I've been doing a little research in our office, to try to determine the factors that make some properties fly off the shelf, while others linger. Price is, of course, the biggest determinant, and location follows at a close second place. Sometimes, though, it's hard to judge why a house in a desirable location doesn't sell as quickly as another.
That's where it comes down to presentation. Homes that have "curb appeal", and where buyers can imagine living, sell faster than homes that lack those qualities. In many cases, that's where staging comes in. All staging means is that you and your Realtor, with or without using a professional stager, put your house in the best condition to attract buyers. Decluttering is the most important component of that, of course, since all houses look better--and bigger--when they contain fewer belongings.
Beyond that first step, making the house look neutral is the next most important factor. To achieve that, stagers will often move out furniture, and replace it with their own, to make the rooms look bigger, cleaner, and less clearly belonging to someone of a given age group. All buyers have to be able to see their own possessions fitting in well, and even to be able to imagine what work could easily be done to achieve their own particular objectives. Maybe that involves redoing the kitchen, but it could also be moving walls, changing traffic patterns, or adding on. Very few people can project what those changes will look like, unless the bones of the house are readily apparent.
We're about to start filming some "before and after" videos, so that you can visualize the process and the results more clearly. We want your home to show at its best, and to get the highest offer it can, in the shortest amount of time. We hope that you are open to the possibilities for getting to that point, and we can help.
