By Keith Kyle

It always amazes me the little effort some realtors put into selling their listing and how much money they may be leaving on the table for their clients.   One of the biggest differences in what realtor do (or don’t do) is how they present the home.  From staging to cleaning, to photography, it all matters.

Staging isn’t something done in most listings but it can make a huge difference.  Whether it’s staging a vacant home or adding to or rearranging the sellers own furniture (more often than not its actually decluttering), staging serves many purposes but it always helps present the home in a better light.

The photos above show a recent listing of mine before we staged it and after.  This was the same light, both clean and looking good but what a difference staging makes. It was a beautiful condo in Fusion South Bay, and likely would have done just fine without staging but for this home it served several purposes.  The most obvious is that it can take a rather cold and sterile feeling room and make it far more warm and inviting.  For this particular condo, it was on the smaller side with only 1000 square feet, so the additional purpose is eliminating many buyer perceived concerns.  Rooms are often bigger than they appear when empty and buyers often wonder if their furniture will fit, whether the bedroom will even hold a queen bed, where the TV is going to go.  All of this can be eliminated by staging properly and the buyer hesitations are eliminated and buyer then tend only to focus on the positives.  The sale of this home set the new sales record for an “A” floorplan unit in Fusion.