> The “Just Listed” Approach

If you hear the following phrase from any agent you’re interviewing, beware: 

“Thank you for having me out today to discuss listing your home. Your house is JUST perfect!”

This phrase is a red flag for the “Just Listed” approach. Your home may look perfect to an agent who can see through your personal belongings, but that is because it’s perfect for them to JUST list it. 

Remember, how we live in a home is different then how we sell a home, and selling a home means getting buyers to love your home and envision that it could be theirs.

When a home is presented with lots of displayed personal belongings, it’s much harder for buyers to create that emotional attachment (and offers!).

But, here’s the great news. Your home can transform into a space that creates that critical attachment for buyers. 

Here’s how we make that happen at Homes Sold for MORE™.

> Homes Sold for MORE™ Process

As the creator of the Homes Sold for MORE™ process, I am proud to say that I have brought in a staging professional on practically every home I have listed since 2004!

No matter the price point, everyone deserves the benefits of the professional staging magic wand! 

Why, you ask? 

Because, according to the Accredited Staging Professional® Association, 94% of homes that are properly staged sell in less than half the time compared to their non-staged neighbors. 

Statistics also show that properly staged homes can, and often do, sell for up to 10% more than non-staged homes.

We use the best. We are connected with one of the top staging teams in the country that provides us with resale staging consultations for all our seller clients. 

This critical service doesn’t cost Homes Sold for MORE™ Sellers a dime! We believe so strongly in the benefits of professional resale staging, that the staging consultation is at our expense.

So, what exactly is resale home staging?

Resale home staging is the process of having a professional designer give recommendations for preparing a home to enter the market. 

Staging a home for sale is one of the most critical things a home seller can do to increase the sale price, sell the home faster and reduce time on the market. 

Sounds great, right? Where do I sign up? 

Many times, when we talk about staging, a homeowners’ first thoughts drift to home makeover shows. 

Have you ever watched one of these home design shows on TV? 

The designers walk into a home and magically transform the spaces into appealing areas for a couple hundred dollars. Multiple offers are received, and the home sells within a day or two of being placed on the market. 

I once had a seller client who won a design makeover for their home and was featured on an episode of a popular home design show. They said it was a week of grueling pain and much of the content of the show was “staged”, no pun intended. 

In the episode, the designer walked into the basement and found the perfect piece for the primary bedroom that the sellers had “forgotten about”. In reality, the designer pulled the piece from their staging van outside. The sellers agreed to allow the designers to do whatever they wanted, and the final product was “wow” on camera and “cheap” in person. So, when we listed the home and brought in a professional designer who specialized in “resale” staging, many of the thrift store and homemade props used on the TV show were thrown out to give the home a more welcoming, authentic feel. 

If your palms are starting to sweat, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered. Keep in mind that TV episodes are exactly as they state…made for TV.

We can get powerful results with staging usually at minimal cost, and without the drama of what the TV shows make staging out to be.

Staging works if you let it. 

By the time you’re ready to interview agents, you may have already spent weeks decluttering and cleaning. This is a great way to start preparing, but it doesn’t mean you’re ready to put your home on the market tomorrow. 

In over two decades of selling homes, I personally have never, not once, ever walked into a home that was 100% ready for the market. Not once, even if it was recently listed with another agent. No exceptions! 

You deserve a qualified staging professional to create a game plan for you to implement.

As Homes Sold for MORE™ real estate agents, we spend the necessary time educating every potential home seller on the benefits of professional home staging. 

Although the process often sounds appealing (and it’s exciting to tell your friends that a professional stager is coming into your home before you list it), many sellers can feel challenged by the process. Like many things in life, it’s “easier said than done.” We understand that staging can be a very emotional process. This is one of the reasons why we feel it’s important to take the time to explain the expectations, so Homes Sold for MORE™ Sellers understand how this gets them MORE during their transaction. 

We help guide you through the process so you don’t get overwhelmed. Professional home stagers are the perfect people to talk with about low-cost improvements that add value. I’m not talking about a $5,000 home makeover here. Plenty of “wow” factor can be added in a weekend with a few hundred dollars by replacing outdated light fixtures, cabinet hardware, highlighting artwork, adding the right accessories, rearranging furniture, decluttering and of course, painting.

When we mention staging at an initial meeting, most sellers happily agree to do “whatever it takes,” until the staging consultation. Are you likely to complete the full checklist from the stager when you need to cram it all in over one weekend so you can get your home on the market quickly? Maybe this feels doable. But often, homeowners find this overwhelming.

We understand that it can be a lot of work to properly stage a home for sale. But even if you cooperate with half the suggestions, you will be putting a lot MORE money in your pocket with less market time. 

If you’re looking to sell right now, take a moment to decide if you’d rather spend strategic time before going to the market or having your home sit idle trying to attract buyers while you’re live on the market. It can be tempting to just get your home live as fast as possible, but don’t make that mistake! The rewards of doing it right will be well worth it.

As the old staging saying goes… “The way you live in a home and the way you sell it are two very different things.”

Any room that is personalized to you should be staged before hitting the market. This allows buyers to envision their personal belongings in the space. 

Wondering about what to pack up first? Trying to decide how to make your space ready for showings but still livable?  “What if my home doesn’t sell, then I am stuck with all these changes that don’t make it feel like my home?” A resale professional stager helps create a plan to help answer these questions and more. 

This is exactly why we recommend you contact us well in advance. Preplanning gives Homes Sold for MORE™ Sellers MORE comfort and MORE confidence.

Home sellers that don’t utilize a professional resale stager before listing a home are experiencing increased market time and leaving money on the table.

Get the stager in now, create a plan, and implement that plan. Many of our sellers spend only a weekend or two implementing a staging plan. It will pay off in more ways than you can imagine when you go to sell it! 

Isn’t it time you excepted MORE?

Call to learn about what a pre-packing plan and staging process will look like for you!