We see good bones and a relatively unrenovated kitchen and baths (which we actually prefer when buying) inside the Henry Doelger designed home at 1862 15th Avenue.
And yes, it’s an apple to be for the Golden Gate Heights single-family home: purchased for $885,000 in June 2007, asking $849,000 today.
∙ Listing: 1862 15th Avenue (3/3) – $849,000 [MLS]
the MLS link is incorrect and takes you to a 3.9million home!
[Editor’s Note: Since corrected. And as noted on that $3.9 million home thread (from which the incorrect link came), it’s been a long short week…]
great home, and I agree that it’s better that they didn’t renovate the kitchen or bathrooms.
not my favorite location in the city, but a really great place to raise a family or to be in a more sedate/quieter part of town. and public transport options are decent as well.
great look, great outdoor space.
I wonder how big it is? those rooms look pretty darn big. is it a photography trick or is it really that big?
I really like this one. The clean simple lines are still fresh today.
I wholeheartedly agree with the editor on the preference for unrenovated homes with good bones. The trend in spec renovation creates problems. Most importantly it raises the retail cost of homes and raises the barrier to home ownership. Then on top of that the design decisions made don’t necessarily suit the end user. So the buyer ends up paying more for a product that doesn’t ideally meet their needs.
There’s nothing wrong with this place. Yeah the finishes are dated, but they look well cared for and fully functional. In this state it can attract a larger pool of potential buyers. The end user can then decide what and when to renovate. They might do a whole-house remodel along the lines of a spec developer. Or they could incrementally renovate the parts of the house that are most important as they build the funds to do so.
If we could only get rid of staging too then the barrier to entry can be lowered even further to compensate a bit for the continuously raising funding bar. Stagers and superficial remod flippers have been annoying parasites on the bull “anyone can qualify for a $1M loan” market. They remind me of hotel touts in developing nations : useless intermediaries between you and the hotel operator.
It looks as if the listing agent did a nice job of assembling decent photos of the home with descriptions. But why is the rest of the MLS listing so sparse ? Maybe we’ll get an updated listing soon.
We are just starting to look for a SFH (currently in a 2/1+ upper flat). This came through via agent and Clean Offer last night. Like it a lot for all of the reasons stated above. However, bad location. I refer to areas like this as urban suburbs. I think you pay a high price for the city but don’t get the benefits – what exactly are you walking to? Commute into downtown is not great. Better off in Berkeley or Oakland.
Herb Caen called it the County of San Francisco. This has always been a nice neighborhood, better than the flat part of the Sunset, close to UCSF, and with great views. Some of the houses are small.
I am pleased to see the Socketsite endorsement of my long held position that “relatively unrenovated” is better when buying.
I wonder how big it is? those rooms look pretty darn big. is it a photography trick or is it really that big?
PropertyShark has the surface at 1270sf. I assume that’s just the second floor considering the footprint of the house.
What is really nice is the lot width. It must be 40ft and probably 100ft deep. That’s pretty wide for SF.
I agree with milkshake about the staging..let’s get rid of it. Seriously, staging is one of the biggest piece of bullshit to be hoisted on the consumer by the Realtor..since the beginning of time..Totally a waste of money..and staging many times attempts to disguise or downright hide some serious flaws in a home.
I believe that all buyers can see how a home will work for them without having to look at a bunch of cheesy Pottery Barn display windows.
Boy am I ever with that. Staging Sucks. I never trying to hide anything but I know if I sell a place without staging the thought will be “no staging, he must be broke and desparate let’s lowball”
None the less I am still thinking about not staging my next place.
Good for you sparky-b but I’ll admit that if I put my place on the market tomorrow and thought that staging would have a big ROI then I’d do it begrudgingly.
I hope this “no staging, seller must be a desperate” meme dies out and gets replaced with “hmmmm staged. This place must not be able to sell on its own merits”.
Staging is only worth it when you have a piece o’ crap property that needs something, anything to look better.
If you’ve got a good property, with decent bones, like this listing staging just gets in the way of potential buyers envisioning the changes they’d make to the house.
