Thursday, March 24, 2011

Short Sales and Staging

This afternoon I met with a Realtor and we were discussing the plethora of distressed properties in the Charlotte market.  And we both agreed that even sellers of short sale homes typically receive higher offers and sell faster if they stage those short sales before putting them on the market.

Yet we all know the problem: most, if not all, short sale sellers are upside-down on the mortgage and dont' want to spend money to get their house sold. I understand this completely because all these homeowners want is to get out of the house and out from under the mortgage.

This, paradoxically, is why they need the help of a Stager. 

We’re all guilty of it. When we live in our houses for a while, we tend to overlook – or truly do not see -- the things that need attention. Yet with so much distressed inventory on the market, even short sellers have only seconds to make a good first impression. Even short sale properties should be q-tip clean and memorable.

Hiring a professional home stager for a consultation will help a seller understand:

1. What should stay, what needs to go, an dwhat can be repurposed
2. Space planning – how to make the most of each room
3. Proper furniture arrangements
4. Proper accessorizing

Never underestimate the impact of proper color combinations, which can almost always be done with accessories the homeowner already owns, or from discount stores in the area like Home Goods, TJ Maxx, Kirkland’s and Ross. Don’t forget about second-hand stores and garage sales, too! Of course, the most cost-effective way to accessorize is to borrow items from family or friends.

To improve the curb appeal, a short seller can use a little sweat equity to make a big difference. Paint the mailbox & porch lights, straighten the flagpole, clean the gas lamp, replace burned out light bulbs, weed the flower beds, trim the shrubs, clean out gutters and – for the cost of a quart of paint – paint the front door with a high gloss finish.

Sell Higher | Sell Faster | Sell Smarter

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