We recently had a listing in Old Palo Alto that wasn’t generating a lot of interest.
The house was lovely – and completely empty. It sat on the market for over a month, with no reaction to it. At our urging, the homeowner changed his mind about staging. We brought in Lisa McBride of DaLusso Staging. Lisa worked her magic, and it immediately sold above list price for $6.1 million dollars. Why? We picked the right stager, and then targeted the buyer who will respond best to the house, and offer the most money.
Stagers, like homes, have different styles. We look for a stager whose style is in sync with the style of the house and who performs well. For this house, we picked Lisa.
Catering to younger buyers who want beautiful and trendy homes
The target buyers for the Palo Alto area are young people with money and modern tastes. Even when they buy a traditional home, they want it to be trendy. We work with the stager to make the home reflect exactly what that buyer wants.
“We own two warehouses full of furniture, art and accessories. We have a ton of things that are beautiful and trendy, now,” said McBride. “Sometimes we even have to get the realtor out of their comfort zone to get the house looking up to the minute.”
Seeing the house as a complete package grabs their attention and makes them want to buy. “People can’t see how things fit in a space, and don’t always have a lot of decorating ideas,” explained McBride. “Buyers often try to recreate the look that we made.”
Setting the Stage for a Buying Decision
In a fast moving real estate market, buyers are asked to make incredibly quick decisions. Buyers need an opportunity to slow down and start talking. The magic moment is when the buyers sit down on the couch after walking around the house. They won’t do that if they feel the seller is coming home, or there’s not enough time. “It is difficult for everybody involved when the homeowners still live in the house, but sometimes it has to be that way,” said McBride. “The best thing to do in that situation is get the house staged and go away for the weekend. Your realtor will most likely have several offers when you get back.”
Updating color is a small change that makes a big difference
Updating the paint colors in the Old Palo Alto house was a game-changer. For example, the dining room had bright red walls that clashed with the hardwood floors. Once the walls were painted a subtle gray, McBride carefully chose furniture and art that worked perfectly with this color, creating a consistent look throughout the house. Color trends change constantly, and stagers keep up with them. She painted every room using grays and neutral tones. She carefully chose furniture and art that looked perfect with those colors, creating a consistent look throughout the house.
Staging makes houses more valuable
A home is worth what a buyer is willing to pay for it. Buyers respond better to staged homes and pay more for them. “If sellers stage their home, they will get so much more money,” said McBride. “Sometimes realtors will push the price up an extra $100,000 after it has been staged.”
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