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Costly Mistakes One of the biggest mistakes Staged Above owner and principal designer Shari Auldridge sees is homeowners who don’t want to paint or make repairs because they believe the new owners will want to do it to match their design tastes. “They [the prospective homeowners] only know what they see, so … if your flooring is severely damaged or outdated or your paint colors are from 10 years ago, it is going to be cheaper for you to just do that now and pick neutral than to give them a flooring credit,” she says. “People want move-in ready. Our typical buyer now is the millennial. They want everything now. ... They don’t want to have to move in and then replace it.” When buyers view a home listed for $250,000 and see it needs to be painted, they will reduce their offer by at least $10,000, Auldridge says, adding that professional painting would be far less than that. “Paint is money in a can, and I will say it all day long,” she says. “It is the No. 1 return on your investment. You will never lose by painting.” She does caution that homeowners need to consult a professional on what colors look best in their house. “Paint is very, very tricky and I get calls all the time—‘What is the go-to color right now for paint?’ Well, it depends. What does your flooring look like? Where does your light come in? What are your kitchen cabinets’ colors? I don’t have a one-sizefits-all paint color, so it just depends. I bring my paint colors with me when I come” for an appointment. Limelight Staged Homes and Century 21 Redwood Realty agent Sharon Scarborough notes buyers are turned off by unfinished projects like nails sticking out or holes in the walls. “You want to make it so the buyer who is coming in feels like they don’t have to do any work,” she says. “[The home is] move-in ready. If you just do those simple cosmetic changes, it makes a world of difference.”
PHOTOS Bill Green
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Sharon Scarborough, left, and Stacey Reno, owners of Limelight Staged Homes, host a free downsizing class each month at their Frederick office.
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All rooms should also be put back to their original purpose. Many residents will turn dining rooms into playrooms or offices. “For living, it’s fine, but when you go to sell, you need to put it back to its original purpose, the way that builder intended it to be or the way most people would use it,” Auldridge says. If you want to sell your home, Scarborough also suggests you begin the declutter process early. “Don’t try to tackle it all in one month because you will never get it done,” she says. “You need to give yourself at least three, six months, maybe nine months if you have a ton of clutter. Take that time so you are not boxing up stuff you never use and then taking it to the next house. ... You’ve got to take that time to do that because all those little things that you do will help in the end because a buyer is going to look at a well-kept house and that is going to be their first choice.” Scarborough and business partner Stacy Reno also host a free monthly downsizing class at their Frederick office. A different expert speaks each month on topics such as home inspection, junk removal, and how to get rid of paperwork. Homeowners may want to stage their own home, but working with a stager or real estate agent may be beneficial. “It’s my job to understand what the buyers want to see,” Auldridge says. “Just because HGTV is showing new trends doesn’t mean we need to have something real trendy in your house. Just because the paint color of the year is a certain color doesn’t mean I want you to paint your wall that color. We want to know what is going to appeal right now to everybody—no matter who comes through your house. ... We’ve been trained to understand what buyers need to see to sell your house quickly. We can look at a space Limelight Staged Homes and know exactly what furniture needs (301) 514-5296 or to stay, what needs to come out in (443) 302-9701 order to appeal to every single person limelightstagedhomes.com [who] comes in the door.” Stagers, who work with both Staged Above owner-occupied and vacant homes, (240) 513-6095 will often be hired through real estate stagedabove.com agents at no charge to homeowners. Homeowners who hire their own stagers may be able to deduct the expense as a tax write off. Stagers will often work with items the owners have on hand. “Every single house is different, and I fully believe every house deserves to be presented well regardless of price point or location,” Auldridge says.
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