How Realtors Grade Clients Clients occasionally may have a select few words for their Realtors, but Realtors also have some favorite words for their clients. No, not “%!%#!” Rather, how “cooperative” they are. What do I mean by that? For Sellers, client cooperation boils down to these three things: 1. Pricing. A cooperative client picks...Read More
When? How Much? If an otherwise well-staged, well-marketed home isn’t selling after a reasonable interval on the market**, a price reduction is invariably indicated. How big? It all depends on how overpriced the home appears to be. Toss Out the CMA Once a home is actually on the market, interest from prospective Buyers ” or...Read More
Before . . . and After(!) Staging a home’s interior is usually more about subtraction than addition. Key steps include reducing clutter; showcasing desirable features like windows and any fireplaces (rule #1: don’t block them); and generally making the home as clean and light as possible. Improving a home’s exterior — and specifically, its curb...Read More
Universal Staging Principles How do you stage an outdoor, in-ground swimming pool in the backyard of a “For Sale” home? The same way you stage anything else: by adding accents, focal points, and color ” and removing clutter. For an outdoor pool, that means opening up any poolside umbrellas, arranging nearby lawn chairs, and throwing...Read More
Staging “Do’s” and (Mostly) “Don’ts” At least IMHO, staging is at least 80% subtraction ” removing, uncovering, and emptying out ” rather than addition, i.e., adding wall art, accents, flowers, etc. to the about-to-be sold home. Exhibit A: NOT covering a big, light bay window with a dark, light-blocking panel TV (center right of photo,...Read More
Prospective Home Sellers’ Four Big Sins: Music, Mirrors, and Masking Scents & Paint Like Richard Nixon and Watergate, in real estate, too, “the cover-up is worse than the crime.” In that vein, here are four things that home Sellers misguidedly do to throw Buyers (and their agents) off the, umm . . . scent. One....Read More
