Hello Nest Seeker!
My clients had their property on the market for 5 months before I was introduced to them by a mutual friend to see if I could help their dire situation.
The couple told me that they needed a quick sale otherwise they would lose out on some important lifestyle goals.
They had only 4 viewings with their agents during that time, and no offers at all.
They were in a state of anxiety and panic!
The very first thing I always asked on an appraisal meeting is –“What’s the most important thing about the sale of your property?” From there I can find out their motivations and outcomes that they expect. And it’s not always about getting the most money for the property.
The couple outlined their plans and dreams going forward. I dug deep into their current situation and mapped out what needed to happen and by when – and indeed the clock was ticking…. Loud!
I look a tour of the property, making notes. I looked at the current listing photos and description, and did a price comparison against other similar properties in the marketplace. By the time I finished my research I could see why they had hardly any viewings and no offers – the home looked tired and unappealing in the photos, it was priced too high for the market, there were too many personal items around and they were in the middle of decluttering and packing.
The vendors story was a little heartbreaking. For several years they had been caring for elderly relatives – Mum on one side and Dad on the other.
Because they had the largest space available in the family and were able to accommodate them, they were the ones who took on the care of the parents AND all their belongings – furniture, clothes, books, china etc.
From what I could understand it was like living in a second hand shop, with everything piled on top of itself.
Once their parents passed away and the children had moved on to have their own families the couple felt it was time to now live their lives the way they wanted.
They had been slowly decluttering and clearing their things and they had not found time to really organise their own belongings properly, hence the packing and decluttering scenario.
When the original agents came to take the photos they did not even suggest that they make the home look more attractive. Twice the vendors had to ask the agents to retake the photos!
So, on being assigned to take over to re-list and sell the property, I firstly took a good look around as I felt into the energy of the property. That’s another of my unique skills – Energy Clearing. This helps to unblock any stale or stuck energy that may be preventing the sale.
I also listened to what the house was saying to me and discovered that the owners did not want to let it go. They were the ones hanging on to the home because of holding onto their family memories and also a little afraid to face the unknown.
We sat down and mapped out exactly what their vision for their future looked like and I told them to focus on that.
I also suggested that they say a “Thank you!” prayer to the home for keeping them safe, nurtured and loved for all those years. Now it’s time for the home to let them go, to enjoy a new adventure that they deserve – free from the stresses of life.
This immediately helped them to focus on where they were going and calm their anxiety about their future, which in turn allowed them to trust me to get to work on getting everything ready to put the property back on the market with a wow!
They had already started their decluttering and storing process. I made sure that they took away anything that was personal like family photos.
My clients had plenty of belongings to help stage the property and only had to buy a table setting for the dining table and some flowers – everything else was already there they just needed to be put in the right places, ready for the professional property photographer.
Buyers need to be able to see themselves living in “their new home” as not very many people have the ability to visualise that without some help. So with my skills and experience as a homestager and real estate agent I have to help them to do that.
Forbes magazine’s research found that staging a property can increase the purchase price with offers between 3 – 17% above the asking price – and in the UK you can expect on average up to 15% above asking!
We the set a date for an “Open House” where we have back to back viewings on one day – what this does is create “buyer competition” when viewers see lots of interest from other potential buyers,
During the following 2 weeks after we listed the home we booked 6 viewings from 12 enquiries for the Open House! – Plus 4 more individual viewings. A little different from 4 viewings in 5 months, me thinks!
What was also astonishing was that 5 of the bookings for the Open House had seen the property marketed on rightmove.com etc. with the other agent and did NOT even book a viewing!!!
When they called me to book, each one of them asked if it was the same house that they had seen listed before.
One couple had already viewed it with the previous agent and could not believe it was the same house because the photos looked so different! When they came back for the 2nd viewing they said the house looked and felt so different.
We had 3 offers from which I negotiated the strongest deal. My clients accepted and went from accepting the offer to completion and handing over the keys within 30 days!!!
So from the time we listed the property to the keys being handed over was 6 weeks! (Not counting the lockdown period in between).
All because of our expert homestaging and our highly bespoke marketing strategy.
It’s about having a buyer walk through that door and saying “Wow! I think I could live here ….!”
Staging is one of the many tactics we can use to take your “home” and transform it into a “house for sale” helping you to sell your home for the best price – in the fastest time – with the least hassle.
Moving your High-Valued Home from Stuck to Staged to Sold!
If you want to learn more about how I work with you to help you buy – sell – let – stage – improve your home, then please either book a Discovery Call –
Let’s have a conversation that will get you moving or improving!
Jennifer x
JENNIFER BEAUMONT-WHYTE
Former Real Estate Advisor – Nest Seekers International
Let me be your trusted advisor!
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