When your Realtor recommends staging for your home ask yourself if you really, truly need it and then ask him/her how much of a kickback they’re getting from the staging company they send you to.
I hope this “no staging, seller must be a desperate” meme dies out and gets replaced with “hmmmm staged. This place must not be able to sell on its own merits”.
I hope so too, Milkshake. Never quite understood the craze. I agree with noearch that usually staging is an attempt to hide flaws. And deshard makes a great point that people should find out about these conflicts of interest — if you’re paying, *you* should choose your staging vendor, not your realtor.
although I too dislike staging, it has been my experience that a lot of homebuyers have a hard time visualizing a space without staging.
not saying it needs to be as over the top as it has become, just that it seems to be quite effective.
all you have to do is watch “sell this house” (on A&E, a show I actually kinda like) or similar shows and you will see that many buyers comment mainly on the furnishings as opposed to the bones of the house.
but staging is irritating for those of us who are more interested in the actual bones of the house, because it gets in the way and often is meant to obscure.
As a buyer, staging for me is 2 things:
1 – Clutter – Please let me look at the place!!!
2 – Cost – I know who will be paying for it in the end…
In short costly and useless and it benefits only the seller
Great house; $669/ft² seems top top dollar for the area to me though, but guess that is the architectural premium.
I disagree with simpr’s view on the area, you are a not too far from Noriega St which has some great food and in between two parks. jmho.
Staging happened organically. Both messy homes and empty homes sell less well than occupied homes that are neat. If you look at statistics on this it really leaps out with essentially no room for argument. Staging is a way to get the neat and occupied look without having to live in an unrealistic way, and buyers respond to this. I would prefer to see properties without staging or with minimal staging, but staging really does help move properties. There is strong statistical backing for this.
Standard remodels really are a problem, and are much more expensive and wasteful than staging. With staging it is like a play and everything gets taken out when finished, unless it was for sale and the buyers are interested in a particular piece. With standard remodels standard kitchen and bathroom and finishings get slapped in along with some generic granite, then before the new owners move in the kitchen and bath get redone with completely different granite. This is a hugely expensive waste, and it downgrades properties for people who prefer either traditional finishes or making their own decisions. Many times I have seen buyers, especially young buyers, look at properties, get excited, then see the kitchen or bath and get completely turned off. If it is just bad that is one thing, but if it is all new and awful then there is no easy out except paying a big extra lump of cash twice, once for the standard remodel and again for what buyers actually want.
In theory buying an unrenovated home and making it your own sounds ideal, but reality is a bit trickier. I think few first time homeowners would enjoy the process, and at a minimum it’s not for everyone. As someone who just went through all of this, I think there are two factors that make buying a finished home more attractive: buying power and frustration power.
1. Buying power
If an $800k home could be worth $1M with $100k of work, then you will need $260k in liquid cash ($160k down payment + $100k to rehab).
But if you just bought a $1M home you only need $200k in liquid cash. ($200k down payment). Sure you will pay a little more in mortgage, but that might be a lot more realistic for some than coming up with an extra $60k.
Note that these numbers are for demo purposes only. A more realistic kitchen/bath remodel budget might be $150/200k. I’ll let NoeArch or someone with more experience weigh in here, but from what I have seen my friends do, it ain’t cheap that’s for sure.
2. Frustration power
Rehabbing is frustrating. I have a couple friends who divorced during that process. Just moving is stressful enough. Moving in to a home with the intention of transforming it is quite a task. We made some very modest changes to our place, and even though we were braced for it, we were still surprised at how long it took to get someone to do even the simple things, and how tough the decisions were. One rule of thumb is to not do anything until you have lived there for a year. As we see over and over on SS there are a lot of ways to go wrong.
If you are willing to pay more, up front and in cash, so that you can suffer through months of dust and plaster, and struggle with difficult decisions, I completely agree that the end result could be very rewarding (emphasis on “could”, as I have another friend who spent two years on a remodel and put it on the market six weeks after completion).
On the other hand you could buy something that you already know you like, spend less money up front, and just go about enjoying it right away.
We chose the latter, and have absolutely no regrets about it. YMMV.
huh?????????????? WTF?
