Dressed To Sell, The Importance of Staging Vacant Properties

When I first got into this business, my mother was my mentor, she was a very successful agent and I learned a lot from her.   One thing she told me was to always dress like I was going to meet a client. That advice has done me well through the years, as people saw me out and about, they assumed I was successful and that helped to generate the client base I have today. Last week it occurred to me that staging a home is a lot like taking my mom's advice about dressing for success   We have a great listing on the East side that just had an incredible transformation that did not involve that elaborate of a staging plan. This listing, an antique cottage in Fox Point filled with great details, seemed dingy and uninspired when we toured it empty.     Fortunately the listing agent had a plan to spruce it up. First the owner hired someone to clean the whole place top to bottom, including the windows, the gardens, and power washed the outside. People often leave a few pieces of furniture in an otherwise vacant listing to make the home look cozier, but sometimes it just ends up looking like a used furniture warehouse.                                                                                                                                          In this case, a few well placed accent pieces really highlighted the wonderful features of this historic cottage, and gave the rooms some scale:                                                                                                       This Week's Real Estate Insight: Selling a vacant home brings even more challenges than a lived-in home. Vacant homes often stay on the market longer and sell for less than similar homes that are lived in. Buyers often infer that the seller is motivated and may be paying two mortgages. A little staging can really make a big difference in a vacant property.