared extremely dark when photographed. Notice how much brighter the room appears after the wall was painted (by the way, the interior lights were on for both photos).
The furniture was rearranged to demonstrate the expansive size of the room and display the fireplace. The addition of some colorful accessories added the warmth back to the room. The cost of staging this room consisted of a can of paint and accessories.
The adage “Kitchens and bathrooms sell homes” is very true. The bathroom reflected in the Before picture on the left was very functional but dated in appearance. The bathtub tile surround was replaced, adding a 4 inch strip of glass tile for a little custom “bling”, bringing the tile up to the same level as the top of the window. The light fixture and faucet were replaced with brushed nickel finishes and the “builder standard” mirror was replaced with a more sophisticated framed mirror. The walls were then repainted with a slightly darker white to offset the cabinetry.
Should you update your home to sell? These sellers initially felt very strongly that the house should be sold As-Is: “There’s nothing wrong with the house. Let the buyers paint and update it any way they want to.” Given the huge return on their Staging investment, they’re extremely happy they changed their minds!
© Wendy Cutrufelli, Contra Costa Real Estate Resource