So now we have something new called “standard remodels”? what is that? When you attach granite or any building material or product to a structure, its NOT staging, no matter what you call it..it’s called remodel..cheap or high end, it’s not staging.
Seriously. is this some new ploy by realtors? Staging is bad enough, now we get standard remodels?
Both are a joke. I thought I’ve heard it all til now.
Wait a minute. “Let’s get rid of remodels and staging so that houses sell much cheaper” — tough sell to a seller there!
Yes, staging does only benefit the seller side and its presence is a moderately bullish sign. This means sellers still keep most of the pricing power: they can use a trick to extract more than the non-staged value, even more than the non-staged value + staging cost.
If there is still staging even this far into the correction, that’s because there’s enough demand to motivate the extra cost.
See it as a useful parasite like the gut flora: it sucks to have all these things sucking on your food, but nothing would be moving quickly without them!
as someone who just finished new siding, windows, doors, electrical, air conditioning, and master closet: I hear missionite loud and clear.
especially since the ball and chain is starting to talk about basement and kitchen remodel. Aack!
(we already did the bedrooms, bathrooms, closets, and furnace).
if we every buy again and if I have any say in the matter (big ifs) our next home will be move. in. ready.
@missionite: good points. thanks.
Yes, kitchen and bath remodels are expensive, usually the most cost/square foot in a remodel. There are endless questions and details about materials, dimensions, layout, moving walls, electrical and plumbing changes that ALL are important and worth designing on paper with a qualified architect (or similar experienced person). I apply similar rules and costs for bath remodels.
High quality kitchen remodels typically cost in the range of $500-1000 /sf…this means quality cabinets, counters, high end appliances, new lighting and plumbing and wall finishes, typically a new plan layout, maybe moving some walls or openings. Since each kitchen I design is typically for a specific owner or family, they take time to design properly to fit their particular style of living and goals.
Doing it right, and on paper first, discussing ALL of the many options and choices will pay off, in terms of “live-ability” and added value to the property.
“…staging really does help move properties.”
There’s little doubt in that statement. This is probably why many selling agents recommend staging – the deal closes quicker meaning there’s less work required to close the deal. The selling agent isn’t paying the stager, so why not ? All benefit and no cost.
Sellers should also care about turning the deal quickly, but in summary their concern is proceeds – (carrying_cost + sales_cost)
I wonder how many people who talk about how they can gauge a property without staging are actually able to do so. I know Sparky and Noearch can. But the rest of you? What makes you different than other normal would-be buyers? Most people have a hard time envisioning usage. Then factor in that they’ve been out to see four or five properties in a day. They all blend together. Staging combats that effect too.
In all fairness, I think a lot of buyers can judge a property without the staging. Not just architects and contractors. This isn’t rocket science, you know.
I think staging has been FORCED onto the public by sleazy realtors just to add cost and fees to a sale..Many realtors get a cut from a staging fee. I think the public has, unfortunately just come to expect staging…and they get caught up in a bit of theatre to the buying process.
I think staging has been FORCED onto the public by sleazy realtors just to add cost and fees to a sale..Many realtors get a cut from a staging fee.
That’s ludicrous, sort of funny, and I’ve never heard of such a thing in my life. You come up with some good ones.
The public has come to expect it though, true. And Sparky’s earlier point about “hmmmm. They must not have any money left” dovetails into that.
Of course staging helps to sell properties. That’s why developers usually have a few furnished model units to show prospective buyers. Staging helps people visualize how furniture can be laid out. (And, if they know how to look for it, staging can help people realize that a room is impossible to furnish.)
But the most important thing staging does is provide scale. Unfurnished rooms always seem to be much smaller than they actually are. That’s because we are notoriously bad at estimating distance on an empty horizontal plane. If you’ve ever seen a house staked out on a site before construction you know what I’m talking about. It looks teeny. If a piece of real estate seems small you’re less likely to buy it and if you do you’ll offer less money for it.
Knowing that doesn’t make me like staging, though. I wish we could do away with it.
Everyone should try at least one remodel.
It is stressful for some, and exciting for others.
