JULIE GARDNER
  • HOME
  • COMPASS
    • WHY COMPASS?
    • COMPASS CONCIERGE
    • COMPASS BRIDGE LOANS
  • LISTINGS
  • ABOUT
    • ABOUT JULIE
    • A DYNAMIC PARTNERSHIP
    • CONTACT
    • PROCESS
    • TESTIMONIALS
    • PRESS
  • PROJECTS
    • BEFORE & AFTER
    • GARDENS
    • OUR TEAM
    • VIDEOS
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • UTILITIES
    • SCHOOLS

Get the Picture?

3/31/2023

0 Comments

 
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then what is this one trying to say exactly?

I'm depressed.
I'm uninteresting.
I'm uninspiring.
I'm boring.
I'm outdated.

I'VE NEVER HAD A DAY OF FUN IN MY LIFE!?!

Whatever it is, this photo ISN'T saying: "Come live out your dreams here . . . "
There's no color, no art, no rugs, no mirrors, no light, nothing on the shelves, no personality, and absolutely NO life in this room which sits at the end of a long, dark hallway with an ugly front door. It's tidy, I'll give it that, but there's nothing here that compels a Buyer to visit. In short, it's lacking an interesting story, and I'm a gal who loves a good story. (Check out our Before & Afters here.)

When Sellers ask (and they almost always ask), "Is staging really necessary?," the answer is an emphatic "YES" (see above).

Unless your home is camera-ready and "Insta-worthy," (and very few are) it WILL benefit greatly from a professional makeover. In rare cases, that makeover may involve little more than editing, but most houses (even the good ones) are either frozen in time (aka: dated) or the homeowners have stopped seeing things long ago that others are likely to object to at first glance.

"We never minded/noticed/cared about (fill in the blank.)"

With all due respect, that's exactly my point.

What you see as mere oversights, OR small imperfections, OR learned to live with, OR forgotten about altogether . . . can make or break a sale: failed windows, broken appliances, rotting decks, tired furniture, worn-out carpet, dim lighting, cracked ceilings, moldy showers, broken faucets, outdated kitchens and bathrooms, overgrown yards, peeling paint, water stains, leaking roofs, etc., etc., etc. All of these untended items are red flags that often give the impression that the house has been long neglected or worse yet, in poor condition.

Staging creates a narrative that reflects a fresh, appealing, and well-lived life. Granted, staging won't fix your roof or your foundation, but it will make for an emotionally compelling invitation. It also clears the way for others to envision their lives within, which is a necessary component to successfully selling any home, no matter how beautiful. Keep in mind that nearly every prospective Buyer begins their search for their replacement property on the INTERNET. Consequently, how the house presents in photographs is EVERYTHING!

Which is why staging provides the greatest return on investment (ROI). Additionally, staged homes sell faster than their non-staged counterparts and for MORE money. Here are just a few statistics I mined from the Internet (in case I haven't convinced you yet):

  • 82% of buyers’ agents said staging a home made it easier for a buyer to visualize the property as a future home. (National Association of Realtors)
  • 47% of real estate agents claim that home staging had an effect on most buyers’ view of the home. (National Association of Realtors)
  • A professionally staged home spends 73% less time on the market compared to those without staging. (Professional Staging)
  • Staged homes on the market sold for 25% more than homes without staging. (Realtor Magazine)

Think of staging as the final exclamation mark to the painstaking preparation we've encouraged, plodded, and pleaded for you to undertake. It's all well and good to pack and purge, but staging is where the "transformation" really happens, and in our area at least, non-staged properties tend to pale by comparison. It's as if an unstaged house showed up to the party in hand-me-downs when everyone else dressed up for the prom.

Finally, your repairs, painting, refinishing, and staging are an investment in your net profit. Our suggestions are not only designed to attract more Buyers, but to provide you with a greater end result overall. BTW, if we didn't think it mattered, we wouldn't press as hard as we do (but it does).

(One caveat: the best staging in the world will NOT overcome OVERpricing. Pricing your home correctly remains the single-most important aspect of quickly selling a home for top dollar.)

And because COMPASS offers "COMPASS CONCIERGE" to help offset the expenses of properly preparing your home for market (paid back in escrow), there's no viable justification not to give yourself the best shot at selling your property for more.

Listen, there's a good reason Sarah, Kate, Jill, and I have had great success in this market, and it's due in no small part to the many talented professionals we align with, all of whom bring years of experience and creativity to the process, as do we. In short, staging isn't just a good idea, it's in YOUR BEST INTEREST!

Get the picture?

How can we help you? ​
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Subscribe

    Author

    Julie Gardner, has been writing The Perspective for 18 years and has published more than 775 humorous but always informative, essays on life and real estate. 

    Picture

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009
    April 2009
    March 2009
    February 2009
    January 2009
    December 2008
    November 2008
    October 2008
    September 2008
    August 2008
    July 2008
    June 2008
    May 2008
    April 2008
    March 2008

    Categories

    All
    Business
    Design
    Drought
    Holiday
    Home Maintenance
    Homes For Sale
    Life
    Market
    Politics
    Renovation

    RSS Feed

    View my profile on LinkedIn
Piedmont · Oakland · Berkeley
 510.326.0840
[email protected]
DRE# 01431765
​COMPASS

  • HOME
  • COMPASS
    • WHY COMPASS?
    • COMPASS CONCIERGE
    • COMPASS BRIDGE LOANS
  • LISTINGS
  • ABOUT
    • ABOUT JULIE
    • A DYNAMIC PARTNERSHIP
    • CONTACT
    • PROCESS
    • TESTIMONIALS
    • PRESS
  • PROJECTS
    • BEFORE & AFTER
    • GARDENS
    • OUR TEAM
    • VIDEOS
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • UTILITIES
    • SCHOOLS