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I guess I don't see where selling in 3 months is much to boast about. My house was under contract in 2 weeks and even that felt too long! It was (and remains) a very hot market here, and that meant something like 35 showings in those two weeks. But I also can't imagine trying to live in a house that's listed for months and keeping it showing ready that whole time.
I did not use a professional stager but did what I would consider professional level staging on my own, with input from others. There were a couple of specific things that made my house not a fit for some potential buyers (layout and location, not anything I could change), but comments were consistently positive about how well it showed.
When did this become so PICKY, PICKY? We sold our house in NY in under 3 months with no Staging,
When HGTV became a "thing". People watch "House Hunters" (and they NEVER show cluttered or messy homes, have you noticed?) People watch "Property Brothers", and see beautifully designed furnishings and accessories. People watch "Flip or Flop" and see 45 minutes of pain, 10 minutes of staging and 5 minutes of "We sold it!! Whoohoo!" Expectations have been raised. Heck, 30 years ago, you were lucky you got one tiny, grainy b&w picture in a telephone-size book of listings. Now, if you don't have professional HD photos (preferably with video, too), then you are dated and hopelessly behind the times. *shrug*
No one has to use a stager, for sure. But if others in your price point are using a stager and you DON'T, then you are probably not going to compare well. Your home will seem a bit messier, more cluttered, less "put together", less well-maintained, because the attention to detail is lacking. Most buyers react emotionally, and have to be helped to see beyond what they see right in front of them.
Jo48, selling a house in "under 3 months" around here is a failure -- selling it in under 3 days is ideal, and we get antsy if it sits for more than 10-12 days. A house we don't get multiple offers on depresses us. :-)
Just how fast and how much do you want to sell your home for? Look, I've never, even in a buyer's market, had a house on the market for more than one day. I've been the high comp for the neighborhood every single time and I have always had my choice of multiple offers. Shoot, the last house was sold sight unseen based on photos alone in an hour and I have multiple offers. And my homes haven't even been in crazy markets like seen in CA.
The difference? My homes are always, always, always spotless, in perfect condition, and very well staged. I get my inspection early and fix every single thing on it. Every.single.thing. I also stage the hell out of it to where it looks like a model home. Sometimes that requires picking up a couple of pieces of furniture which would fit the space better - tend to use consignment shops/craigslist to do this. I pack away a TON of stuff. Usually fill an entire POD. Is it easy to live that way? Not even remotely. However, I do it this way so I don't have to let it linger on the market. I want it sold quick and sold fast. For the money I invest in staging (yes, it takes money), I make it back plus plenty extra. It's worth it.
Your choice but I would suggest to do the work and get it sold fast. Ultimately it will make your life easier.
Put all personal items away for pictures? Fine, but do not expect me to put away shavers, toothpaste, coffee pots, etc., every time a buyer is viewing. Sorry, but this not a vacant furniture showroom, but a a very clean, tidy house where people are actually LIVING IN. Find an empty, vacant home if you do not like my non-tropical decor.
Actually, you should put bathroom personal items away every day. Just keep them in a container you can pop in a cabinet or closet. Your kitchen counters should be cleared off. Personal photos put away. You can actually start the packing process. Decide what needs to get thrown away. Donate whatever you want to donate. If you have a ton of furniture, move some to storage. Buyers want to be able to picture themselves in the house. If it's cluttered, they can't do that. Good luck!
When I have looked at houses, I prefer vacant ones, since nothing blocks visibility or moving around. But most houses are still lived in. In that case, I can get past a reasonable amount of stuff being there. But a few huge no-nos, to me, are these:
- Bad smells of any kind. That includes cigarette smoke, kitty litter, sweaty clothes, dog dander or (ugh) waste, and odors that often ARE part of life. Remove those, bag and seal them, open windows, put them outdoors away from the house, just get the stink out of the house.
- Furniture that is so big it blocks doorways or other passages. We once looked at a house that was being rented, and the tenants had huge furniture blocking half a doorway, plus we could smell a kitty box despite not seeing one, and the bedrooms reeked of unwashed scalp.
- Garages that are dirty or stuffed or have uncleaned fluid spills. That tells me it serves as a dumping ground for junk and trash. It doesn't need to be eat-off-the-floor clean--after all, it is a garage--but I want to know the owners did not treat it as not worth taking care of.
When HGTV became a "thing". People watch "House Hunters" (and they NEVER show cluttered or messy homes, have you noticed?) People watch "Property Brothers", and see beautifully designed furnishings and accessories. People watch "Flip or Flop" and see 45 minutes of pain, 10 minutes of staging and 5 minutes of "We sold it!! Whoohoo!" Expectations have been raised. Heck, 30 years ago, you were lucky you got one tiny, grainy b&w picture in a telephone-size book of listings. Now, if you don't have professional HD photos (preferably with video, too), then you are dated and hopelessly behind the times. *shrug*
No one has to use a stager, for sure. But if others in your price point are using a stager and you DON'T, then you are probably not going to compare well. Your home will seem a bit messier, more cluttered, less "put together", less well-maintained, because the attention to detail is lacking. Most buyers react emotionally, and have to be helped to see beyond what they see right in front of them.
Jo48, selling a house in "under 3 months" around here is a failure -- selling it in under 3 days is ideal, and we get antsy if it sits for more than 10-12 days. A house we don't get multiple offers on depresses us. :-)
I agree with this. Buyers are VERY picky. My sister sold her house and didn't bother taking down some antique paintings. Some younger buyers left the feedback "house is dated". Here her house was truly perfect (white cabinets, granite, new paint, updated bathrooms, etc) yet they zeroed in on some artwork that isn't sold with the house anyway. She went to Hobby Lobby and bought some cheap art and her house sold the next day. So you never know what can deter a buyer as expectations have been raised high.
Friends of ours across the street said their Seller would not show their home with Renters living there. Maybe Owners too? So after the Renters moved out, the house was totally devoid of anything in there, and could be shown at will. My guess is that at least here in Florida, Sellers would prefer Snowbirds who have already left leaving their Winter home furniture and nothing else, and already moved back up North.
Second, we have two cats. Even if we go out for showings, we cannot take the cats with us. Take them where twice a day for showings? We do not have family/friends here, nor can we afford or want to board them until the house sells. You cannot walk a cat on a lease like a dog.
Smell? No, not that all. I have lived with multiple cats for over 60 years. Before we bought this house, we looked at another home. As soon as we opened the door, I knew they had cats because I could SMELL them.When a cat owner says that the place reeks of cats, that is very, very BAD. That was not the reason we did not buy but the location, not the cats, furniture, etc.
When did this become so PICKY, PICKY? We sold our house in NY in under 3 months with no Staging, clearing "clutter", going out for showings, 3 cats, etc.
My feeling is that if it is not PIG STY and the PRICE is right in the right MARKET, it will sell by itself. BTW, I HATE Florida and did not want to move here to begin with. Job related, but I make excuses and do not tell Florida agents this. If we could afford it, I would like nothing better to just leave it vacant to sell.
When I sold my house a few years ago yes, we did take our cat out for EVERY showing. Even took the cat box and put it in the trunk Nobody wants to tour your house and have some random cat running around nor do they want to see/smell a cat box. That can turn a lot of buyers off.
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