Many who have done it happily in the past, won’t do it again. We have remodeled homes for clients in the past, to sell and to keep. I think it is a blast. I have had clients who can’t handle it and it drives them to the brink of depair. It’s not something you can cancel half way through. Things go wrong, costs escalate, permits are stalled, hardware doesn’t ship, weather happens, diasters ar uncovered in the demo process, it takes longer than planned and cost will overrun, in general. I still love the cosmetic “fixer”. My favorite kind of home. Well lived in.
As for the anti-stagites out there, go ahead and sell your home without staging. Time is money to sellers, so selling faster is a financial win. Months of mortgage payments saved. There are websites out there devoted to fab fotos of unstaged homes. Call me old fashioned, but for me, staging is must. Staging a home doesn’t mean I’m lazy, it means I’m clever, and I am lucky to have clever clients.
A Realtor tells us the masses are not able to envision space usage. Methinks said Realtor has a very low opinion of buyers. Methinks said Realtor has a few failed artists/failed decorators buddies (AKA stagers) to help.
its quite easy to tell the different selling brokers who try to get your listing that you expect them to pick up the cost of the staging and the cleaning service as well.
not staging a property is missing an opportunity in my book. a key “trick” that staging accomplishes is to convince people that they too can live in this place and make it look like a pottery barn catalog. anyone who seriously disagrees can try to tell me that pottery barn should just present their merch on its own rather than as part of a staged vignette.
i’m sure all on here who have commented negatively on staging would not feel the same way about it if it was their place they were selling.
(c’mon sparky, get kenny to pay for that staging…you both know its worth it).
Wow………………
what a nice Blog, And your title is also too cute.Such as I really like it, And hope that It may be liked by everyone.The above statement is seen to be contradictory. The situation is very critical and need an experience complainer to resolve it.This conversation is going no where. It’s lacking the place of a good leader to head the things to come out on conclusion. I can get my hands on the pears. So lovely. Enjoy your precious time with grandmere et grandpere.
*************************
johndouglas
On the one hand we see lots of remarks on this site about how “pergraniteel” is a common and often unwelcome treatment, and other other hand hearing about “standard remodels” is some kind of crazy mystery. What is going on here? Many buyers do not like Pergo floors, cherry wood cabinets, granite counters, or stainless appliances. If people left older kitchens and baths alone and sold without any remodeling then this would not be such an issue, but owners want to sell then they get pressure from agents to at least put some granite in place. Why not do the floors and the cabinet doors while at it?
When the place is finally bought the damage done by introducing sales oriented “pergraniteel” finishes ends up being expensive, but necessary to get rid of with more remodeling. It is amazing to me that someone claiming to be versed in property trends would deny this because I have seen it dozens of times just being a bystander with no direct connection to the realty game. People want to sell, so they put in “pergraniteel”. No one with money or taste actually wants that crap, so as soon as they buy another round of remodeling is done and if nothing else brand new granite goes in. Maybe the cheap black stuff wasn’t so good or maybe the grain wasn’t right. It is granite, so it will just stain and crack soon enough anyway if it actually gets used at all.
As far as staging goes, if you actually look for statistics then you can find how sales match up with empty, occupied, and staged homes. This isn’t about feelings or guesses, it is about measured quantities of money. Homes sell better when staged.
Hi, simpr –
I disagree with your statement about “better off to be in Berkeley or Oakland…” and I’m actually amazed that I feel qualified to answer this !!
I’m currently doing a to-the-studs remodel on a SFH just a few blocks away from this Henry Doelger house. I’ve got slightly less frontage but a better view and and more sq footage.
Since I’ve got the place to-the-studs …. I’m actually temporarily living in Berkeley (Hills( …. (for the last 7 months!)
The thing is – I miss Golden Gate Heights. Berkeley is nice – lots of food, Acme Bread, Gourmet Ghetto, easy biking, friendly people, quiet …
But there’s better value and more breadth of options to be found in GGH on Noreiga, on Taraval, etc. Its more “ethnic” in SF and its cheaper to boot. I miss that. Granted, its safer and cleaner here in the East Bay … but crossing the bridge is a big pain in the butt. Every time I go to the city its 30-45 minutes one way …. I miss the city, even if its the suburba-city that I miss.
