Getting ready for market with the elderly: Staging? What's that?

I recently had the opportunity to visit with a lovely homeowner in her 90's. The call was from a current client who has been very gratious and has already referred 2 other home sellers to me. When I met with Ms. Ruth and her daughter at Ms. Ruth's home I knew that I had my work cut out for me. How difficult is it to walk into a lovely, immaculately clean home that an elderly person has been living in for many years and tell her it all has to change before she can even have a chance of selling?

I have to say it was not fun. I toured this awesome custom home with Ms. Ruth's daughter and I was really excited about listing it and filled with dred at the same time. My inclination was to tell both of them that it was perfect, that we would put it on the market right away and I was certain we could get at least $20,000 more than anything else had sold for in the neighborhood. Well, that's what I WANTED to do. . .

How would I broach the subject of what REALLY needed to be done without insulting either one of them? It wasn't like the daughter was someone who had recently sold a home either - would they think I didn't know what I was talking about? I wonder sometimes as the words and advice are spilling out of my mouth whether the homeowner is sitting there thinking. . .yea, right, she wants us to do all this work and spend all this money so she can get a quick commission!

I mean, how do you tactfully bring someone current on the market "generally" while basically telling them that their lovely custom brick ranch on an awesome daylight basement, that is a true standout just for its unique floor plan, MUST have alot of work done before she can put it on the market?

Geez, I was distraught. I really like older people. I enjoy spending time with them and in the past have been fortunate to work with many on the sale of their homes. It is always an enriching experience. I visited one in his nursing home after we sold his home. I was crushed when I later learned that he passed away about a week later.

I hope that I have made the process a little easier, a little less stressful and maybe even a little fun. You know they have to be afraid - it's been so long since they made a move, much less had a home on the market. Can you imagine how different it is from their previous experience - literally night and day!

Ms. Ruth was a trooper. She sat in her chair in the gorgeous vaulted family room just taking it all in. She was passing the time with knitting or something - once in a while she would look over my way and smile like your favorite grandma!

It was primarily the daughter and I going back and forth "strategizing" about what really needed to be done and what wasn't such a big deal. It really all came down to packing many of Ms. Ruth's lovely collectibles away, thinning out some furniture, removing draperies - this was the shocker, replacing kitchen flooring, just generally making the home less personalized and as modern as we could make it. No, they would not be removing wallpaper - that was made clear. No, they would not be installing granite - that was made clear. The wallpaper would be an issue - no one in our market wants to deal with it and there are plenty of homes where it isn't an issue. Will I push back on this? Probably not. Sometimes you have to "ease" a seller into it. No sense in overwhelming them from the start. We'll probably get feedback and eventually have a painter come in and take care of the wallpaper for Ms. Ruth, painting the walls neutral like the rest of the house is already.

No granite? Not an issue with me. In this price range granite would be the icing on the cake for this lovely floor plan and the full daylight basement. Since the countertops are in excellent condition and a neutral color, I'm not pushing that.

I left Ms. Ruth and her daughter with the name of an older woman I used to work with who loves to decorate and assist homeowners and fellow agents with staging. I think she will be great for Ms. Ruth once they get started. She'll help her pack and hopefully, in the process of spending time with her, help me to ease her into selling a home in 2011 or 2012. Hopefully she'll just "do something" with those doilies in the tables. . .I just did not have the heart!