It Was Beautifully Staged…

The words we love to hear.

Within every Top Real Estate Team, you have your dream team players.  

Each individual brings something so perfect and unique to the group that their value becomes, as they say at auction, priceless.

At the corner of Stand Up Comedian and Old Dominion Drive in McLean, there is a staging professional at her desk cranking out calls, action items and creativity.  Her quick wit and funny anecdotes keep her coworkers in stitches in what can somedays be a challenging real estate environment.

Colleen Stoltz works diligently with a client's budget and objectives to create the most impactful property improvements that we know over time have helped achieve top dollar for the sale of the client's property in the current market.  

“To show a home properly, it must be well staged.”

Imagine for a moment, Audrey Hepburn in sweatpants and sneakers shopping at the grocery store.  You may see her and think "this woman has just had her workout."  But that image just doesn't work.

Audrey Hepburn presented herself in such an exact and pristine way, that her appearance evoked emotion from almost anyone who saw her.

Even her iconic images, found in museums, shops and private residences alike, still today evoke such wonder and admiration, you can hardly look away.

A perfectly staged home in its essence will evoke the same emotions from buyers who have multiple properties to view and tough decisions to make.  When gorgeous homes in McLean and the surrounding areas can be sold at a premium, your listing must be set apart from the other listings.  

Of the many reasons to add this important value to the sale of your home, we will outline a few of the most important.   

1. You Want to Get Top Dollar for the Sale of Your Home.  Most homeowners who are selling their home in a traditional sale would like to get stop dollar in their market, especially if the market allows for it.  From luxury condos to new build and estate homes, the Northern Virginia market does allow for top dollar home sales.

2. First Impressions are Very Important.  In order to create buyer appeal, the home should appear well appointed in every detail, even as the buyer is pulling up to the residence and upon the very first inspection of the outside spaces.  Well-appointed seating, plants, decor and other finishes will allow the buyer "to dream" of what this wonderful home would be like as their own.  

3. Imagine Yourself in this Space.  Excellent staging allows buyers to very quickly begin to think, plan aloud and ask questions about room dimensions, their own furniture and how they can imagine themself utilizing the same space.  When a room is unstaged, it can be very difficult to acertain dimensions and how many pieces will fit in a certain area.  If a buyer can imagine themself in the space, they are one step closer to presenting an offer.

4. Updating Spaces.  No seller wants to think that their home is unfit for showing for sale, or that the finishes in their home are out of date or not as fine as another listing.  Today, with TV programs that show perfect, move-in ready homes and no messy details in the middle, this can give an unrealistic view to both buyers' and sellers' expectations.  In many instances, it is not crucial to gut entire rooms, such as a kitchen, to prepare them for sale.  Staging professionals are able to work with homeowners to life the overall appearance of a home so that finishes, essential elements and details have been take care of and the budget has not ballooned.

5. Putting Your Best Foot Forward.  The selling environment can be so touch and go.  There is about 2-4 weeks when buyers in a market will want to look at your listing.  You would never want to jeopardize this golden opportunity to grab hold of the buyer's attention.  When your listing is prepared to perfection, you set a stage for a buyer to walk through and simply think to themself, "All I need to do is bring my wardrobe."  Make it as easy as possible for a buyer to imagine themself in this space.  In the long run, this will save time, money and potential price adjustments for the seller.

6. Trusting the Best Team to Care for the Details.  Top Teams have proven track records of getting homes sold with pleasing results for selling clients.  Get advice early in the timeline from a solid, reputable team that can go over ideas for each room, budgeting tips, where to spend money and where to save, and essentially getting an excemplary product in a timely fashion for their clients.  If staging your home will bring the best result, the higher price, the faster sale, why consider any other direction?  Trust the best in the industry to get it done right.

If every team had a Colleen, the Metro Area real estate industry would be truly hard to top!  However, we feel at HBC Group that we have one of the absolute best that this region has to offer.  Colleen brings expertise to staging and consultation, resourcefulness in sourcing material and new ideas, and timeliness.  We can personally say that her great sense of humor is the real treat of working with her as she keeps work life truly enjoyable!