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Great points Mike. I generally have faith that MOST sellers are not trying to hide any blatant defects, merely showing their place in the best possible light. When staging crosses the line into obscuring things that ought to be dealt with (I'm thinking more along the lines of the warped flooring than the pet-stained carpet, but realistically BOTH should be dealt with ...)
I think it has been hashed over many times, but it bears repeating: homes that look good sell more quickly and bring a better price than those that do not look good. Just like other matters of taste, what constitutes "good looking" is in the eye of the beholder.
In my experience to MOST people an empty house is not as the best possible way to show off a property, but at least (like "neutral colors" and "turn on every light") it is hard to say you've been snookered at a vacant house -- what you see is what you get!
Last edited by chet everett; 01-30-2009 at 11:54 AM..
Interesting thread...I saw mention of keeping a dining table set. Does this really help in anyones opinion? What effect could it possibly have on a potential buyer?
Like everything else, there are "rules of thumb" and exceptions to 'em...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stavs
Interesting thread...I saw mention of keeping a dining table set. Does this really help in anyones opinion? What effect could it possibly have on a potential buyer?
A house that is vacant except for the dining room table is going to look really odd!
On the other hand if you have a nice mid-sized table and four or so chairs to spare it does sort of plant an idea in people's heads -- especially for buyers that might be coming from a place that had no dining room. "This could finally be the 'home' we gather at" sort of a thing. Emotions rules!
Of course if you have some funky ultra-shag carpet and a chandelier that looks like a test satellite for the Sputnik era the whole ability for the buyer to "envision" themselves hosting a "Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving" is a pretty big stretch...
Leaving a dining room set and or a living room set give the potential buyers a place to sit and comtemplate your home. I think leaving behind a few touches and a seat or two is better than nothing.
I prefer looking at empty houses. Maybe it's that I have a good imagination and can picture my furniture layout and get a sense of the room size and how it flows from room to room.
A staged home looks too phoney to me..like the model homes. Gives me the impression the seller is desperate and/or wants to hide something. And..the smell of vanilla is like a red flag.
I prefer looking at empty houses. Maybe it's that I have a good imagination and can picture my furniture layout and get a sense of the room size and how it flows from room to room.
A staged home looks too phoney to me..like the model homes. Gives me the impression the seller is desperate and/or wants to hide something. And..the smell of vanilla is like a red flag.
Sorry..I guess I'm just anti-HGTV.
I'm with you. Give me an empty house any day over a staged home.
Right now that I'm house hunting, the houses that I've enjoyed the most to look at have all been the empty ones.
We sold our home over the summer. Our agent hired a stager to come in and suggest ideas that would help sell our home quicker. Not that our house needed a stager but our realter always works with one when selling. Anyway, of the 20+ suggestions the stager had, I think I only did 2-3 of them which I was going to do anyway. We sold our house in 2 weeks no thanks to the stager. Waste of money IMO but our realtor paid for it.
so is having difference smells in the house ok? i've read so many comments and am 50/50 over the true answer
If you house has the stink of bad plumbing, backed up sump pump, pets, smoking or ethnic cooking it is pretty obviously going to be a HUGE negative!
Ideally the place is CLEAN and FRESH, not in a "the must have used a case of Glade" sort of way, but in a "do you smell something, no, me neither!" sort of way.
If people are living in the home and the bathroom has a tiny whiff of air freshener that is generally preferable to the alternatives...
It is never a good idea to go overboard on the "potpourri" as there are people with allergies or even just an aversion to some scents.
At open houses for other agents a nice batch of brownies or home made cookies is not out of the question. Cheaper than a plate full of store bought treats! I would NOT do this for a 'general' open house. For any scheduled showings I would not recommend trying to do anything like baking / leaving out gingerbread or vanilla scented things, while it may have a positive impact on some buyers, the risk of even one person being turned off is not worth taking.
so is having difference smells in the house ok? i've read so many comments and am 50/50 over the true answer
At the boards I go to, buyers want to smell air and nothing else.
Using things like vanilla candles make them wonder what smells you're trying to hide.
Oh no.....I am so sorry. Maybe you can get a professional stager , or a different one, if you used one already. Some stagers are not as good as others and if you are still not getting interest from buyers there maybe something minor that turns buyers off. If you are in Atlanta I could help you. This is a tough market and buyers are very spoiled now and expect Granite countertops and stainless steel appliances even in the lower priced homes.I am sending some good MOJO your way and hope you house sells soon so you can move on!
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Like everything else, there are "rules of thumb" and exceptions to 'em...
