Many of our calls are from home owners who have homes on the market, or whose listings have expired and they are thinking about re-listing. This week I had two consultations with this type of seller and they both were puzzled and irritated by their agent’s actions!
Consultation #1: I spent a lot of time explaining the importance of curb appeal, first impressions and why deferred maintenance and decluttering had to be done. The widow whose listing had expired was near tears.
I expected her to be overwhelmed and even a little irritated with me by “imposing” expectations upon her. It surprised me when she said “Why didn’t my agent take the time to explain this to me before I listed?” I had no idea these things were so vital to my house selling quickly.”
She was concerned – there was lots of work to do. But she was able to “see” that by implementing our plan she may be able to sell her home and move on with her life. More than concerned, she was irritated with her agent, and wanted a recommendation for a new agent. The trust was gone because the agent hadn’t let her know that our services were available or that her home was a target for low ball offers when it was so dated, cluttered and needed small repairs performed.
The next consultation I had was for a desperate home seller whose house had been on the market for many weeks – no showings, no broker tour, no open houses and no idea as to why her home was being passed by.
When I looked at the photos on the MLS I knew why.
After spending two hours with this seller, not only was she on board with doing everything suggested, but she also wanted the recommendation for a new realtor.
Not every home seller will agree that home staging is important. But it is important for your reputation to present home staging options to home sellers. Why? When their home remains on the market far too long you’ll be able to say
“Remember before listing we discussed how important it was to implement home staging strategies?”
Instead of being mad at you, they’ll realize that they have a key role in helping their home sell as well.
What’s your reason for not recommend a home staging consultation?
- Afraid your clients will be insulted?
- Don’t have funds to pay for it yourself?
- Know it’s important, but afraid to trust your clients with someone?
- Don’t know the statistics or how to present it to clients?
- Think it’s a new trend and unnecessary?
Contact a professional home stager for statistics and information to provide your clients. Know the prices and the return on investment. Helping your clients learn how to prepare their homes correctly for sale is a much better option than having clients call me for new agent referrals!
Creative Concepts and Contracting provides top-notch home staging and contracting services for home sellers in Oregon. Houses that are prepared correctly and well priced are selling! Contact us at 503-881-0886 for information on how staging can set you apart from the competition!
Professional Home Staging – Reliable Contractor Repairs – Beautiful Results!
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