In talking with agents and brokers I am told to sell a house, to make it move, to get it off the market in a decent amount of time, of course means it must compete really well with all the other houses on the market in the area. To make this happen, I am am told, there must be certain considerations.
1. The agent must be very familiar with the other homes in the on the market in the area, in terms of lot size, home size, age, architecture, amenities, landscaping, curb appeal, kitchen, master bathroom, master bedroom, closets, storage, interior light, storage and the asking price.
2. I am told that the really aggressive and successful agents set the goal for the property to have the greatest appeal as compared to similar properties in the area. This is a property/price equation. A home's appeal can be improved by a lower price. If the goal is to get the seller the best price possible, then preparing the house to sell quickly and garner the highest price possible requires careful analysis and consideration. This is a "cost to enhance or improve" vs. selling price improvement equation and of course the home seller must have the money to invest and believe in the strategy. Some agents have shown me their portfolio of, before and after photos, to show clients what they have done in the past to increase the value and selling prices of listings they have had in the past. They say their portfolio is a great tool for getting new listings.
3. "Staging" today is a lot more than creating table arrangements, cleaning up home clutter and other cosmetics. A careful cost analysis by the agent is required to consider the ways to improve the appeal of the home, the cost of those improvements and the impact those costs or investment can have on the selling price and the time on the market. Its really all about the return on the investment and the time required to execute the strategy.
Today, aggressive agents or real estate consultants as many agents prefer to be called, are looking at curb appeal with very critical eyes because it is the first impression and first impressions matter a lot. Here are some things agents have told me they have done:
Painted trims to make the painting overall look newer
Paint front doors and front porches, railings, shutters, gates and fencing
Painted just the front of the house (believe it or not)
Trimmed and cut back shrubs
Removed overgrown shrubs including trees
Had flower beds tilled, wells cut around trees, sprinklers and deeper edges cut near side walks or walkways
Changed side gates to the back yard
Replaced mailboxes
Put down sod to replace dead and heavily weeded lawn
Grass spray painted.
Resurfaced cracked cement
Gutters and gutter down spouts replaced
Planted Flowers for color
Created flower beds to add plants and color
Added flower bed along walkway to front porch
Planted new trees to give the impression of an upgraded property and making if "feel" new or newer
I have been told that sometimes very little money has to be invested to make a totally different impression. It really depends on the house and the properties they are competing with I am told. But more and more, STAGING has taken on a whole new meaning. More to follow.......