If you’ve got a good property, with decent bones, like this listing staging just gets in the way of potential buyers envisioning the changes they’d make to the house.
Antalya Homes Construction
Just an FYI:
not all people here stating that staging is highly effective are realtors.
I am extremely critical of the Real Estate profession, but I believe strongly that staging does wonders for a sale.
One of my favorite shows is “Sell this House” on A&E (I am in love with Tanya Memme).
to be fair, most of the homes on that show are in BAD shape at first… however the staging is very minimal. They often use bedsheets and cardboard “furniture” and a can or two of paint.
but the interesting thing is looking at the comments that the buyers make (there are hidden cameras).
you would be surprised at how much people look at the furnishings and not the bones.
http://www.aetv.com/sell-this-house/
*(see the photo gallery)
contrast this with “the Stagers” (not on very often). this is a blow out staging show. they go all the way sometimes spending thousands of dollars restaging a home.
http://www.hgtv.com/the-stagers/show/index.html
also, I watch House Hunters (usually the international version). I’m constantly amazed how often people say “well, this house doesn’t have stainless appliances” or “I wanted granite” (pouting).
I am as bored with pergraniteel as anybody else, but let’s face it… it still sells.
so IMO there are 3 different concepts people are talking about:
-crappy quick remodels with pergraniteel. I’m not sure the data is as strong that this is cost effective
-very quick and basic staging (cleaning the house, repainting, good furniture arrangement, removing clutter, adding a few flowers and what not). I think this is EXTREMELY effective.
-massive staging (renting new furniture, renting museum quality art, etc). I’m not sure this is as effective as the quick stage, but it may be a “must” for high end properties. Not sure. I think it is effective at showing how “high end” a property can be, especially to those with little to no vision.
(as a non-realtor, I think many people have poor vision when it comes to looking at houses).
A Realtor tells us the masses are not able to envision space usage. Methinks said Realtor has a very low opinion of buyers. Methinks said Realtor has a few failed artists/failed decorators buddies (AKA stagers) to help.
Methinks? ouch, went my eyes. Olde English is always a bad look.
Finally, a thread where everyone is right! Let’s face it, some potential buyers (i was in this category) want to see a listed home as immediately move-in-able and staging helps that; some walk in and immediately want to imagine the changes they would want. Different strokes.
I guess the issue is a little different for me. I deal with down to the studs whole houses, so it’s not like a can move stuff around, rotate the couch and take down the old wall paper (ala Sell This House). The place is totally empty. So I have to rent an entire house of furniture. I do think people have space problems in some situations and furniture helps, but man it is expensive for what you get. I never love what they put in, it seems cheap. I would rather poll a bunch of people for furniture they are looking to buy and offer to pay for half of it as long as I can borrow it for a month or two.
Per the other things on this thread:
I am not dealing with leave this kitchen or not. My current project (and most I deal with) didn’t have a kitchen or bathroom to begin with. And it’s not just me, that is often the case, when you are bashing the granite and cabs. know that people didn’t always remove a decent working area to put it in.
Why all the granite hate, I don’t get it. Granite is a quality counter product and is one of the least expensive. What would you rather see?
Two of the rooms in this home are staged. Some buyers have less imagination than others. If you email me I would be happy to send you the pictures of this home before they bought it. Green with shag carpet throughout and an occupant who was a heavy smoker. These owners did a great job cleaning up the home for their own enjoyment.
sparky-b – no granite hate here. I used it in my own kitchen remodel. It is a great material for kitchen counters. My complaint is not the use of granite but rather having the seller randomly choose the finishes. I looked at probably 60 different granite and marble samples before finding the right one. I’d like to exercise the same freedom of choice in the next buy.
Ex-SFer – great clarification between quick and basic staging vs. massive staging. The former is usually a good idea, especially the cleanup and decluttering part. The latter is commonplace in SF and is expensive overkill.
This buyer has no problem at all understanding space usage without staging. An empty home allows easier visualization of alternatives (“the couch could go here for best view of the TV spot, or instead put two armchairs here around the fireplace and a loveseat for watching TV…”). A staged home steers you towards a single alternative.
