Thoughts on staging?
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Anonymous
| We've been trying to sell our condo in the DC area for the last five months and I'm getting concerned that the fact that it is empty is part of the problem. The realtor did not recommend staging it but some of the feedback we've received is that the condo feels small at just over 1400 square feet for a 2-BR, 2BA with a den. Given that we have dark walls and dark floors, my gut tells me that staging it might help prospective buyers see that it is not small at all. I would be interested in hearing if people think staging can make a difference. |
Anonymous
| Paint it! I can easily see past "bad" colors, but if it's a smallish condo (and 1400 is more than my townhouse, but it's all layout, isn't it?) and it has dark walls and dark floors, what feels cozy and sophisticated to you might feel oppressive to a prospective buyer. |
Anonymous
| OP here - the walls are dark because they are exposed brick so I don't think painting them is an option. Nor is changing the floors. I should have mentioned that in the original post. |
Anonymous
| Hang light-colored, large paintings on the wall and put in a few LARGE pieces of light-colored furniture. And a light rug. I think it'll really help. 1400 square feet is huge! |
Anonymous
Ditto. Great ideas. |
Anonymous
| That is ample SF, what would your agent feel about doing a partial stage? |
Anonymous
OP here - I have not asked them yet. When I asked about it at the time of initial listing, they recommended against it. Now they've asked me to lower my price without suggesting other ideas like doing an open house (we have not done any) or staging. I may ask them about staging before cutting price but I wanted to get an idea if it would be a waste of money and time. Thanks for all the feedback so far. |
Anonymous
| People have no imagination. They have a hard time "seeing" themselves in a place without furniture in it. I think a good stager can make a world of difference. |
Anonymous
| I'd also think it wouldn't photograph well without furniture. With so many people doing initial searches online, I would think this would have an impact as well. |
Anonymous
| How is the lighting/fixtures? It should be bright. |
Anonymous
| I'm one of those people with no imagination. I'd stage it. Five months is a long time to be on the market. |
ccarterdc
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| Real estate agent here: five months is way too long to be on the market in this market. If something shows well and is priced well it should not be on the market for more than a week or two - a month tops. You definitely need staging and no open houses? Do you even have a virtual tour? 1400 square feet is huge. Best of luck! |
Anonymous
|
[quote=ccarterdc]Real estate agent here: five months is way too long to be on the market in this market. If something shows well and is priced well it should not be on the market for more than a week or two - a month tops. You definitely need staging and no open houses? Do you even have a virtual tour? 1400 square feet is huge. Best of luck![/quote]
OP here - no virtual tour, no staging, no open houses. Just discovered that it wasn't even coming up on websites like redfin when you searched for properties in the zip code. Thanks for all the advice. Will talk to my realtor about staging and new pictures post-staging. |
Anonymous
| Kinda sounds like you need a new real estate agent to me. |
Anonymous
About to say the same thing, who doesn't do open house? Break the contract and move on. |