Jill Mendoza
Other
It’s not everyday you hear about a home selling within three days, with multiple offers, over the list price of $1.3 million in January! Michelle Minch of Moving Mountains Design in Pasadena took a vacant home, and transformed it into a home buyers fell in love with! Comparing the before-and-after photos reminds us why vacant homes generally take twice as long to sell, and are the most important homes to professionally stage. If these visuals aren’t enough, here are five reasons why you should NEVER try and sell a vacant home:
1. People Don’t Buy Houses, They Buy Homes
The number one reason a buyer purchases a home is because it “felt home.” It was warm, inviting and the buyer made an emotional connection with the home. When have you ever heard of an empty room described as warm and inviting? Sterile, cold and uninviting are the three most popular words to describe an empty room. Which room above feels more “home” to you?
2. Without Furniture, There Is No Frame Of Reference
How big is the room? Without furniture it’s incredibly difficult to tell the scale and size of a room. In the above photo, the room looks dark, long and narrow. When the buyer does not have answers to their questions…they walk away.
What is this room for? Many times a buyer can’t even tell if it’s the living room or dining room in an unfurnished home. Don’t keep them guessing, it only distracts them from considering the home as a purchase.
3. When A Room Is Kept Empty, Buyers Focus On Negative Details
Can you imagine a brand new Mercedes without a paint job? Do you think people would notice the beautiful car or the missing paint? In the above photo, buyers might be distracted and confused by the columns in the middle of the room.
It’s so much easier to notice that crack in the wall, or the chip in the tile when there is nothing else to look at. Home Staging capitalizes on the positive aspects of a home, while de-emphasizing the negative aspects in order to position a home that will make an emotional connection with buyers. These rooms made obvious emotional connections with buyers, and in each photo can count the many ways the Professional Home Stager marketed this home emotionally.
4. Only 10% of Home Buyers Can Actually Visualize the Potential of a Home
Nine out of every ten people walking in your home have no imagination of the wonderful possibilities your home has to offer them. In the above photo, buyers would not be able to realize that there is plenty of room for a table and chairs. They just can’t picture it. Don’t let a simple thing like no furniture or limited furniture ruin your sale. Don’t take those odds; they will hurt you in the price significantly!
5. Paying For Two Mortgages Can Get Expensive!
Let’s look at the facts: a vacant home typically takes twice as long to sell, and the longer something “sits” on the market, the lower the sales price*. Why risk paying two mortgages longer, only to have the sales price lower than it would have been if you had the home professionally staged!