Welcome back to The Refreshed Homes’s Staging FAQs where pertinent questions of the day are answered in 400 words or less.

“What if my property becomes a tear-down?” has come up a lot lately. My response is, “Ok, what if it does?”.  Annoying, but it gets us to an underlying issue.

Westchester County is a desirable location, and decidedly an upwardly mobile market…yet close to half the single family homes here were built before the late 1950’s.  Today’s reality? Even if a structure is clean, maintained and perfectly functional for the current owners, buyers want what they want.  The location is a given, the structure is not.

Most recent numbers regarding frequency of selling/moving are somewhere in the vicinity of every 7 or 8 years. But as our market recovers, many Westchester County homeowners are downsizing, and approaching the selling pool for the first time in decades. Some are stunned to learn their property is considered worth more than the structure.

Even under “OK” circumstances Staging can seem arbitrary and feel invasive; feelings of loss, even grief are part of many sellers’ process. Thinking something so much a part of your life potentially reduced to rubble, then carted off will do that to a person.

The Refreshed Home defines Home Staging as anything that improves the market position of your property, while easing your mind. Selling quickly and well is goal, but negate the emotional part of the process at your own risk. Getting a house to look its best can easily come undone if the seller is anguished, not genuinely ready or willing to sell.

Being kind, and being direct are not mutually exclusive attributes. So early in the consult we talk about why they’re selling, who their buyer will be (and why), their expected price point and how they see that in their market.

“What if my property becomes a teardown?”  is a welcome question; really, several questions in one.  It’s a vehicle to define the scope of the job, help both of us address their concerns, and clarify/reinforce  their motivation and priorities now, upping the odds for an overall  smoother process.

You never know who the buyer will be, but helping prepare the seller is one way The Refreshed Home brings a thoughtful approach to the creative process. 

Want to sell? Need to sell?  Ready to sell? Talk to me TODAY about getting your listing noticed, and SOLD!