Before and after photos of home staging projects are always fun to look at. For me, owner of Rave Home Staging in Jacksonville, FL, the best part of the job is knowing that we made a difference in the lives of the family that hired us. While most of our customers are real estate investors (flippers) and new home builders, we often deal with “real live homeowners” who simply need to get out from a second mortgage payment. That was the case for this particular seller. They were a nice, average family who needed to move and weren’t able to sell their house before they left. The house was sitting on the market and they were now stuck paying two mortgage payments.
The house that they moved out of was in good condition, and more or less move-in-ready. The neighborhood was a community with lots of amenities and properties were selling there. So, why had their sat on the market for 200 days?
The home buying process starts online.
The first thing that homeowners, thinking of selling their home, need to know and understand is that the buying process starts online. I’m sure before there is even a for sale sign in their front yard that most of them have already started looking at homes, online, at their new destination. Nearly 44% of potential home buyers started looking online as their first action, according to The National Association of Realtors. This means that photos and the way the home is presented digitally has become more important than ever.
Let’s take a look at a couple of photos that were listed with the home when it hit the market on 08/15/15.
Staging, completed on 11/19/17 (after the home had been left vacant)
The important thing about these particular rooms, is that they are the first part of the home that potential buyers see when they actually tour the house. From a size comparison, does one home look larger than the other? Does it feel brighter and more in line with today’s home furnishing trends? Do both of these homes look like they are the same value?
Let’s compare a few others….
What stands out to you in this space? Which space is more likely to appeal to potential home buyers today? Now, imagine this room completely empty. That’s what potential buyers would see, when they came to view the property in person, as it had already been moved out of. In this case, there was a mirror left on the mantle, but it’s not difficult to see why some buyers would have a difficult time imagining how to use the room to it’s best advantage.
Finally, let’s compare the large bonus room at the top of the stairs. Since this room had a closet, it could have been listed as an additional bedroom.
Emotionally, do these rooms “feel” different? What does that feeling convey? What about the rooms after staging made the space more appealing to potential home buyers?
Hiring the right listing agent when selling your home.
Speaking with the homeowner prior to staging, she noted that the Realtor she had hired was a family friend. She actually felt a little guilty knowing that she was going to need to call him and tell him that she was ending her agreement with him when the listing expired and going to hire a different agent. Interviewing several Realtors for the new agreement, was actually why she called us. A Realtor who knows us well, as we stage many of her listings, a Realtor who had attended our classes, including our 3-hr CE Class, and understood that staging would be her solution. Cindy Jones, with Florida Homes Realty & Mortgage of Jacksonville, was hired as the new listing agent as the home owners understood that selling this home would take more than just putting it on MLS. It would take a marketing plan, and that plan would include staging.
In the end, when the second round of listing attempts expired on 11/10/17, the home was listed for $365,000. After staging and professional photography, Cindy and the homeowner agreed to relist for $375,000. That is $10,000 MORE than the previously expired listing! After 200 days on market, with no deals, how could Cindy be confident enough to actually RAISE the list price? She’s worked with us before. 22 days after staging, this house went under contract. Here is what the homeowner had to say…. (click on image to enlarge)
Interested in getting your listings, or your home staged? Contact us today!