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Originally Posted by imissme;4127890;
I have been often frustrated with the whole idea of just leaving the viewer hanging. WELL? Did the house finally sell or not? And for how much?
You know it must take months after the filming for the program to be shown on TV. I shouldn't be that hard to add a simple statement at the end that the house finally sold ___ months later for $______.
Yes, this bugs me too. I'm just wondering how much staging really does help with the selling process. I would think that if the rooms are freshly painted and each room is de-cluttered, that would go a long way to getting a home sold in a timely manner, as long as it's priced realistically. I agree with doing perhaps a bit of minimal landscaping (weeding, cutting lawn, and adding a few flowers) but beyond that, is it a waste of money? Can people seriously not have a vision as to what to do with a home? For the money they put into each project in Design To Sell and R/E intervention, it's not like you are going to get a bathroom or kitchen make-over that will bring big bucks to the table. Plus, if I were in the market, I would rather buy for a lower price and do my own renovations in my own style. SO and I argue over this all the time... he refuses to watch R/E Intervention and actually gets agitated by the whole idea of the staging process. I'm like meh on the whole thing but Sabrina Soto is so chirpy and cheerful that I watch anyway. I would like to know, though, if the home eventually did sell and for what price.
We staged our house in SoCal. Bought some new furniture, painted, new window covering and art (our real estate agent brought in his interior decorator girl friend). We moved soon afterward and emptied out the house. It sold quickly when it was empty. I think the paint and cleaning and such helped a great deal. Staging in our case, not so much,
This was at the height of the housing market, though. Frankly, I prefer to see a house empty.
I have never sold a house before (I am in my first house as a home owner) but our house was empty when I bought it. I could imagine my things there. Also to note the house was clean, but covered in the most hideous wall paper I've ever seen. I am one who isn't turned off by the "mistakes" people make when selling, because I like to paint and decorate, and I am not afraid to make simple changes. Paint is cheap, and wall paper removal is a pain, but just takes a trick or two and a lot of elbow grease. When we were done it looked great until we can afford the expensive changes like a new floor. I do think that people are picky and where staging can help is to people not sure how they could use a space and if you stage an office in a spare room, a seating nook in a space with gabled roof, or a bistro table in nook off dining room or kitchen it could sell the house whereas an empty space there may stump some buyers. I do think you could probably learn how to stage and do it yourself to save cost. BTW I hate taupe and I wish Soto and Nayak would get off the neutral=taupe kick. I love Gidding's use of periwinkle and some of the soft greens, beiges, and creams that the others use better. Baby poop doesn't look good on the wall if you are selling or staying in your space. Sorry, off my soap box now. I loved your post and will note your experience if I ever have to sell my house.
I totally agree with you. Part of why houses aren't selling right now isn't their packaging (staging, neutral paint, etc) but more to do with their pricing and lack of clutter. If the comps house is relatively similar to this one but cheaper, I don't even care if it is nicer as I can change the paint or take down wallpaper. Decluttering and keeping the simple repairs current are keys because if you can't see through the clutter, you can't tell how much room the house has and some buyers might think if there's clutter, that the house doesn't have enough storage. Also with staging/furniture, some clever ways to do storage might go a long way with shelving and built-ins. It is easy to make store bought shelves look custom and could sell a home where cupboard and closet space is limited. If there are cracks in the plaster or drywall, then people will think that the house has major foundation trouble or other expensive fixes, when a simple repair for not much $$ will fix the problem.
I hate beige and pretty much any type of dark brown. Judging by these shows, I don't know a thing about 'color' and I'm willing to admit it; it's just my personal preference. If I bought a house with those colors, I would definitely repaint it.
These staging shows are very unrealistic when they tell you they made great simple changes for a ridiculously low price. It's because they brought in several professionals and didn't include the cost of their services.
I think that there are different degrees of staging from doing nothing to going all out. I do think if someone takes care of a property it shows. The lawn is nice and neat, the house clean on the outside and inside. No major repairs visible, no stinky smells. I do think that a house shows better if it is clean and neat vs not. I doesn't surprise me to see messes in people's homes, like on House Hunters. I perfer to see houses empty, I don't need to see furniture in it. But on the other hand I don't want to clean up anyone else's mess. I don't really want to deal with wallpaper. I totally understand that a house will sell faster if it is in move in condition, thus the neutral wall paint and cleanliness. While I enjoy the staging shows and like Sabrina Soto, some of Get It Sold seems staged and other times I can't believe how stupid people thinking someone else is going to buy their garbage. In real estate impressions do count. I do think The UnSellables does a much better job staging by doing simple repairs and painting then the over the top crappy designs of Designed to Sell.
When I was looking for my house I walked into a potential property and was surprised how much I liked it. Even inside the huge family room off the kitchen was a huge selling feature. But the owners had left the drapes and they smoked and the smell was horrid. Then I opened one of the closets and they had left a few wire hangers in there and I was surprised how angry I was that they had left their trash for me to clean up. Then I saw the backyard which was this huge steep wooded slope with no usably space. That was it. Out the door. I actually was angry that the realtors had shown me this house.
After that experience I just had a my house built.
Doesn't Unsellables have a higher budget, or the homeowner pays them? I agree that the $2000 cap is completely artificial because they're not paying any labor and many times it's beyond what someone could DIY. On the other hand, I saw an Unsellables once where they painted all the intricate woodwork in the house white and it really bothered me, and I can't watch her show anymore. That and the silly trick they do of putting the hostess in sexier clothes at the end and having her give her little talk draped over the furniture in suggestive poses. Once you notice it you can't help but see it. She starts out the show dressed well but professionally; at the end they give her a short skirt or a low top and she leeeeeans over the counter/couch/bed.
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