Not all can visualize easily though. The other less analytic and more emotional half of the Milkshake buying team struggles without staging. But then the conversation afterwords tends to center around the furniture more than the property itself. Maybe that’s the point of massive staging : employ great eye candy to distract from the salient attributes of the property.
Here’s why I don’t prefer granite, but I don’t hate it. I always show my clients the many other options for counter-tops including stainless steel, wood, and solid surface materials.
Remember: architects recommend. Clients decide.
Granite is ubiquitous and over done. Glass ware breaks easily when dropped on granite. just try it. Granite, to many people, implies “expensive and tasteful”…
Solid surface is so much “warmer” visually and functionally. There are literally hundreds of colors and awesome looks in solid surface (ie: Corian or Silestone or Caesarstone, etc.
It’s always a personal choice, but I prefer materials other than polished granite or marble for counters.
^^^
Caesarstone and Corian get beat up on here as well, and cost more than granite in general. I feel like granite is ubiquitous and overdone for a reason; you get the highest quality and longevity to price with granite.
Most granite is ugly, but there are some really nice ones as well. If the hate on granite is based on the fact the most often really veiny ugly versions of it are used then I can get with that. Hate on the look and not the quality of the product.
Caesarstone will break glass as well, so it is best to not drop glasses.
There are literally hundreds of types of granite out there. “Disliking” granite is illogical. Check out one called “Blue Louise” — my personal all-time favorite stone. I can’t really afford it (was quoted something like $300/sq.ft., installed) but it is unique and beautiful.
Looking at the pictures of this house, it doesn’t look bad at all. The “unrenovated” descriptor isn’t entirely appropriate here. This place appears to be quite livable as-is. Easily as nice as what I now own.
Speaking of countertop alternatives, check out locally produced Vetrazzo : http://www.vetrazzo.com/ .
And what about lowly Formica ? I haven’t seen a remodel that used formica for a decade. It is probably just out of style with too much of a 1970s connection. But formica is an amazingly durable material and comes in limitless colors and patterns. I considered formica but went for granite because you can take something out of a 400F oven and put it onto granite without risk of burning the countertop.
Vetrazzo. Cool, M.O.D. Thanks for that one.
Warning. Anecdote alert.
You guys would be shocked at some of the comments I have heard showing “minimally staged” properties. People just don’t get it. They just don’t. So pardon me for expressing skepticism. I come by it honestly.
…staging really does help move properties.”
Really? Based on what data? And please don’t cite the nonsense of the reality/scripted TV shows. This is not real data.
Personally, I find it difficult to believe that staging is cost-effective. But remain open to data that disproves my hypothesis. As noearch so eloquently noted, it is not rocket science to picture your bed in the room…
So you say. But that is the perfect example. A smallish bedroom, smallish, mind, not tiny, can usually hold a queen size bed easily. However, unstaged that bedroom will elicit a dismissal of “too small for even the kid” from most buyers. Doubt that fact in the hypothetical in absentia if you like. I’ve seen it too many times to believe differently.
Somebody always pays for that unnecessary staging cost. It’s usually the buyer in the form of a higher asking price.
I wish we had an accurate poll of how effective staging really is. I would assert that almost ALL buyers can understand room sizes and potential layouts without having to rely on fake room dressings.
Buyers are more intelligent than realtors assume them to be.
Staging can also generate a false impression of how a room can be used. A simple room without a closet staged with a bed, a small table with flowers, and a chair looks cool and inviting. But where do you store your clothes without a closet, armoire, or dresser ?
We can easily see what’s in the room but it takes a initiative and little thought to realize what is missing.
Assuming this goes for asking or above, this would be down 4% from the purchase price in Summer of ’07. Which is as close to “peak” as you are going to get in this neighborhood.
Considering all the positive comments about this home, I would be surprised if it did not move, but we will have to wait and see for sure.
What’s with the stars in staging, there’s another one in the kids room; are all stagers/decorators in The City displaced/frustrated Texans?
“Buyers are more intelligent than realtors assume them to be.”
nice broad broad broad stroke there.
