As some of you who follow my posts know, I keep track of all the vacant homes that hit the market in the East Dallas, Oaklawn/Uptown and N. Dallas MLS areas because I see it as part of my job since I sell home staging.
Today for example I looked at all the vacant homes that listed in the month of November - 17 of them – in East Dallas. Of the 17 vacant homes that listed for sale in East Dallas in November 2013, as of today, 3 sold, 1 delisted - most likely due to lack of activity and interest, 1 is under contract and the remaining 12 are still on the market.
In addition think of how much the lack of a sale has cost these sellers in mortgage payments, taxes, HOA dues, utility and any other maintenance cost associated with owning a house.
The takeaway from this exercise in Home Selling? Don’t list your home vacant. You are reducing your chances of selling within 60 days by at least 70%. You are also reducing your chances of getting an offer at asking price when your house does not sell within a curtain time frame. Instead follow the example of these brilliant sellers in, Lake Highlands, East Dallas and Preston Hollow who brought in Home Staging Dallas - Design by KETI to help sell their home in record time.
This gorgeous mid-century modern house in Lake Highlands, listed for $900K. It went under contract after three days of being marketed as a staged home. We were able to destage the home in less then two months from staging.
This luxury home on Preston Hollow listed for $1.2M. It sold shortly thereafter and we were able to de-stage the home in less then three months from the list date.
These modern condos in the East Village in Dallas all sold and de-staged with an average of 48 days on market from the day they got staged to the day they got sold and therefore de-staged.
For more info on the benefits of staging a vacant home for sale Click Here:
Cheers,
Keti
If you are a home seller thinking about listing your home for sale, you will benefit from a home staging consultation.
By consulting with a professional home stager for a minimal fee, you will be tapping into the intellectual property and expertise of that home pro. A home stager is someone who is well-versed in anything related to target real estate marketing, merchandising, and packaging a home for sale. During the consultation you will be given specific instructions on a room-by-room basis. This will help you determine what you need to do to prepare the home for the potential buyers.
We are so proud of the sellers for implementing 100% of our recommendations. They definitely experienced first-hand the financial benefits of hiring a home stager.
Cheers,
Keti
It’s a Seller’s market…You hear it everywhere from everybody.
…BUT not all homes are selling FAST and for TOP Dollar!
I would like to propose to you that a Seller’s market does not equate a Flea market.
The reason being…
NO MATTER WHAT THE REAL ESTATE MARKET IS, EVERY PROPERTY HAS A TOP DOLLAR VALUE RELATIVE TO THAT MARKET.
Why is that…?
…Because consumers always want the best product, at the best price, that meets their needs.
So what am I trying to say here? What’s my point…?
My point is this: If your home for sale look something like this…
...or like this
...or even like this (aka, cheaply, badly staged)
I got some BAD news for you…it will not sell FAST nor for TOP Dollar even in a Seller’s market!
The internet has changed how we do life and business. Gone are the days when a buyer walked into the local real estate agent’s office asking for help finding a home. The internet is now the market place for Real Estate; not the Broker’s offices down the street.
When someone decides they want to buy a home they get online. They do a lil’ bit of shopping, decide on what home they want to go visit and then call a Real Estate Agent to help them go see the home in person. And while the buyers are internet shopping, within 20 seconds of browsing thru a listing they will decide whether they want to view your house for sale in person or not. That’s all you got, 20 seconds!!
So, after viewing a series of homes on the internet do you think the buyers will want to see these types of homes in person
Or These ones…? All Professionally Staged and Photographed by the team of Design by KETI.
How about this one?
Or this one…?
The Real Estate market has changed, it’s not business as usual!
Strategic Staging, professional photography, and video are the MOST important ingredients that will sell a home FAST and for TOP Dollar Regardless of what the market trends are!
Remember, a Seller’s market does not equate a Flea Market.
Cheers,
Keti
Smart Sellers understand that Professional Home Staging is a powerful marketing tool that, when used correctly, has tremendous FINANCIAL benefits associated with it regardless of what the market looks like. Why? Because luxury staging will help a home photograph well, show well, and enable the buyers to linger. Basically a well-staged home will attract and entice more buyers to set up an appointment and come see it. The more appointments, traffic, and interest your for-sale house generates, the more likely you are to sell it at asking price if not above asking price.
As spring rolled in a few good things happened in real estate in Dallas; home prices started to go up by 6% and up to 8% - some even say - and the big talk in the local media is that “it’ a seller’s market we are in”. Yippee!
Although I am optimistic and inspired by the current trends in real estate I also think that –as sellers- it behooves us to be realistic about those trends.
And the reality is this:
Day after day, I have driven by homes with 'For Sale" signs in front of yards for months. I am sure a lot of you share similar sentiments.
Why are not All Homes Selling Fast and for the absolute best price? After all it’s a seller’s market and the seller calls all the shots. Not necessarily so, and not so fast!
Regardless of what the market is, buyers are smart and they will always look for the best product, in its best condition, that meets their needs (and wants) and that is offered for dollars they are not just willing to part with but even pay more.
So as you contemplate putting your house on the market– as a seller – you need to be asking yourself these two questions because at the end of the day, you won’t have a sale unless you have a buyer.
a-) what does the buyer in my area want;
b-) can I deliver on what the buyer wants so my for-sale house outshines the competition in my neighborhood, and so that I get top dollar from the sale of my house?
At the risk of sounding materialistic, I am going to say this: yes, it’s true it’s all about the mighty dollar! But it’s a lot deeper than that. Why would you want to be part of a financial transaction and leave money on the table?
Merely by not merchandising and packaging your home so that it appeals to the target buyer (aka not luxury staging it for sale) you are doing just that - you are leaving money on the table.
The good news is, you don’t have to leave money on the table if you play your cards right. So yes, it’s sort of a game a little bit, but it’s a fun game with great financial return. Part of the game is to be strategic about the sale of your home. That strategy should involve engaging the expertise knowledge and resources of a professional home stager.
Yes it is a seller’s market and yes homes are selling fast, but not all of them, and most assuredly NOT for Top Dollar. It would be naïve to make the assumption that ALL homes are selling fast.
These are my thoughts, what’s yours?
Cheers,
Keti