Christine Rae CSP International™
President,

Best Selling Author, Speaker, Real Estate Staging Expert

If your property is sitting on the market, not receiving offers, or has offers less than you expect then there is something wrong. Either the price does not reflect the true value of the property OR the condition of the property does not support the price either way you are faced with a dilemma.  How do you get a second chance if you failed to capitalize on the first opportunity?

People are profoundly impacted by what they see, hear and smell; never before in history has it been so important to fully prepare property for sale before anyone sees it.

When you want to sell property in the shortest time possible and for the highest ROI then “Good enough” is not appropriate language.  In my experience home sellers often fail to understand that literally everything counts when selling.  However long the property has sat, the marketing message has been “will you buy my old house? It needs to change to “Come buy your new home”
Think beauty pageant and you will get the idea.  So at this late stage of the game, how can you change the old adage of “you never get a second chance to make a great first impression?”

I have three recommendations: The first thing to do is to take down the For Sale sign and stow it away for when you are really ready; the second thing is fully prepare the property for sale and third have your real estate professional draft a new marketing plan.

Research shows that the most people ever to view your property will come during the first ten days it is on the market; the challenge now is how to get them back.  It is likely very difficult, more often than not that ship has sailed, it is time for a new marketing strategy.

Professional staging is the answer and the missing link to revitalise a flagging real estate market.  Today’s buyers expect a well presented, well maintained house you had better get the most help possible to make your house memorable.  Are you saying WHY? Well more than 63% of buyers are actually willing to pay more money for a house that is “move- in” ready! What that means to sellers is every effort put forth to make the property move in ready will move you closer to offers you will be thrilled to accept.

Some of my top tips which often get overlooked are:

• § Have a pre-sale home inspection done; – check for all fine details and ensure price and condition match
• § Review every space floor to ceiling inside and out; assess does it need to be: cleaned, replaced, repaired, refreshed, renewed, packed and or painted
• § Hire a professional staging consultant who truly understands the difference between staging for sale and decorating for living will ensure your dollars are wisely invested

Buyers buy emotionally; in the end it is their perception of value which counts not yours.

By: Christine Rae

www.StagingTraining.com

One of the most important aspects of how fast a home will sell is how it is staged. Many times the home you are investing in was vacant so you were either left with no furniture or accessories or old junky ones you wouldn’t dream to have in the house.  Studies have shown that buyers spend an average of 6 to 9 minutes in an empty home and 40 minutes in a staged home. The reason for this is that a staged home excites the buyers’ imagination. A warm, inviting atmosphere will allow the potential buyer to picture themselves in your home and where there furniture could go. Staging allows them to “mentally move into” the home. Make your rehabbed house memorable by using these quick, easy and affordable staging tips!

Let there be Light

One of the things that make staged homes look so warm and welcoming is great lighting. This is something that a lot of people don’t think of and it is perhaps one of the cheapest things a seller can do to transform the home. Many homes and many areas of homes are improperly lighted. To remedy the problem, increase the wattage in your lamps and fixtures. Also decide on a natural light; no one wants to see what your home looks like in fluorescent.

Rule of Threes

Examples of Rule of Three

It is tired and true in almost every artistic aspect. Let the canvas of your home be pleasing with the rule of threes. Especially when it comes to eye-pleasing accessorizing, odd numbers are preferable, especially three. Rather than lining up a trio of accessories in a row, imagine a triangle and place one object at each point. Scale is important, too, so in your group of three put the largest object further back.

Fresh and Clean

Although the musty mold originally smelled like money to you, no one wants buy a smelly home. So make sure your house smells and looks fabulous.  A professional cleaning will run you about $100. Money well worth spent because you obviously want to clean and deodorize a home that first showing. You can go one step further with the inviting aroma if you bake some cookies in the oven, or bring cinnamon sticks to a slow boil in a pot of water. Having air fresheners in the entrance way is a good idea too.

Air Mattresses

All your bedrooms are empty, and while your budget may allow for a bed in the master bedroom, furnishing the other 2 or 3 is just not.  Here’s a quick and cheap trick: purchase an inexpensive air mattress that has a folding frame off the floor. Once the bedding is on and staged, it’s hard to tell the air mattress from a real bed. After the home sells, all you have to do is deflate, fold, and move it to your next flip for sale!

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