You Don’t get a Second Chance to Make a First Impression!

I’ve run into three people in the past week who have listed their houses before really getting the house ready for the market and getting a stager involved in the process. Another one I talked to said they would list theirs and get the photos online and then have me come in to stage it. I know that sometimes it takes a big push of motivation to get everything you need to do to the house done–like a showing–tomorrow—or even today!! BUT–The problem with listing it first is:

The online photos need to look great! People shop for homes based on the photos online. If they they don’t like what they see online, they are not going to do a walkthrough and you won’t get an offer.
Even if they do a walkthrough…most lived in homes are going to need some simple cosmetic fixes and maybe some inexpensive updates that the you can do simply and inexpensively. However, the potential buyer sees them as a hassle and a price tag and you will get less money for the house once they have seen them. You may still
have to fix them but the offer/selling price will be less.
The space will look like you live there and you want it to appeal to them so they can envision themselves living there. There are quick and easy tips to neutralizing and depersonalizing the space to make it look inviting to potential buyers. AND-staging the house BEFORE you list it can also give you that big push especially if you enlist the help of a professional home stager and a realtor and get them to help you with a realistic time line and goals. It is best to just dig in and get it done and sometimes that might take a few weeks depending on your schedule. That’s okay! It won’t cost as much as you might think and more often than not you’ll get what you put into staging back when you sell the house. PLUS– a professional stager can help you
determine what should be done to best show off our space. You never want to spend money that you won’t get back. So, Stage First then List!! Once they’ve looked at the photos online and aren’t interested they aren’t going to come back for another look–You never get a second chance to make a first impression!