As the person who handles the marketing for The Cameron Team, I’m looking at multiple homes per day, and I have to admit, I occasionally ask, “How the heck do they live like that? The home looks like a museum, everything’s perfect!” I go home to my 1,200 square-foot brick ranch where there are toys and books scattered across the living room where my toddler has decided they must go, mail from last week sitting on my dining room table, my other half’s jacket and shirt (and pants and hat…) draped over a chair where he abandoned them after work last night, and half of our belongings are precariously piled onto the top two or three shelves of every unit in our house where they can’t be reached by little hands…and I sigh.
But, do you know what this is? Me forgetting my job.
I know from experience that the house you sell and the house you live in are not the same thing, theoretically. Your home should be a reflection of who you are. After all, you are the one living there. However, if you want to sell quickly, you need to make it appeal to the most people possible and that includes making changes that make it look polished and, basically, unlived in. You want the buyer to picture their things, not yours.
Ask any Realtor and they’ll admit that their own homes are far from perfect. They too have pictures of their children plastered across their walls and refrigerators. They may even have some crazy art that no one, but them truly appreciate or understand. Their paint colors may even echo their last trip to the Caribbean. However, they too go through all the steps of staging when it comes time to put their home on the market.
This is why you can’t take staging suggestions personally. They are not judgments on your lifestyle or decorating tastes: they are reflections of the current market and buyer desires. The suggestions you apply depend on your motivation to sell. In the end, it’s all in your best interest.
If you have any questions about staging or selling your home in the Wilmington area, give us a call or send us a message through our Contact page.
