With strong prices, rising interest rates and increased competition from more homes coming on the market, preparing your home for sale is more important than ever. Often the first things sellers ask about are… how much updating do I have to do? how much will it cost? how much more can I sell it for if I stage it?
Bottom line is it’s about more than this! With the strong seller’s market we have been having many sellers have been thinking they can just list their home for sale and pick from multiple offers. That isn’t necessarily so… sometimes the most important reason for strategic updates and staging is simply getting it sold!
When I first met with the seller of the house in the photos above she was trying to decide what to do.
- Her house was clean, well maintained and de-cluttered
- It was on a nice lot in a desirable neighborhood
- It was well-built, structurally sound and in great condition with newer windows
- It had a spacious, light-filled addition
- But it had some quirks like a small kitchen and bedrooms, a dining room that felt more like a hallway, and it looked like the ‘grandma house’ that it was
The seller had already met with another Realtor who told her she didn’t have to do anything to list it for sale before she contacted me… that Realtor even brought a buyer with an offer (not a rehabber).
But the seller felt her home was worth more than that offer. Even more importantly, she wanted the sale of her home to maintain the integrity and value of the neighborhood.
We talked about strategy to get the best payback…
Buyers often make a decision on the house the minute they walk in the front door… that first impression sets the tone for their visit through the whole house. When they get a good feeling initially, it can mean they overlook other shortcomings.
Her first decision was to remove the carpet and refinish the original hardwood floors.
Hardwood floors add huge value in today’s market… showing them off can yield your single best return on investment even though it may cost several thousand dollars to have them refinished. Buyers often make a decision on whether or not they like a house as soon as they enter… the hardwood floors can help change the first impression from ‘it needs work’… to ‘WOW!’
She decided to clear everything out and have Shar Sitter of Rooms with Style bring in furnishings to stage it.
This house was built in 1953 and has mid-century-modern features that appeal to today’s buyers. Shar staged it with furnishings to give it a modern vibe and highlight the offset fireplace and built-in bookshelves that were classic to the style. But perhaps its most distinctive MCM feature is the fabulous floor-to-ceiling living room window. Unfortunately, those distinctive windows are obscured by traditional furniture placement. Removing everything in front of the windows made them the focal point of the room, adding to the ‘WOW’ factor.
There were hardwood floors in the original part of the house so it was easy to just remove the carpet, but the spacious addition had plywood under the carpet and the kitchen had a laminate floor.
She decided to make the additional investment to have the hardwood flooring extended throughout the addition and kitchen.
The hardwood floors expanded the feel of the space, and changing the dining room light fixture not only made it feel more modern, it no longer highlights the unusual dining space… everything flows together.
Strategic furniture placement in the addition highlights the expansive built-ins and minimizes the small kitchen.
It was hard to visualize how to use the awkward kitchen / dining / family room space. Minimal, strategic furniture placement made the possibilities seem endless and the focus was on openness and light flowing through the house.
Interior spaces were painted and bathroom minimally updated.
It’s amazing what a difference small changes can make. The bathroom looks totally different with fresh paint, a new mirror (find them cheap at The Home Decor Superstore) and a new light fixture the only investments!
Her total investment, including the hardwood floors, was about $10k. She sold it the first weekend on the market for $65k more than her initial offer before she called me.
Often the payoff from strategic updates and staging is not only in price and market time… it is also in simply getting it sold. I think of another house where I met with sellers and made similar recommendations. They chose to work with someone else and not make any changes. As of now it has been on the market 101 days, the price has been reduced $70,000 from original list price… and it still isn’t sold.
Statistics from the Real Estate Staging Association showed that unoccupied homes spent an average 184 days on the market when un-staged. After staging, they sold on average in 41 days. Homes that were staged prior to going on the market sold on average in 23 days.
Most buyers choose which homes they want to see by looking online. If they don’t like what they see they may not even come and look at your home!
Contact me for a free consultation. Now is the perfect time to start thinking about getting ready to sell in the new year!
Sharlene Hensrud, RE/MAX Results – shensrud@homesmsp.com – 612-419-0560
One of my favorite houses to stage. What a transformation! It was so fun to see the changes being made to update the home and the ‘after’ was unbelievable.
Thanks to your great vision it looked fabulous!