Last week Los Angeles home staging company Moving Mountains Design was hired to stage a South Pasadena cottage. I had met with the home owners and listing agent in the beginning of December for a home staging consultation. The homeowner was very diligent about making all the repairs outlined in the consultation and preparing her house for sale. We all felt that it would be in the best interest of a faster sale to remove all of the existing furniture and replace it with new home staging furniture, artwork and accessories. As suggested during the consultation, all wall to wall carpet was removed to expose the hardwood floors beneath and the floors were refinished. Some rooms were painted and out-dated window treatments were removed to let in more light.

Living Room & Dining Room Before Home Staging

Living Room & Dining Room After Home Staging

Dining Room & Living Room Before Home Staging

Dining Room & Living Room After Home Staging

As you can see, replacing the existing furniture and rearranging the furniture layout updates the home and makes the home feel larger.

Office Before Home Staging

Office After Home Staging

Office Before Home Staging

Office After Home Staging

I suggested the homeowner remove the amber plexi panels from the back side of the bookcases. Besides being more attractive, it creates a more open flow between the office and the family room.

Here’s before and after home staging photos of one of the bedrooms:

Guest Bedroom Before Home Staging

Guest Bedroom After Home Staging

Home buyers in the Los Angeles real estate market want a house that is move in ready.

Home buyers don’t want an allowance to repair the roof, replace the carpet or repaint. Allowances are for teenagers. They want a well priced home, in a decent location, that they can move right in to without spending another dime.

Its a big fallacy that home buyers want to choose their own carpet or paint colors. If you choose a nice, neutral color carpet and nice neutral color wall paint (both things the best home stagers can help you with) most home buyers will see your home as more desirable because it is move-in-ready. They’ll be thrilled they don’t have to worry about picking out carpet and having it installed or find a painter who has time in their schedule. If your home stager can’t help you with this, then you are working with the wrong home stager.

Most home buyers are maxing out their home purchasing budget by making an offer on the nicest home they can possibly afford. They don’t have extra money to paint, install new carpet or retile the bathroom. They want to move in as soon as escrow closes, not after they have to make a lot of repairs to make their new home livable.

Here’s what happens when you offer a $5,000 allowance for repairing the roof that should have been replaced 5 years ago:

1. The buyer thinks “What else didn’t they repair that they should have?”
2. The buyer thinks “What structure got damaged by the leaky roof?”
3. The buyer thinks “Is it really going to cost only $5,000 to repair the roof?”
4. The buyer thinks “How much time will it take me to get bids, hire a roofing company & get the work done?”
5. The buyer thinks “What happens if (fill in the disaster: it rains, the contractor absconds with the deposit, a worker falls off the roof)?”
6. The buyer thinks “The seller must be desperate since the house isn’t in good shape.”

Here’s what happens next:

The buyer accepts your offer of $5,000 to repair the roof, and then also knocks off another 10% because they think the house is not in good condition or you are desperate…

~or~

The buyer rejects your house and moves on to the house down the street that is move in ready.

Here’s what happens when you offer a $3,000 allowance for new carpet:

1. The buyer thinks “Will $3,000 really cover new carpet for the whole house?”
2. The buyer thinks “I’m not from around here. Where do I buy new carpet?”
3. The buyer thinks “That house down the street already has new carpet. Why should I take on the added stress of shopping for & installing new carpet?”

Here’s what happens next:

The buyer accepts your offer of $3,000 to buy new carpet, and then also knocks off another 10% because they think your allowance won’t cover all the costs …

~or~

The buyer rejects your house and moves on to the house down the street that is move in ready and already has new carpet installed.

By not repairing and updating your home before you put it on the market, you are asking home buyers to assume risk and additional expenses. You add more stress and uncertainty to the situation. Many home buyers are already investing every penny they can get their hands on in order to purchase a home. They are unable or unwilling to purchase a home that will require repairs before they can move in. Additionally, the condition of your home may effect the appraisal causing the buyer’s lender to refuse the loan.

Want to get a Los Angeles home sold? Price it right, hire the best full service Realtor you can find, hire a professional home stager and make sure it is in move-in ready condition.

A home staging consultation by an experienced Los Angeles home stager will give you a clear understanding of what condition issues need to be addressed before putting your home on the market.

Here’s a terrific video from Jay Papasan, VP of Keller Williams Realty that explains it very graphically and in easy to understand terms. Its the best use of 3 1/2 + minutes I can imagine before listing your home.

This weekend I went to a real estate conference (RainCamp) at Loyola Marymount University and I learned the following:

• 87% home buyers are using Internet to search for homes
• 94% of 24-44 year olds are using Internet in their home buying process
• 37% of home buyers found their home on the Internet

How can you use these home buying statistics to help sell your home in Los Angeles?

• List your home with an internet and social media savvy real estate agent.
• Have your home professionally staged so it looks great in person and in on-line photos. Professional staging allows you to make your best first impression on the internet.
• Have your home professionally photographed after its staged. Some listing agents include professional photography as part of their marketing because they recognize the difference it makes. Point & shoot photos from a snappy pix camera won’t create a compelling desire to see your home
• Make sure your listing agent posts 10-20 photos of your home on the MLS (each MLS limits the number of photos allowed, so number of photos may be different)

Arcadia home staging red dining room

Hancock Park home staging dining room

The first home in Arcadia was completely vacant, so we brought in all the furniture, rugs, accessories and artwork. I chose an olive rug with red accents to help absorb some of the red of the room without adding to the “fire”. The second home, the Hancock Park home staging project, is occupied. I incorporated some of the home owner’s furnishings and artwork (they have a stunning art collection-lucky me!) but brought in a larger more substantial dining table & chairs, that really fit the style of the home.

In both cases, the red walls will really make these homes memorable, and not in a bad way. The wall color was incorporated into the home staging plan and works in concert with the home staging to add personality and a very unique quality.