Staging Advice pays off big time ! Getting your New Orleans Condo in top shape is very important!
July 31st, 2010 categories: Market Trends, Selling your Condo, Warehouse District
I just had a young couple, Lauren and Taylor that called me to list their condo in the New Orleans Warehouse District at the Cotton Mill Condos. They had already called a stager-decorater to come give them advice on how to make the condo look better in the sales process. I got there before they started to unclutter and repaint a portion of the condo. I reviewed the plans and everything she said made a lot of sense. We added a few things then the sellers were ready to start their work. They wasted little time as you want the resign to be finished before the first buyer comes.
The owner of Bella Home Staging is Suzanne Gindy. Her expertice was in telling the sellers on the things they could do to make their condo sparkle in the buyer’s eyes. She charged for her time and advice. Her initial charge was only $100. The sellers did all the things she was asking for. Many will need a follow up visit but Lauren and Taylor did not need one. The basics were
- To rent a space to put the clutter. This makes the unit look larger and the focus is on the unit rather than the things in the condo.
- Do some accent painting and touch up work to make the condo fresh.
- Move the furniture around to show the best configuration for this particular condo. Put the right amount of art work on the walls.
- Decorating ideas that just made the place look more livable.
The focus here was on the wood floors, large windows and high ceilings as these is why people like the Cotton Mills as a place to live. You want the buyer to say ” I want to live here and can see myself settling in very quickly”.
The best thing about the this approach is that it works and pays big dividends if you follow the plan. Once Lauren and Taylor finished the makeover and cleared the clutter we were ready for out first showing. The very first buyer that looked at the unit make an offer and it was accepted. Rather than taking less and staying on the market for a much longer they followed the plan and it worked to perfection. The condo sold and both the buyers and sellers were happy.
Today’s market is such that you want to be in the top three of your class so people will consider your condo. The positives have to outweigh the negatives in the eyes of the buyers. There are fewer buyers so you have to feature the positives of the condo so you will be the best in your class. Many buyers will not see past a junkie place or one that is not ready for sale. It just takes more work.
Suzanne Gindy knows more than I do about the staging business so why not look for advice from one of the best. She has a variety of programs but this initial step is well worth the money. I fully support any effort to make a condo more ready to sell in a much shorter time frame. My job is to get people in the unit through marketing the condo in the best possible light. Working on a premium unit makes the photos, flyer’s, videos, Internet ads all look so much better. People start off looking at pictures and staging gives you some great photos. Its is very much like a beauty contest so looking and feeling best is the way to go !
“Bella Home Staging quickly develops a plan to get your home showing ready. We can give you the plan to do the project yourself, or we can manage the entire process for you. (It’s entirely up to you!)
We offer a full menu of services for occupied homes, vacant homes and foreclosures, plus we redesign services for home owners and new buyers. We can do as much or as little as you’d like to fit your budget and time frame.
Bella Home Staging knows the art of decorating a home so it sells quickly and for top dollar. Recommending wall colors, repairs and de-cluttering, arrangment of furniture, art and accessories; a professional home stager knows what changes yield the greatest return on your investment.
Eric, it’s so important to work with a good stager. Especially one who understand how things present on camera. This has become a critical part of the listing process for us in Grand Rapids Michigan.