Most realtors agree that it's easier to sell a furnished home than a vacant home, and RESA numbers from February 2009 fully support this. Unfortunately, not all home sellers can deal with the upfront cost of staging, particularly if there are rentals involved, and opt for a lower listing price. Either that, or they list for a few months, and eventually take a price reduction. The price reduction is probably still far more than the cost that staging would have been.
This spring I've had the pleasure of dealing with some great clients, but one story stands out as a true success for everyone involved.
When I initially viewed the home, I found it to be really outdated. It required wallpaper stripping, new vinyl flooring, carpeting, paint throughout, and had dark wood paneling from the 70's. It was also in slight disrepair, with plaster issues in the bathroom, stained bathroom vanities, and old boards on the deck.
These clients were a home stagers dream though and were prepared to tackle everything on my list. Together we selected paint and trim colours for the entire home, and flooring for the kitchen, foyer and bathrooms, we decided on a budget for staging and I left them to their work.
Three weeks later I returned with my staging crew and the changes were extraordinary. We furnished and accessorized the living room, dining room, kitchen, master bedroom, family room, 2 smaller bedrooms and 2 baths.
Before and after shots of of the living room and family room are posted below.
The end result was a list price $12,000 more than originally planned, and an accepted offer of 101% of ask within 48 hours. $3000 spent on upgrades and staging, and 3 weeks of work reaped HUGE rewards for the sellers, not to mention the realtor who avoided the expense of advertising and didn't host a single open house.
It's been said before, but I'll say it again... STAGING WORKS!
My name is Christine Bird, and my company is New View Home Staging located in Kitchener-Waterloo. We're here to help.
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New View Home Staging provides professional home staging, pre-listing consultations and property styling for sellers and realtors in KW/Cambridge, Guelph, Stratford and throughout SW Ontario.
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Thanks for sharing with us this morning. Please enjoy the day and get ready for another week of fun.
I always appreciate your post in the morning with a cup of Joe. Keep up the great work and thanks for the daily inspiration.
I am ready for another day. Thanks for sharing your post with me. I continue to make things happen on AR. Keep blogging
Christine, great job. It makes all the difference in the world. And the results are what counts.
Congratulations Christine - your blog showed up on my google alerts for Home Staging today! Great job and thanks for sharing!
Great job and congrats Christine! While MOST of us know the value of staging, it's always good to hear yet another testimonial for our profession. Having cooperative sellers is icing on our work too!
Great story! Isn't it wonderful when it all works out! So many sellers are afraid they will be stuck with months of rental fees. I'm working on a home now where the budget only covers updates so we are going to use the left overs still in the house to create vignettes.
Nicely done.