Author: Karen Robertshaw, (R)
To stage or not to stage?" That is the question! Sometimes a house needs much more than fresh paint and new flooring. Sometimes it needs so much work that “fixing it up” is impractical or unrealistic for the sellers.
If you’re selling a house with major issues, enlisting the right experts can help you make sure it shows at its best. Take the case of this Waiiki Street fixer-upper. The house had settling issues, was built in the 60’s and was still in its original 1960s condition. It had turquoise formica kitchen countertops, lime green shag carpet…you get the picture.
First, the sellers got opinions from both a structural and a soil engineer so they would be better informed about the condition of the house and the land. Once the inspections were done it was clear that, realistically, they needed to sell the house “as is”.
Their next step was to ask, “Should we bother to stage it?” The answer to that is “yes, absolutely!” Because home buyers -- even sophisticated and experienced home buyers -- have emotional reactions to what they see. Is it comfortable, attractive, appealing? Can they see themselves in it? It’s a natural, human response that is difficult to suppress.