Simply Staged Inc. staged this home and in less than a week it received THREE offers and went under contract for $5,000 OVER asking price. In our area, offers OVER asking price are not commonplace. It was definitely a team effort by the home sellers, Realtor and staging.
Upon meeting, this client greeted me with the statement, "We have seen staging on TV, so whatever you need to do, and we have already rented a storage unit." What a great way to begin staging a home. It was a fun project because the home owner had so many great pieces to choose from. But as the home seller pointed out, there was too much furniture in the home for selling, so alot of it was placed in storage.
We proceeded to re-purpose furniture throughout the home, swapping family room furniture with living room furniture and using extra pieces to create a family room in the completed lower level which was previously used as an exercise room.
We used the home sellers' belongings. The only additional pieces brought in were a couple floor plants and a few pieces of art.
Family Room BEFORE
Family Room AFTER
Dining Room BEFORE
Dining Room AFTER
Living Room AFTER (Before photo not avail.) The leather grouping in the family room photo was in this room along with a matching chair and love seat. (Too much furniture for selling) This was the only idea the home seller was a little hesitant about. She went along with me and we swapped the furniture and it became their favorite room in the house.
Home Staged by Michele Hess, Simply Staged Inc. (815)979-3027, simplystagedinc.com
Simply Staged Inc. is a Professional Home Staging Company Serving Rockford IL and the Stateline Area. We specialize in staging vacant and occupied homes for sale. Contact us at (815)979-3027 or visit our website simplystagedinc.com
What a great change! All the rooms were made very inviting - and that proof was in the pudding!
Congrats! =)
Wonderful stats for you that it sold over list. This always creates a buzz in your local market area. The Realtors pay attention to this stat and some even fall over the line of Staging or not Staging and decide to give you a call for a property that they have had listed and cannot shift. It has happened this way for me several time.
Keep up the good work. Cheers! :)
Smart sellers, Michele! Julie
Nice job, and what a perfect result!!! Swapping the furniture made a HUGE difference! Love to see the magic that can be worked with what is already in the house! Your seller must LOVE you!
Michele, Congrats on a job well done. The rooms look great after you changed them around.
Susan, thanks for your kind comments.
Michelle, you are right - it has already happened. I sent out a flyer from constant contact announcing the success and booked three jobs and received several phone calls for more information all in the same day. (Three of the Realtors I have not worked with prior) I think it also helped that this was the 5th Simply Staged house in the last month that went under contract within weeks of being staged. Glad you had the same experience. Results sell themselves!
Julia, thanks for viewing and your comments.
Thanks Elaine, I liked the swap too. When I suggested it the owner was not too sure, so I was really hoping that once we went through the effort of moving the large pieces that we would all love the change. Thankfully, it all worked out better than I predicted because we had enough extra pieces to create the family room in the lower level. I did have to bring some art into the home, but that was about it. I spoke with the owners after they went under contract and they are overjoyed with the whole process. It was a team effort - great Realtor - pricing - home seller's hard work - & staging all played a role in this success story.
Barbara, thank you!
Michele you did a great job ~ all of the rooms look well put together.
Congrats!
Thank you Tosha! I appreciate your comments.
Great stats to use. It's always a wonderful compliment when a home sells quickly and with multiple offers.
Referrals are sure to follow.
Joyce
Michele,
Fantastic stats for your portfolio! It's nice to taste the fruits of your labor, isn't it?
Excellent results all round. Can you tell us what the price range of the home was, and roughly what you were paid? I think the story has to be rounded out in context for marketing. Aroun here, homes under $500K are still selling for multiple bids... so long as they're in good condition. If you overprice a thing, it just sits and sits no matter what it looks like.
Michele - Great job as usual. You know I love to see things selling in Rockford - my old hometown. You are doing great things there....keep up the good work.
Juliet - I think we have all experienced the overpriced home with the same results - NO OFFERS! Doesn't matter how great we make it look. In order for it to move it is a team effort by the Realtor, Home Seller and Stager.
In or area Realtors are telling me that homes over the $300,000 are receiving less showings and interest. HOWEVER, I was just informed yesterday that another home I staged at the price point of well over $400,000 went under contract - in 17 DAYS! Perhaps staging has a little something to do with that!!!!!!!!!
Debbie - Thank you for your kind words. I am doing my best and am very fortunate to be realizing some great results. Realtors who were not on board with staging prior are seeing our results and changing their mind. Can't get any better than that!!!
Awesome, Michele!
Congratulations. Your post is being featured in the group Staging Before & After Pictures.
Kathy
Great job and isn't it amazing how swapping the two rooms made such a difference? I just recently did this in a clients home, I took their leather furniture from their family room and placed it in their living room because the room was large and empty. The clients loved it and decided NOT to throw it out once they moved.
Phyllis Pafumi
Kathy - Thank you for the feature!! I am honored.
Phyllis - Thank you for your kind words. It is always fun working with the existing homes. Working with what is there is not always as easy as bringing new for vacants. I enjoy the challenge.
We aleays love to hear success tories such as these - GOOD FOR YOU! now if we could just get the other 85% of sellers to jump on the wagon....hhhmhmmmm. =)
Thanks Connie! We seem to all be doing our part to educate the sellers about the advantages of home staging. It may be slower than we wish, but it is happening one house at a time. Thanks for your comments.
Wow! A great job--but you know that! I have yet to have a house sell over over asking--100% is the best so far. Congrats!
Thanks Kathi!! It was exciting to learn that in less than a week this home received two full price offers and one at $5,000 over asking.