I have noticed an increasing use of professional home stagers during the past year. Many times they are used when a home is vacant. Other times the stagers assist home owners removing clutter and using furniture that best show cases the homes. Many agents including me offer the use of a free DVD that provides great guidance on preparing a home for sale.
Home Buyers continue to be highly emotional when they are viewing homes and ultimately identify the home that best meets their needs. It is absolutely critical that a home show well to receive top dollar and sell in the shortest time possible.
A few weeks ago, I recommended to a future home seller that the master bedroom floors be repaired to eliminate squeaking. The subfloors were not properly secured. The home owner thought this was a useless repair and if necessary could be done prior to closing. My observations are that if one hears excessive floor squeaking, this causes doubt with the potential buyers and causes them to ask, “What else is wrong with the home”?
One has to ask why car dealers try to keep their autos extremely clean so they show well. They don’t let the vehicles accumulate dirt and then offer $20 to have the vehicles washed after purchase. The marketing principles are the same for housing and autos.