No pictures this week….just a story….
We've been working with someone since January. His wife was tragically killed in a car accident one year ago. He wanted to sell his home and build a new one. Over these past several months, we've helped him downsize, declutter and pack. They traveled a lot and he had many items from around the world that reminded him of their adventures. We heard so many fun stories!
He moved in July and then asked our help in preparing his home for sale. After all the houses I've staged and "fixed up" to sell, it's easy for me to give my opinion about what needs to be done to a home before it's put on the market. I tell every Client that I will be brutally honest, because my ultimate goal is that they sell their home quickly and for top dollar.
So, looking around his home, I mentioned several items:
1. Almost the entire house is wallpapered and I said it all needed to be removed and the walls painted.
2. Most of the light fixtures were from when the home was built in 1986, so I said they needed to be replaced.
3. The cabinet hardware needed to be replaced, as it is polished brass.
4. All the custom window treatments that were installed many years ago could be pulled down, because I replace them when I stage with trendier ones.
5. The house needed to be staged.
We were at the home discussing this with his Realtor and I could tell that he was uncomfortable with the conversation. We were out of time so I told him I would email my thoughts that night, which I did.
What that caused was a very unhappy Home Owner. Frankly, he felt that I was criticizing his (and his wife's) taste. He loves everything in the home and cannot believe that I wanted to take everything down and make it "bland". I also thought that he should probably replace his gray textured carpet, but knew he would be very unhappy with that, so we had the carpet cleaned and it did improve the look. The Realtor and I both explained that a home being sold is a commodity and you cannot take it personally….it just needs to be generic enough that a buyer can see themselves living there.
We went back and forth over many emails and many conversations. I realize now that it's very hard for him to let go of this house due to the tragedy that he's dealing with. Many wonderful years of their marriage were in those walls and he is saying goodbye to all of it.
The Realtor also decided that the house should not be staged with furniture as there are some room challenges that look better wide open. We settled on changing a few things, but leaving most of the house the way it was. It was a good compromise that he could live with and I sincerely hope he finds a seller quickly.
While I still know that my observations are correct, I also understand that this is a very difficult transition for him and he needs to do what's right for himself and his circumstances. Sometimes, life isn't perfect.
