I agree, if you're not using a realtor that includes at least a staging consult, then you are not getting your money's worth. Especially if that realtor is charging you 2%. We paid 2% two years ago (before the legal settlement) and our realtor included staging and minor landscaping (trimming bushes and mulching).

Your realtor should be able to get a stager in there for a walk through on her/his dime. Take an hour or two with that person and get opinions on editing and rearranging. This can make a huge difference. Sometimes for a nominal fee the stager or your realtor can add a few items later to really pull it all together.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ask your realtor or a friend with good taste. In certain neighborhoods to get top dollar you need to do it up (but don't renovate first; that's a big mistake) - move out and get more out than you think. Others are so hot it doesn't matter

don’t renovate but paint if it needs it

Meh. I know that’s the conventional wisdom but I fail to see how fresh paint matters.

If you want top dollar, then you don't want potential buyers to come in to the house and start making a list of things that they'll need to do before they move in. A lot of young buyers nowadays don't want to do ANY work, I mean ANY work. Not even paint.

+1

Also fix basic things. We once looked at a house where the living room had 4 different types of wall paper (yes, 4) and no they did not "go together", just poor work over time. Same house was only 12 yo and the built in microwave had the handle broken---you open it and it was only attached on one screw and almost fell off. Add to that no filter in the furnace and it was definately a Not interested from us, because if you cannot take care of basic things like those, then what the hell else is wrong/hasn't been maintained in the home.
The house took 3 months to sell when most things sold in 2-3 weeks .

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ask your realtor or a friend with good taste. In certain neighborhoods to get top dollar you need to do it up (but don't renovate first; that's a big mistake) - move out and get more out than you think. Others are so hot it doesn't matter

don’t renovate but paint if it needs it

Meh. I know that’s the conventional wisdom but I fail to see how fresh paint matters.

If you have lived there for 5+ years, the house will looked lived in with the paint, even more so if you have kids. So spending a bit to paint and freshen it up can help buyers view it better. Just like if you don't stage it, rent a storage space and move 50% of things out. People want to envision living there, not think there isn't enough space/that it is crowded.

So fix up things that are obviously broken and paint if it's needed, clean the carpets and wash the damn windows. Little things make it much more appealing

Do you have young kids and pets? If so it might be easier to move out your house before selling, although not necessarily essential. A middle-of-the road approach is to move as much of your stuff as is realistic to a storage unit so that you can really clean out and pare down your house before putting it on the market (i.e. you can stage it while still living in it). You could also consider staying in a hotel or airbnb/with relatives etc. for the first weekend or week that the house is on the market if you anticipate a lot of traffic, especially again if you have young children and pets.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ask your realtor or a friend with good taste. In certain neighborhoods to get top dollar you need to do it up (but don't renovate first; that's a big mistake) - move out and get more out than you think. Others are so hot it doesn't matter

don’t renovate but paint if it needs it

Meh. I know that’s the conventional wisdom but I fail to see how fresh paint matters.

If you want top dollar, then you don't want potential buyers to come in to the house and start making a list of things that they'll need to do before they move in. A lot of young buyers nowadays don't want to do ANY work, I mean ANY work. Not even paint.

There is also a sense of ‘if they couldn’t be bothered to do this, what else couldn’t they be bothered to do?’

+1. Fresh paint is all about the psychology of buying. Buyers aren't entirely rational and a dingy house in need of paint makes a negative impression on many buyers, even if they don't admit it to themselves. And even for buyers who plan to renovate, some may want to live in the house for a bit before they start. A fresh coat of paint (and other small cometic fixes) helps a buyer feel comfortable that they could live in the house if they had to for a short time before beginning renovations.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:ask your realtor or a friend with good taste. In certain neighborhoods to get top dollar you need to do it up (but don't renovate first; that's a big mistake) - move out and get more out than you think. Others are so hot it doesn't matter

don’t renovate but paint if it needs it

Meh. I know that’s the conventional wisdom but I fail to see how fresh paint matters.

If you want top dollar, then you don't want potential buyers to come in to the house and start making a list of things that they'll need to do before they move in. A lot of young buyers nowadays don't want to do ANY work, I mean ANY work. Not even paint.

I’ve sold multiple properties as well as rented recently. And I’m always surprised how staging and for superficial features, like cool sconces or marble look quarts cover up old roofs or old HVAC or single pane windows.