A few weeks ago, a local builder contacted Rooms in Bloom about the possibility of staging his vacant model home that he was trying to sell. The home had lots of appeal however buyers just weren't 'getting it' for some reason and after having it sit on the market, unsold, he started looking for help.
In our area, vacant properties are an especially tough sell. Most vacant homes linger on the market for months and months without selling. There are some properties which are still for sale which we know were listed back in September of last year and still linger, unsold and unloved. As per RESA's 2009 stats, staging a vacant home means that on average, it will sell 78% faster. For us in Southern Ontario, this translates to selling in 34 days versus 180 days or more.
After meeting with the builder, we created a design plan to stage the main floor of his model home and to highlight all the great architectural elements of the home. We encouraged him to stage the master bedroom and ensuite as well however due to budget concerns, he opted for the main floor only. We agreed and moved forward so that within seven days, we had furnished and polished up the main floor so that it portrayed the upgraded lifestyle which buyers come to expect when visiting a model home.
Now that the home is staged, we have encouraged the builder to do more with the marketing so that buyers can find this home easily. Previously, although listed through a realtor's office, it could only be found on the builder's website and there were no interior shots. With our advice, the builder scheduled a photo shoot and is planning an agressive marketing campaign so that now that the home shows really well, it will show up in buyer's searches.
The response to our staging efforts from the builder and the staff was wonderful. The builder said he hoped the house would sell in the next two months - we said if he marketed the property properly we hoped it sold in the next two weeks - forget the two months! He was taken surprise by the comment, almost disbelieving that it could sell that fast and we just said .. staging makes that much of a difference!
We enjoyed working with them and can't wait to work with them again soon! For more information on this home or to schedule a viewing, please contact Edge Realty in Fergus, ON. For more information on Wrighthaven Homes, visit them online to view their communities and the model homes they have available for sale.
