We stagers all like to tout that staging helps a house to sell faster. Me too. Last month, TWEAK set a new personal record. This vacant property had been on the market since Nov. 2007. The fourth agent, who is a TWEAK fan for sure, called me in. She also had them inspect the home. A few repairs were made. I changed out some lighting, suggested some landscaping and staged. Then the house was photographed by a great photographer who specializes in real estate. The house was under contract within
48 Hours
of going on the market. The sellers' only regret was not calling this agent sooner. The previous TWEAK record was 4 days.
If my phone calls are any measure, I think Greenville agents are finally getting wise to the great investment that home staging is. I guess all those folks who thought they could just put up a sign, price it ok, make up the bed and take a few photos and SELL their house last spring are realizing that maybe that's not enough.
It's really a shame that more agents don't INSIST on a home being properly positioned with staging (improving condition and adding emotional appeal) and great photos. I've decided to make it even easier for agents. TWEAK now offers photography service by a professional photographer who I work as a stylist.
As a real estate agent, you are a marketer. Your products are houses. Your listings need to be the most appealing ones on the shelf. "The Shelf" is REALTOR.com and other sites.
I applaud those agents who "GET IT" and are doing whatever it takes to properly position their listings. They are being rewarded with faster commissions and happier clients.
Yes you can. I just destaged a 1200 SF house and put everything in my Camry Solara and actually had some room left over. It just shows that effective staging doesn't require a lot of STUFF, just well placed appropriate stuff. This was a flip house that I also advised on the design issues.The house had been on the market 125 days before improvements. They increased the price to cover most of the work and it sold about 30 days after staging.
Intersting challenges:
Floors - Hardwood in terrible condition. Fix - We painted instead of refinishing (less time, lots less money and less mess) GReat new floor paint products out there now.
No laundry area(washer plumbing was in the doorway between the kitchen and dining!) Fix - we moved the plumbing and electrical to kitchen wall and made a countertop and installed it with hinge. The washer and dryer can fit underneath and you pick up all that extra countertop. See second picture.
Very small baths Fix - replace the wall hung sink with a Euro style vanity and sink. Provides needed storage and hides the plumbing.
The only Furniture was a small bistro for the dining area. It's important that buyers have a place to sit and invest a bit of time comfortably in the house. They may want to fill out a contract right there!
So, without a lot of STUFF, this homeseller got expert guidance on his improvements, oversight of his contractor (seller was out of town so this was very important), a house with emotional appeal and all at a very affordable price. And he got it SOLD!
This flip house is a good example of how a small investment in staging can really transform a house. With 2 visits, some cleaning, light staging and new pictures really helps this house stand out to buyers without great expense to the owner. Better than a price reduction.
The budget didn't allow to change the living room fan. The fan worked and was ok, just brass and a bit worn. I painted the brass white, turned the blades from the dark side to the white and we basically had a "new" fan. Great improvement for the room - minimal cost.
This house off Laurens road in Greenville was in terrible shape, but had wonderful traits. I consulted with owner/investor and contractor to bring this unique house back on the market.
It's the coolest house. Has a creek UNDER it, INSIDE atrium with planting beds and spiral staircase to loft, rock accents and very open floor plan with tons of natural light. We made changes to add even more light. To see more pics, it's MLS # 1181009 in Greenville SC.
Tweak is the premier Real Estate Staging company in the Upstate providing effective staging, photography, great customer care and professional communication.
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