If you have a vacant property to sell, you might not be too excited to invest in home staging right now. I completely understand that perspective, but I have to be honest with you — I don't believe that's the right strategy.
Research says that 90% of the population can not visualize a vacant space. That means, when you don't stage your vacant home for sale you are automatically eliminating 90% of the potential buyers.
Why would you want to do that? I want to help you, so here is what's up…
The following story comes from the Realtor, Josh, who managed the sale of one of our staged projects. As usual, we staged a vacant home, our clients listed it, and a buyer quickly fell in love with it and made an offer.
Well, Josh told me that the buyers ended up closing the sale at the property. But by that time, we had removed all our inventory and the home was vacant again. He said that when the buyer saw the vacant home, she began worrying that the space was too small and said that her furniture might not fit in the living room. She couldn’t visualize it anymore!
Her agent assured her that it would work out, as she had seen the room with furniture in it already, and it had all looked just fine. The sale went through.
But… can you imagine how this conversation would have gone differently with a vacant home that was never staged? It would have been very tough for the buyer’s agent to convince the client to blindly trust that her furniture would fit in the vacant home. I can tell you from experience, without the confidence that comes from visualizing a staging, vacant homes are much less likely to get offers!
So, why is this? Let’s talk about it…
Every home has its little flaws, but leaving your home vacant puts those flaws on display! When there is no furniture in a room, guess where your potential home buyers will look? With a microscopic view at the walls, the flooring, the base boards, etc. And guess who will be paying for repairs? You… when the buyer subtracts it from your list price.
The big takeaway? Staging helps them see the big picture and the potential of the space, not its defects.
It sounds counterintuitive, but rooms really do look smaller when they are empty. The right scale of furnishings, lighting, and even art, can make a space feel taller, larger, brighter, and grander. And believe me, more space (even if it’s just an illusion) SELLS better.
This is what staging by a savvy designer can do for you. Don’t miss the opportunity to present your property at its best.
It’s no secret. A home without furniture feels cold, sterile, and far from welcoming. If you remember that most buying decisions are made based on emotion… well, the three emotions I just mentioned aren’t the ones inspiring purchases. Warmth, welcome, and classiness do.
Without furniture, it is nearly impossible for a home to create a strong emotional connection with a prospective buyer. And like I said before, 90% of buyers can’t even picture what their future lives would look like in an empty space. They can’t visualize the things that will make them feel at home!
You have to do it for them. Truth of the matter is — as Steve Jobs accurately pointed out — people don’t even know what they want; we have to show them. This holds true not only for iPhones and iPads, but for pretty much every other product that exists out there. And yes, if you’re selling your home, it IS a product.
When a home is staged with furniture that reflects its list price, it is obvious that the number is reasonable. By contrast, when home buyers walk into a vacant home, you have to hope that empty rooms will convince them.
I don’t know about you, but I would prefer to be in control of the conversation! And that conversation does not include haggling over price. Buyers should fall in love with the home and be excited to pay the list price… or higher!
The longer a potential buyer hangs around, the better. Good staging allows the buyer to linger as opposed to going in and out of the home in a jiffy. They will have the opportunity to take a closer look at all your house has to offer. Their mind starts working. And you will hear them talk about how they could do “this” or “that” with the space.
Most likely by the time they are out the door, they have emotionally moved in. And that’s all it takes to get a house sold.
I understand times are a bit tough for many people right now. That's one of the reasons we have come up with creative ways to help our clients stage their vacant home for impact and a fast sale.
I believe in Home Staging so much that we’re offering a summer special from now to August 31st. Stage your home with us and pay when you close the sale. Really.
IF you have a home that's on the market, naked and vacant, before that next price reduction, please give us a call. We CAN help you.
IF you are about to put your house on the market vacant, because money is tight, please give us a call. We can talk about staging now, and collecting at the time you sell. Once we are confident the house is priced well and we are confident we will present it well via our staging design plan, there is no reason for you to not sell your house fast and for profit.
Per an article on #inman, "Numerous studies have demonstrated that staging speeds sales. Faster sales tend to bring the best prices. Quick sales at favorable prices generally produce happier sellers."
In other words, the biggest mistake any Real Estate Agent or Seller can make is not staging a vacant home for sale. And with our Pay at Closing Home Staging service, there is really no reason not to stage your home!
So don’t wait. Don’t leave things up to chance. Call us and we’ll help you get the most for your investment.
Xo,
Keti
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