As a Seller, your life get’s turned upside down when you place your home or condo on the market, or FOR SALE! It means the front door is going to open. And Open. And Open. How many times, depends on a number of factors.
Should I Stage My Condo For Sale?
Gone will be the days of not making your bed, leaving your gym clothes on the bathroom floor, cleaning the bathroom counter and cleaning the kitchen before you leave. No dirty dishes. I get it. That’s a tough thing to do, day after day, if it is not your normal routine. (I know I’d have a challenge in my own home….but I’d have some serious de-cluttering to do before I listed my home. That is another form of staging.
Some home owners are meticulous. The photo to the right is one of a listing I had a few years back. Seriously, the condo always looked like this. The owner kept it perfect all the time.
So, there is the staging (also called de-cluttering) that you do when you still LIVE in the home. This is when we ask you to clean closets, move seasonal clothes to a storage room, take personal photos down, clean off the “stuff” on the refrigerator, keep the INSIDE of the fridge AND OVEN clean. You want your home to shine as much as possible. You want that potential buyer to be imagining him or herself living there, not looking at your “stuff.” It’s a challenge I face on almost every listing. Some Sellers jump at all that needs to be done, and others don’t get it. And then wonder where the offer is 30, 60 or more days later. Hmmmm.
But then there is staging when the home is completely vacant. Not everyone has a creative eye, or is a good judge of space. That empty bedroom makes it really hard to imagine a bed, dresser, night stands, etc….when it’s empty. Same with a living room. Yes, I get it’s an added expense when you are trying to sell your home or condo, and you have already moved. Take a look at this staged living room on the left. Is that space not more inviting? The couch and chairs not only make the room look alive, it actually gives a potential Buyer some place to sit and imagine themselves living there! Isn’t that what you want? Your home sold? yeah, I thought so.
Having been through them all, vacant, occupied (and a mess) occupied and beautiful or staged, guess where a Buyer might spend more time and get more of a feel for living there.
The next time you are the Seller, listen to your real estate agent. Take their advice. De-clutter. And if you have moved, stage the home.
Oh, and this would NOT be an idea of staging……
