From my sister Lisa, my Guest-blogger!
Hunting for a new house can be so exciting! Potential buyers have a vision of a desired lifestyle, they crave the "perfect" house, they know everything will be better in "the new house." Isn't life grand? They've done everything by the book. They are ready to buy. Their agent brings them to your house and then?
No offer. Why? You may not know it yet, but your home may have just been labeled by the consumer. Or worse, YOU may have been labeled by the consumer!
As a consumer, I have visited Smelly House (not just a smell-- this odor remained on me after a 10 minute drive with all the windows open.) Note: Don't wear open-toed shoes when house hunting for bargain priced homes! Which brings me to Squirrel House. I wanted to run away crying from that one. There was a home we visited when no sooner in the door I said, "Get out of here quick!" We don't like to discuss that one.
Ok, so maybe your house isn't that bad. But the gross and dirty are not the only houses being labeled by picky buyers. I visited Lightbulb House. Or actually, Lack-of-Lightbulbs House. No lie, the homeowner carried their one lamp into every room we visited. What did the house look like? You got me!?!? Bean and Rice House was a boy at his kitchen table eating beans and rice. Nothing horrible, just a distinct odor really. Pee Pee Bathroom House obviously had young boys. Nothing a good cleaning couldn't take care of. In Scary Bird House the guy said "not to worry 'cause they don't hurt ya." Not comforting!
There is a whole different list for carpet-- Bleach Stain On Carpet House, Pink Carpet House, No Carpet House, Pea Green Carpet House, Ugly Brown Carpet House, Nasty Carpet House.
I bought a condo that we called The Precious Moments Hallmark Store House. It was fairly clean and kind of smelled like a Hallmark Store. I could see past the cutesy wallpaper. She had a curio of Precious Moments figurines nestled in Easter grass surrounded by a picket fence and stuffed sheep animals. Why didn't that condo sell faster? Didn't exactly send a message of serious seller. She taught kindergarten for a living. I bet she was good at it.
One of my favorites is the Wedding House. Every room has pictures from their big day along with the unity candle, dried flowers, framed invitation, white gloves, the garter, the champagne glasses... the list goes on and on and guess what? No buyer wants to see that! I know it may seem harsh, but they don't care mainly because they weren't there. They simply can't relate.
The most annoying one is The House With Only 3 Bedrooms, But The Agent Listed 4. How is this going to help the seller and the agent? I'd really like to know. It didn't help the buyer who needed 4 bedrooms! What a letdown!
So how do you steer clear of being labeled?
My Top Five Suggestions Are:
1. Hire a good stager before you list your house.
How do I know this? I hired one! My sister to be exact. Michele Rose is a Realtor and Professional Home Stager. I sold my home in a tough market. And I would have sold sooner had I listened to her price suggestion from the beginning. Live and learn. We settled $100 over her initial price suggestion within 90 days.
Stagers are professionals who come to your home with an objective eye. They view your home as a buyer would and give you suggestions to make your home more appealing "to the masses." They generalize decor and creatively plan how to appeal to home buyers and their senses. It's worth the investment, and you will see a return, whether it be in terms of lesser days on the market or a higher offer than the average seller. Already listed? Never too late! Every house deserves to be staged. EVERY house!
2. Clean it!
De-clutter the home by packing collectibles and "stuff" neatly somewhere out of sight, deep clean the whole house including professional vent cleaning, professionally clean the carpet and floors, clean up the messy paint jobs and touch-ups and such, tidy the gardens, tidy the exterior, and powerwash.
3. Make it special.
Hang nice art in place of all your framed family photos, burn a lightly scented candle, leave some snacks like cookies and punch for potential buyers, fluff some pillows, decorate with hardback books, buy fresh flowers for the entry vase and please have all the lights on so we know you're inviting us to really look at your home.
4. Hide the unmentionables.
Take your pets and all signs of pets (some people don't like pets!), hide the cleaners, toiletries, dirty laundry, medicines, bills and anything with your name on it. This is no longer your home after all, it is your house-- a product that you are selling to a consumer. We don't want to see your cat's litter box or your rash cream!
5. Listen to trusted professionals.
If you are not getting showings after you have completed a professional staging and you have "done everything right," and your agent has marketed your home appropriately, then you may need to lower your price. It's hard to hear, but it's true and it gets you to where you want to be-- sold and moved!
By the way, when I was selling my house, it was labeled The Clean House. Now that's the kind of label I can live with!
Michele Rose is a Realtor and Professional Home Stager in Burlington County, NJ. She has been assisting both buyers and sellers with their real estate needs for the last 6 years. In 2007, she founded Rose-Colored Staging, a professional home staging and redesign business, to help sellers successfully market their homes with professional home staging.
