In a slow market I had a couple wanting to sell their lovely character home in South Perth which had been renovated whilst they lived there. With its white picket fence and manicured gardens the 1940’s home looked inviting and once you walked inside you could see yourself living there. The owners were sensible in pricing the property according to what was selling and most importantly what wasn’t selling. We agreed on a selling fee and as we had a winning formula and I’d known them for 15 years so I waived any advertising costs so we would wear it. When speaking with the owner she asked my opinion of ‘staging’ the home. I said that the staging companies will charge about $3000.00 per month and my rational was that we had a winning formula so yes they should do it. This is the first time I have thought that way. I’m too Scottish to think spending money that won’t have a tangible result is worth it. The owners have a Scottish background to so we talked about using some of their own furniture and maybe buy some and borrow some. Their parents had spare tv’s, computers etc…so we all agreed that was the way to go as a house in South Perth can take months to sell in the current market so the $3000.00 per month could become $15,000 which they couldn’t afford.
The first buyers that saw the home offered the asking price as they didn’t want to risk losing it to another buyer and sellers accepted their offer a few hours later.
Whilst I’d love to go on about what a great agent I am I think that all the critical points in selling a home where here to make a winning formula. Staging did play a part and ultimately the sellers and I did have a tangible result being time and money.
I am now a staging advocate. I can’t afford not to be.
Bill McKenzie | Director – Sales