. Doubt that fact in the hypothetical in absentia if you like. I’ve seen it too many times to believe differently.
So I do say. Your anectdotal info of overheard conversations adds to the argument in no meaningful way. I don’t doubt that you heard that. And I don’t doubt you believe staging is useful and cost effective. You are more than welcome to those beliefs based on your experiences, just as I am mine.
My point/issue was with folks making statements as being fact in the absolute “staging helps move properties” without any real basis, or real data to support it.
So let’s step back a moment — really now, how on earth did people actually sell houses with small bedrooms before staging existed? it must have been absolute torture and took forever. is it really different now that houses are staged?
seems a worthwhile little real estate project for a grad thesis to try.
let me know if you find real evidence to back up your beliefs. until then, I shall remain skeptical of the cost effectiveness it all.
No, I was specific. My statement parsed a particular thing you said, and it regarded bedrooms. Think what you will tho. I already said that. If you’re looking for a spreadsheet you will be looking for one for some time!
Maybe I should have said:
“Realtors are not as intelligent as buyers assume them to be..”
But I thought they were all criminal masterminds. What with how “many” of them engage in nefarious staging company palm greasing and all. So which is it? Are we dunces or mafia dons? To be serious for a moment I am sorry that a realtor stole your milk money last week. That’s it, right? You got off your crusade for a minute and now you’re back on it. Something happened.
“criminal masterminds” seems a bit strong. I would settle for “used house salesmen”.
Sellers pay for staging because it works. Does it result in an increased price for buyers? Absolutely. But it’s not because the cost of staging is factored in. It’s because research has shown buyers (particularly men surprisingly) will pay more for a property that looks “finished” on the inside. So while buyers might be able to imagine what it looks like finished, smarter sellers know that a sizable percentage of buyers are influenced by staging and will be more willing to pay a premium.
The good news for the really smart buyers is that if you focus on homes that are not staged you have a better shot at getting a deal.
It’s because research has shown buyers
can you cite a source, back this up?
“The good news for the really smart buyers is that if you focus on homes that are not staged you have a better shot at getting a deal.”
That’s the problem I stated above. The perception is if it’s not staged you can get a deal. So why wouldn’t I stage?
“Olde English is always a bad look.”
Old English is from pre-1066, and Middle English from 1066 to the 1470s or so. Technically, “methinks” is modern English derived from Middle English derived from Old English (note that Shakespeare is modern English as well).
Btw, one thing a lot of people don’t mention about granite countertops is that many of them are radioactive. My impression is that in many cases, the radiation level is rather low, but certain types of granite have higher radiation levels, depending on the source.
As a recent homebuyer, my anecdotal evidence is that staging does help. Even if 60% of buyers don’t need staging to help them envision a furnished home, who wouldn’t want to pay a little more to grab the attention of the other 40%. It’s like defensive medicine/driving, this is defensive real estate sales, trying to cover all the bases. Even if 80% of buyers don’t need staging, the potential buyer might still be in the 20%. It’s not about “what’s right,” it’s about getting the deal down.
And god forbid that a “visionary” who can see the “bones” be married to one who needs a bit of help. I spent hours trying to convince my husband one (unstaged) house’s bedrooms weren’t too small, even pulling out the tape measure and whatnot, but he just couldn’t imagine it being big enough. It was a deal-killer. For SFH’s, you need to convince usually more than one buyer.
We ended up appreciating the staging in the house we did buy. It was actually pretty well done and gave us ideas on how we might decorate in the future, as buyers who have absolutely no furniture and decorating experience.
I’ve heard that some granite countertops have so much radiation in them that you can cook directly on the counter, thus eliminating the need for a Viking range.
Basically all stone is radioactive, as well as sand on the beach. The caveman’s cave was radioactive. If you go around your house with a geiger counter, you will find lots of natural materials that are radioactive. The Scotch Tape dispenser on your desk, weighted down with sand, will send it buzzing like crazy. The glaze on your dinner dishes may be more radioactive than that stone kitchen counter. Hell, the human body is radioactive. The key is…at an extremely low levels. Not an issue.