Does home staging work?
The first weekend blew us away! We had to cut showings off after 24hrs because I had already received 6 great offers, and 4 were over asking price.”
Does home staging work? We’ll let you decide. The case studies in our blog give you multiple perspectives in the home selling process so you can see how home staging can work for you too. In this article, we interviewed both the seller’s agent (Claire Warren) and buyer’s agent (Michelle Comstock) to give you a peek behind the curtain of a very successful sale. This Bellaire traditional sold for $65k over list in its opening weekend.
Seller’s agent POV: Claire Warren
These were dream sellers. These sellers did EVERYTHING right; they spent the money to get their home market ready, paid for staging, and operated on a timeline that I suggested. Needless to say, it paid off with an offer $65,000 over asking price. Transactions like these reinforce why I love my job!
Pricing it right
Comps in the area were on a spectrum. On one end, you had slightly updated homes but still nice in the $1.2M range. On the opposite end you had new construction in the $1.8M – $1.9M range. This home didn’t fall into either column which was a challenge- and it didn’t have a pool. Because I knew this street was very desirable and the home had valuable features, I priced it in between those two extremes.
The value of hiring a home stager
Even the initial staging consultation alone was great because it’s one thing to get advice from your realtor, but it’s quite another to get 3rd party validation. What really helped was when Sarah and Shelley came in and reiterated some of the suggestions I was making in a constructive and polite way. My sellers did everything we asked and were rewarded for it.
Does home staging work? The staging itself completely transformed the home to its full potential. The opening weekend blew us away! We had to cut showings off after 24hrs because I had already received 6 great offers, 4 were over asking. My sellers wanted top dollar, but the sellers’ furniture wasn’t reflecting that. There’s a certain feel that is required from a luxury home, and Showhomes’ staging elevated the space to top dollar appeal.
But what made me feel so great about working with Showhomes Houston was that Shelley & Sarah cared so much about the outcome. The difference between good vs great is doing the job vs doing the job with integrity and passion. Showhomes Houston does the job with integrity and passion.
Buyer’s agent POV: Michelle Comstock
My buyers had been looking for a very specific home in a very specific quadrant of Bellaire for years. We had kept an eye out for every new listing that came on the market in this quadrant. When this home on Verone hit the market, we promptly made an appointment to see it that afternoon.
First impressions matter
The moment we stepped into the home and looked left to the staged dining room… then right to the staged office… and then through the hallway towards the back of the house… We all three looked at each other and knew it was the ONE! The staging was all absolutely perfect and we could tell the make-ready that had gone into the house prior to hitting the market. I was so happy (and not surprised) to discover Showhomes Houston had done the staging in this gorgeous home!
Does home staging work?
I definitely think the staging had a lot to do with how well the home showed. When we did our walk through just before closing, my buyer looked at me and said, “I definitely see the value in staging now.” (We had previously discussed staging their home when we met about listing their house post closing)
I can’t say for certain that it would not have been AS competitive; the Bellaire market is very tight right now. However, it’s very possible there may not have been quite as much traffic had it not been staged. I went by the open house so I could look at it while thinking about our offer price. It was a packed house! Literally! My buyers went to the open house separately and it was the same kind of traffic while they were there as well. The staging told the perfect story in the MLS photos, which drove all the traffic to it.
I am so incredibly happy for my buyers and I know that they are SO happy about their new house!
Does your listing need a lift? Stage your listing with Showhomes Houston!
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Find out more about the realtors featured in this article:
Seller’s agent: Claire Warren Buyer’s agent: Michelle Comstock