In case you missed it, I am running a 5-part series on Seller Objections:
- “I don’t believe in staging”
- “My kids are preventing me from staging”
- “I don’t want to pay for it”
- “I am too busy to keep the home staged”
- “I am too busy to prep the home for sale”
***The final conclusion post next Wednesday will conclude these 5 posts, as well as showcasing people’s comments on the blogs.***There will be a new series starting soon on Why Staged Homes Don’t Sell***
Me and significant other both work & We have no time to stage/prep the home for sale
Have you ever showed up at your client’s home, after you had already gave your sellers a full list of to-dos and deadlines, and nothing or very little has been done? When you tried to be brave and tell the already annoyed seller, they told you: “I got no time to do these crap.” Then they look at you with this message in their eyes: “Why don’t YOU do it?”
Selling a house is a very hectic process. As a seller, s/he will encounter many people through his/hers door during the process, not only professionals like agents, mortgage brokers, photographers, stagers, home inspectors, and also buyers. There is a lot of prep involved in planning in order to have a successful sale. If your sellers are strapped for time, it almost seems impossible to follow their professionals’ directions on how to prep their home and get it ready for sale. Here are a few tips that can help you as an agent:
- Get written commitment up front: Sit down with your seller and establish a “Working Agreement.” As a professional, here is what you do and what you don’t do. You absolutely will not market their home until it’s ready to make the best impression for buyers. Buyers will only look once, if they hate it at first look, they are not going to come back. Explain why these are your professional policies. Have them write it down themselves, it affirms their commitment mentally and physically.
- Plan your sale with your sellers on a calendar: These calendars are very easy to create, you can DIY one yourself via Microsoft Word, or just hand write one if you feel so inclined. It’s a visual presentation that will give them a solid idea of what is going on and when things need to be done in order for the next action to be taken. It is also a great way to tie everyone in a real estate transaction (loan officer, stager, contractor, handyman, painter, agent, etc.) together.Here is an example:
SEPTEMBER 2007
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painting starts
4
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painting finishes
7
flooring starts
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carpet installation
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cleaners come
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staged4more does their staging magic
18
virtual tour shoots
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open house invites go out
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public open house
22
public open house
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broker’s tour
26
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- Listen to what’s important for them: Sellers have lives too, so your deadline may not work for them. They may have a very tough week coming up at work, they just physically cannot obey their bosses’ demands while you adding more things onto the backburner. While you are planning, have your sellers open up their appointment book to see if they will be able to accomplish the preps realistically.
- When your clients say they are too busy to prep, i.e. packing up everything, etc., show them this calender. This way, you are able to explain why you cannot proceed to the next phase of home staging until they do what they are asked to do.
- If your sellers are extremely busy and they absolutely don’t have any spare time because they travel all the time for work, raising triplets while working 7 jobs, ask them to pay for professional help: Things need to get done, lives are moving on as we speak. The earth is not going to stop evolving just because your sellers don’t have time to pick up their dirty laundry off the floor in time for open house. Buyers will keep on looking if you are making it difficult for them to picture themselves living in the home. And they are happy to do so too, there are only 40 more houses they are looking online today. Things must get done regardless who did it.
- Follow your plan of action & do not let things slide: It is extremely to follow your timeline and don’t fall behind. Rome wasn’t built in 1 day and neither was your seller’s junk and their worldly possessions. Putting things off will get you nowhere but trouble. So avoid that trouble by doing what you need to be doing.
- If sellers are short on time and strapped for cash to hire someone, talk to your sphere of influences and vendors.
As a stager, my company Staged4more offers discounts on PODS storage and 1-800-got-junk which my clients are more than welcome to utilize. I also offer payment plans for sellers who are strapped for cash. The sellers may also consider borrowing money from friends and family members and pay them back when the home is sold (I would of course recommend to jot something down on paper for providing a clear understanding for both parties involved to prevent future disputes). We are problem solvers, it’s what we do. So be creative and see what we can do to help out the situation. After all, all of us, stagers, sellers, agents, we all have a common goal of getting the home sold.
Do keep in mind that the professionals may charge interest for paying at the close of escrow, which is standard in the industries. Another great resource is Craig’s List, where sellers can post and barter services. Say seller is an artist and s/he is short on cash right now to get ready, s/he trades his/hers goods (paintings) for a professional organizer’s services. When I wrote grants for artists, I did get paid in paintings a few times.
Selling a home is already a stressful process, it is even more difficult when seller is not 100% there, so do enlist/hire help when you need it. As a stager, I would love to help my clients out if they ask (nicely of course). Also planning will help you prepare for any possible surprises down the road because you will be more equipped to deal with the uncertainties.
For more tips like this, or look at before and after staged home photos, visit www.staged4more.com. You can also ask Cindy your burning staging questions at hello@staged4more.com
Got great tips to share? Feel free to jot down your tips here in the comment section…