Things to do in Washington DC: Advice For The Home Seller: Stage It Before You List It

Listing a house before staging is like going to a business meeting in your bathrobe and slippers. You need to make a great first impression. Think of it as a beauty pageant where the best one wins — or in the case of a house for sale, the best gets sold.

The first five to 10 days a house is on the market is the time of the most foot traffic between buyers, agents and brokers, so why not show the property at its best?

Sure, staging will help if you wait 30, 60, 90 or more days to help market the house, but the house is no longer a fresh listing.  A house for sale draws most of its potential buyers during the first 10 days on the market.

Ideally, the best time to stage is before the house goes on the market.  That's the typical staging client, the homeowner who is going to sell in the near future and wants to take the time to properly stage the property.  Staging shows on television are not realistic in the sense that proper staging takes time.  Unless you can afford to have a "team" come in and do everything within two days, most people need time. A professional staging consultation gives the instructions to start the staging plan.

The major areas of staging:  Declutter - Edit - Clean

Repair and Create an atmosphere to connect the buyer to the home.     

Why should you invest in a house you are moving out of?  Because in this market, you can't afford not to.  If you want to sell for the most money and quickly, it's a matter of spending a few hundred dollars before listing vs. thousands when unaddressed issues become negotiation for a much lower price.  A few repairs, cleaning and editing make up a small price to pay, an amount substantially less than the first price reduction.

Once a house goes on the market it becomes a product.   Buyers connect to a house on emotion.  Staging helps make that connection.  Once a buyer emotionally connects, the house is SOLD.

Claudia Jacobs the columnist for Claudia's Corner is the owner of
Claudia Jacobs Designs, a decorating, redesign and staging business in
Goshen, New York. Visit www.claudiajacobsdesigns.com or call her at
845-294-8993.

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If you are thinking of buying or selling in the Sullivan, Rockland or Orange County, NY area I would be happy to assist you!  Please contact me or visit our Orange County New York website for more information. 

SEARCH HOMES IN NEW YORK

 

                   Debra Walsh  

    GRI, ABR, CHMS, REM

         Office 845-928-8000

 

            

 

 

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