Sellers - Check out your competition! Do you know how your home compares to others for sale online?

May 22, 2008

Sellers,

About to put your home on the market? Your home has been on the market and still no offers?

Take a moment and see how the competition (other homes for sale) looks online. With over 85% of buyers using the internet to search for their next home and short listing properties to visit based on the online photographs, your property has to make the best online impression.

Staged homes make the best first impression online as the marketing photographs and virtual tours make your property stand out from the competition, putting your home onto more buyer short lists increasing buyer visits - the first step in selling your home.

Try either of these (or both) of these online property listing sites that buyers use;

Realtor.com - the site that most real estate agents use to advertize their properties for sale.

Trulia.com - this site includes both real estate agent listed properties and for sale by owners.

How will/does your property compare?

Give us 15 minutes and we will tell you what buyers are thinking of your property - our buyers eye view.

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Exercise equipment snaps do not sell homes.

May 13, 2008

Keeping yourself physically fit and in shape is important and to be encouraged, but when selling your home, sellers should put the exercise equipment away.

We need visiting buyers to be able to see how they could live in the home, not how you live in your home.

Have a look at the following ‘for sale’ snaps as posted by real estate agents on a public listing site in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Would you choose to visit these properties based upon how these rooms look? Can you tell the price range of these homes? Answer below.

Moving the clutter out of the way is the first part of this owner’s get-fit routine. Buyers want large bedrooms, put the gym equipment away.

Just what buyers want; a home office and free gym membership. Most buyers want a roomy home office - remove the gym equipment.

Ahhh, for the outdoors type. This is Florida, buyers want to have an outdoor seating area for relaxing/entertaining, put the gym equipment away.

Finally, the fully equipped gym. Not a square inch wasted. No room for anything else. I think you get the picture, buyers prefer an extra bedroom. Put the gym equipment away.

These ’snaps’ are not ‘Marketing photographs’.

ANSWER: All these homes were listed for sale between $550k and $650k. Surprised?

Over 85% of buyers search for properties onlineand photographs of your property are how they decide which homes to visit. Buyers typically short-list properties that meet their price, location, etc. search criteria online, and further refine their short-list of homes to actually visit based on how the home looks in the online photographs.

As a result, how your property for sale looks online is critical in getting buyers to visit - the more visits, the better chance of an offer. Your property needs to look better than the compedition.

Give us, the Open Door Staging team 15 minutes, and we will tell you how to make your listing look better than the compedition online to sell your property faster.

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The real reasons that most agents do not home stage.

April 8, 2008

In our experience here in south Florida, we find that the home owner is looking to the real estate agent for opinion on what needs to be done to sell their home.

They are asking for your professional real estate opinion. They want to know, and will most often follow your advice - TRY IT.

Yet, this is when the sellers are often let down by their real estate agent. Despite the media attention on the topic, the TV shows, the magazines and mention of home staging in the real estate trade publications, most real estate agents do not introduce staging, they suggest some basic decluttering and cleaning in an unconvincing manner;

They fear losing the listing if they “tell them like it is”. They talk the talk, but are unable to walk the walk.
Contrary to all all industry reports, they firmly believe that “It’s all about the price”, and have gotten stuck in the price reduction game rut
Do not really plan on marketing the listing, just stick it in the MLS and hope someone finds it.
It costs too much. Hmmmm, I have heard this one time and again, a consultation is inexpensive, the same as an appraisal or inpspection in most cases. Get the consutlation, perhaps the seller can do most of the pre-staging tasks themselves? Elbow grease is free (ish).

Where have they been hiding? How can they not know about the marketing value of home staging?

It’s almost like they just don’t want to hear it.

We agree that not every listing is a suitable candidate for staging;

- There is simply no budget, it’s a foreclosure/short sale
- The house is way overpriced
- The return on investment makes staging a bad investment. Consult a home staging professional for an opinon on this - it can be a short no cost phone call.

Real estate agents, mention home staging witth the same conviction that you suggest an appraisal or a pre-listing inspection, both of which are in line with the costs of a home staging consultation.

Get the marketing edge, stage to sell. Staged listings sell faster. You owe it to yourself.

There is no comission for an expired listing? Happy sellers refer their friends.

If I missed any other reasons for not staging, let me know below.

Let us know if you have others that you think we should add to this post.