When Selling Your Home...Make the Joneses Keep Up With You

Yes! And How You Can Benefit as a Seller When They Don't!

 

I cannot count on both hands and feet the number of times I have staged a home and then perused the listings nearby to see what the other sellers' homes looked like...only to see how great the staged home looks vs. the un-staged ones.

 

YIPPEE!!

 



I know my staged home will always win out because buyers want fresh, up-to-date, functional and stylish homes. Even before I started working on the home I am about to show you,  I knew this but I just love to look at my competition after staging. I know my client, the realtor and I will be laughing all the way to the bank soon. For more info on this home, click this link

Here's a few pics from a home that we recently staged in West Islip NY...

The Kitchen...

The Master Bedroom

And here's a competing home - $20K more than the one we staged. The living room...

 

 

 

Bedroom (I am assuming it's the Master - not really sure! They only showed 1 bedroom!)

First of all, you shouldn't have any religious items displayed when you are selling your home. I guess the sellers are praying for a quick sale! Not much room in there to pray though...

 

Lovely kitchen, huh? There are too many things wrong with this space to go into detail but I think you can see that it's dated, crowded, dark...the dog is pictured (what...you couldn't move that crate out of the way while you took your picture with your Instamatic camera or Smart phone Mr. Realtor?) And the 2 garbage cans??? The boob lights??? And, what are you selling - a kitchen or PLATES!!

Oh please!

 

 

I guess that sellers just don't look online to 1) see how their realtor is marketing their home and 2) they don't even bother with seeing what their competition is doing. Big mistakes.



 

NOW HERE'S THE KICKER...

 

This home has been for sale since March of 2009. Yes, you read that right - since March of 2009...over 6 1/2 years! It's been de-listed a few times and has had multiple price reductions. I can't even wrap my head around how much time and money has been wasted trying to sell this home. The carrying costs alone for that many years have to be astronomical. 

 

 

This home is in a great area...it's a farm ranch with a great backyard and a pool (what my staged home does not have!) But, in a honesty, this home should have sold a long time ago - but a lot of people (and, sad to say, people in the "know" supposedly) were asleep at the wheel. Some minor renovations...some editing...some paint...some updating (and updated accessories!) and, of course, some staging could have gotten this home sold back in 2009. Yes - even during the worst part of the recession.

 

Home Sellers - you do not have to keep reducing the price of your homes. If that's the only marketing tactic that your realtor can come up with - you are with the wrong realtor. Get a good home stager to give you a consultation. For a few hundred dollars, a home staging consultation will give you a step-by-step blueprint of what you need to do to your home to be ahead of the competition...ahead of the Joneses...and on your way to a successful sale.

 

Don't waste time and money. Call someone who can give you an honest assessment of your home. If you are in the Long Island or Queens area, call me at 631 793-1315 for a consultation or email me at Linda.Leyble@gmail.com.

 

Making your life and listings more beautiful...

 

 

 

 

 

 



How and Why a Staging Consultation Can Sell Your Home or Listing

A staging consultation can help sell your home...quickly.  That is, if you listen and do what a home stager will tell you to do in order to get your home ready.  A home stager, like myself, will come in to your home and give you a "to do" list of things you need to change in order to get your home ready for sale. It's the best bang for your buck when you are selling your home.  You get the ideas you need from a trusted professional - without having to pay them for their time to actually do all the work for you.  As long as you are willing to roll up your sleeves and move furniture, paint...remove dark draperies and clutter etc - a staging consultation can be your ticket to home sales success.

Case in point...about 2 years ago I did a staging consultation for Dianne Scalza of Netter Real Estate in West Islip NY.  The home seller wanted to move to Florida as quickly as possible.  I came over and looked at the home and then wrote out a 15 page report on all the things that the homeseller needed to do to improve the look and feel of the home.

The home was dark and cluttered with furniture and lots of accessories

Well, the homeseller didn't believe a thing that I said in the report and refused to do anything about the condition of the home.  There was dark wallpaper and wallpaper borders and way too much furniture in every one of the rooms.  The price of the home was too high as well.  As much as Dianne tried to reason with them, the homesellers wanted such and such a price - in the condition that it was in!

So - the home sat, unsold for a year.  Then more time passed - with price deductions.  Still, no sale.  Finally, the homesellers started to do some of the things I suggested on the Staging Consultation Report.  They didn't remove any wallpaper, but they did do some furniture editing

and re-arranging.

The home sold after the homesellers started to work on it!  Even just doing some drapery removal, de-cluttering and furniture editing etc, the home looked more inviting and larger.  Why the homesellers resisted so such a long time, I have no idea.  Pride, probably...and some laziness.
But had they instituted these changes much earlier in the process, they would have sold the home for a higher price. 

It is so economical to have a Home Staging Consultation for your home.  Most home stagers (like myself) will do written consultation report for anywhere from $250-400, depending on the size of the home.  This will give you a blueprint to follow...a step-by-step action plan written out for you.  If you decide to have the home stager help you with any of it, most will put part of the fee toward the fee for the work.  I also do a "Walk Through" consultation, where I don't write out a report.  The homeowner takes notes as we walk through the entire home - inside and out.  I charge from $150-250 for this service (it depends on the size of the home).  Also - many stagers are also doing "E-Staging," which can be done via email.  The home seller sends pictures of the home and the stager gives their advice for $100 on up.  I am doing that right now for realtor Cherolyn Shaw of Charles Rutenberg Realty.

So think about having a Staging Consultation done for your home before you put it on the market.  It can save you time and money - and it can help you get your home sold...quickly!  Call me at 631 793-1315 if you have any questions.