Introduction to Home Staging

I am tasked with selling my mother’s house now that she has gone into a nursing home. The realtor is insisting that I complete a long shopping/decorating list to "stage" the house for sale. I had assumed it would be sold empty, after a few necessary repairs and upgrades.

The idea of staging completely throws off my timeline in terms of having an estate sale to sell furniture, etc., having the house professionally cleaned by a service, having the hardwood floors refinished, etc., etc., etc. It makes a really complicated, stressful job a whole lot worse for me.

Is staging really necessary or can I just tell her I want to sell it empty? I’m not looking to soak every possible dollar out of the sale, I just want to get it done.

Thank you.

They are only suggesting what they think will sell the house more quickly. You are the seller and in control and remember they are working for you. So do what you want to do, if they insist, get another agent.
Good luck.

I’m just at the signing contract stage of buying a house, but the vendor has now – after 6 weeks, decided she wants to buy a house (she previously was planning on renting) & wants to tie it all in…meaning my move in date will be delayed. I’m living temporarily with a friend after giving up my rented accom & am trapped in a nightmare! Should I threaten to pull out? Though I don’t actually want to! Is there any way of hurrying her along? Would really appreciate some advice! Thanks

I am an agent and this does happen quite regularly. Legally there is nothing that you can do….The Vendor is reliant on your cash for her onward purchase tho, so technically you hold the cards. I would explain your position to the agent and make it clear that this was not the agreement and that you cannot wait a possible 2-3 months longer. You may have to threaten to pull out, but beware if the property is saleable and she knows this, she may call your bluff and try for a new flexible purchaser!

If you are referring to scaffolding to be able to work safely on heights then you can call your local rent-all centre…they will deliver for you.

Our agent says we are priced below our comps and that we get a lot of traffic on the internet and at open houses. Our house has been on the market for 38 days and we have has a total of 2 viewings apart from our open houses. Our house is nicely staged and it looks like a model home. What gives? What should we be asking of our agent? We basically have about $25,000 wiggle room in the price and we were hoping to use that as a "haggling" cushion. Should we shave the price now? Our house is a 1928 tudor in a neighborhood where comps are really difficult as no 2 properties are alike. Is it too early for me to freak out? Should I be concerned about lack of showings if we’re doing well with open houses and on the web as far as hits? Thanks in advance for any wisdom you can impart!
Also our next door neighbor is our agent and friend so it’s a lot more of a sensitive issue –so we can’t go all Rambo on our agent
Oooooo—good point, Angie! I didn’t really think about that. Do you think there’s a conflict of interest here?

How long is the contract with your realitor? Conflict of interest or not – it is is not selling, list it with someone else or try it on your own for say 30 days.

Offer seller concessions of up to 6 percent of the closing costs may help. Offer to pay the appriasal. Print up flyers to hospitals, factories, businesses, grocery stores, with the picture of your home. Listing price, selling price, give up some equity in the home if need be. Good Luck to you. (ok)

I have discovered that the house I live in has a manhole in the living room – the living room is in an extension that was built at a different stage to when the house was built.

Now, do you know if this means the house is not fit for rental and should therefore have never been rented out? If so, can I sue the landlord and get my money back? I’ve been in the house for 4 years, but only found out recently when a neighbour renovating his house asked me if he could have access to the manhole in my living room to unblock the drain.

what do you suggest I do? I’m renting with foxtons, in clapham
thanks for all your answers! I’ll contact the citizens advice bureau to find out more, but your comments have all ben extremely helpful!

You need to go to the CAB these will tell you your rights.

What do you do and how do you do it? I have a list of houses in various stages of foreclosure, now what?

Your first opportunity comes in the "pre-foreclosure" stage, when owners have already defaulted on their mortgage payments but actual foreclosure hasn’t happened yet. To find out about houses in default, visit the local courthouse where defaults are registered. You can then make offers directly to the defaulting homeowner. However, few pre-foreclosure bargains exist among the most desirable homes. Many of those will sell for near their appraised values. Properties that sell at a 20 percent to 40 percent discount usually need repair or are in undesirable communities. At this stage you have about 90 days to act after the default notice is posted and another 21 to 25 days after auction sale date is published. If a property doesn’t sell in pre-foreclosure, and the home owner actually defaults on his mortgage, the home goes to public auction. During this stage you can find the best bargains, but it is fraught with difficulties. Properties are sold "as is," without warranties. Sellers needn’t disclose problems. Buyers may find themselves with unexpected — and expensive repairs. etc. etc.
Hope this helps.

I just watched a Flip this House episode and I saw the CEO hire a stager to stage the home. According to the show, this helps the home sell a lot faster and stay on the market by 40% less than average. When they staged the house, they basically put in furniture and different candles to make the home show better. Has anyone tried this before? I live in California, in the high desert and I am thinking of selling my home. I currently own a 2 bed 2 bath 1099 sqaure feet and I am interested in more info on this subject.

I disagree with the previous answers. Just Google home stagers and check out their work and prices (in your area). It’s better to get a local person so you don’t pay for drive time.

These professionals can really give your home the polished look that will help sell it faster. I deal with several home stagers in Illinois and Missouri, and the question you need to answer is this: what is the cost/benefit ratio for you to sell your home quickly, if you decide to put it on the market?

How many of you have done this and how much of a difference do you think it makes in making your home have more potential and interest to prospects?

you can pay a person to do this or my recommendation it to watch a few shows of "Sell this house" obviously a personal person would be better for your particular house, but depending on the monies spent, its not rocket science and the show will give you a basic idea of what to do

We are at the final stage of buyoing the house we really loved. However during termite inspection, the inspector found termite damage on the roof and the garage. We are wondering if it’s worth persueing the house if the seller agrees to fix it. Also how sever the damage can be if the termites are found on the roof.

I wouldn’t buy it. The seller will probably try to get the cheapest job done. He was already too cheap to have a termite bond.

Don’t forget this. They ate their way to the roof. That is the only way they could have gotten there.

With the real estate market the way it is there is absolutely no reason to take a chance on buying a problem house no matter how much you love it.

You know rule one when buying a house is walk away if everything isn’t the way you want it. Never fall in love with a house, it’s like grocery shopping when you are starving only way more expensive!

Beyond price obviously, what would be selling points in a house? I live in California and we are moving to Georgia in a few months. The housing market here is like everywhere else, no-one has money but houses are at good prices. My husband and I live in a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom house with an open floor plan and about 1000 sq ft. We will need to sell our house quickly but the move is unexpected and we dont have a ton of time to prepare. What should we focus on as far as staging the house, doing small touchups here and there and when advertising the house to get the most money out of the deal but also sell quickly. Mostly we just want to pay off the mortgage and get some money for the closing costs for the next house we get into in Georgia. Help! We need advice? What should we do to maximize this sale?

Remove all the clutter so start packing now. Try and make your open floor plan open up. Look at the color and make sure the place is bright and cheery. Some Realtors say to remove photos and personal stuff, over to you on that. We left some up in our place. Make sure the sight lines are clear nothing hanging and obstructing the view.