Why Home Staging Is Important
Home Staging is important for maximizing your home’s value and minimizing its time on market.
She also knows that she’s planning to list at a time when the market is slower than usual, mostly due to the uncertainty surrounding the recent cap on the State and Local Tax (SALT) deductibility.
Mary and I meet just before Thanksgiving to figure out what she’s going to need to do in order to prepare her home for a spring listing. It also gives her extra time to thoroughly prepare for downsizing.
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The majority of Mary’s home, especially the first floor, is in pristine condition, and it’s already impeccably clean. Waiting until the nest is almost empty to make any updates to the “kids” rooms is, therefore, her main area of focus.
Right after the holidays, armed with the plan created after our initial 3-hour home staging consultation, Mary goes into update mode full gear. I return in early April to join her in putting on the final staging touches.
Just six potential buyers view this home when it initially lists. Luckily, only one buyer is required. Two weeks after listing, an offer is made and accepted by the second family to view this home.
The staging and Mary’s hard work pay off. This 5-bed, 4-bath, 3,600-square-foot, expanded Colonial in White Plains, NY, sells for $1.15M, just 6% below the $1.22M asking price, after only 15 days on the market.
Mary feels—and I can’t agree more—that she had the best outcome possible, given the market timing, and she is thrilled and relieved to sell so quickly and for so close to asking price.
Why does this more-than-1M-dollar home sell so quickly in such a competitive field? Well, a combination of things: a great agent, the right price, and, most of all, a highly desirable product shown to its best effect.
Mary and I like to kid each other about our respective perfectionistic tendencies. Do you have to be a perfectionist to stage your home successfully? No. That said, stepping into that identity—bringing out your inner Felix Unger—can pay off.
Having trouble seeing how to do this for yourself and your home? No need, just hire folks with that kind of vision and attention to detail and let them handle the projects for you.
Here’s what Mary has to say about working with AtWell Staged Home:
“Though it was bittersweet, our home was terribly underutilized, and it was time for us to downsize! This house had served our family very well for almost 30 years, and we were hopeful another family would love it and make great memories here just as we did!
“Our first big step forward was to hire a savvy real estate agent who advised that we meet with a home stager well in advance of our target listing date. We then met with you in the fall to make a plan for preparing our home for a spring sale. We were so impressed with your suggestions and feedback on our ideas. Your approach saved us time and money because you worked with the furnishings we already owned to show off each room optimally and you recommended against some cosmetic improvements that we were planning to make, which would not have given us a good return on the investment of time or money.
“We loved the results! Our agent said the house was perfectly staged, and he did not change a thing! Also, we received glowing comments from family and friends about how beautifully our house was presented. I am convinced that an independent perspective is indispensable—and yours certainly was! When it’s your own home, you’re just too close to see it through the eyes of a potential buyer.
“We had 6 showings in the first 10 days after the listing and successfully sold much faster than we expected. Thanks again for all your help. I really enjoyed working with you…one perfectionist to another!”
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