The other night I met a friend for coffee and he told me about buying his current home. He and his wife had been looking for a long time. They had very specific requirements as to area and size, and were not looking in a price range with a lot of homes available.
They went to see one home with their realtor that had sounded promising. It had the right location, size and price. However, when they got there they felt like walking out right away.
Everything in the house was pink - walls, carpets, furniture, curtains. Every available surface was crowded with doilies, wreaths, fake flowers and dolls. There was so much furniture in the rooms it was hard to walk around in. No way could they live in this cramped unpleasant space!
Six months later, they still had not found anything, and they were getting anxious for their son to start high school in the new school district. The pink house had a drastic price reduction, and since they did remember it had a nice back yard they went back for a second look, mostly just to rule it out.
This time, some of the stuff was gone, as the owner had to move for her new job. It didn’t look so bad to them now and they made a low offer which was accepted! They got their house at a great price. They painted the walls their colors and got new flooring and they love the house! So the story has a happy ending for them.
But what about the owner? She had her house on the market for six months longer than she needed to, and sold it for a much lower price. If she had only painted the walls neutral colors, packed up her nick nacks and decor in boxes and cleared out some of the furniture, it would have appealed to buyers and she would have sold quicker and for more money.
If you want to sell your home, stage it!
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