As the real estate market in Houston has shifted to a Buyer’s Market, we have seen a resurgence in the need to stage a home before listing for sale.  I know I have spoken at least 100 times about how easy it was to sell a home in 2013 and 2014, when homes were overpriced and sometimes in poor condition, yet they sold above the asking price!

As a professional Real Estate Broker, I feel that homes should be staged and professionally photographed in every market. That is a minimum service we should provide for every client. I am proud to state that all Energy Realty Realtors are required to provide these services.

I recently had an opportunity to test my theory on how staging can affect the sale of homes with a home that was listed with another brokerage for over 300 days!  With the help of my stager Beatriz Baron, we completely transformed this home from a home that was being labeled as “dated” and “old” to a showcase home that “needs some updating”.  The Seller’s expense was less than $1,000 to paint some base boards that had a pink tint, paint over a floral ceiling mural, and change some cabinet knobs to brushed nickel.  Beatriz and I worked with some of the client’s furniture and replaced some of the other pieces with more modern furniture. The results were outstanding, and we are under contract after only 23 days!

Whenever I meet with sellers, I remind them that buying a home is an emotional purchase. While your home may be decorated beautifully for your own tastes, our job is to make sure that your home appeals to the largest number of potential buyers.  If you are thinking about selling your home, please call a professional Realtor at Energy Realty so we can advise you on how to prepare your home to sell and see the maximum return on your investment!